In a time where some genres are released in fits and starts (such as metroidvanias); It's always nice to see how some studios try to innovate in the field. ULTROS from the Swedish studio Hadoque is an example of this.
ULTROS is available for PC, PS4 and PS5.
A cosmic journey
Define the history of ULTROS It is as big a challenge as what the game tries to represent. The title gives us little information to feel like the protagonist. What we know is that we are Ouji. We are inside a ship drifting in space that contains a being known as Ultros. Our goal is to discover the reason why we find ourselves there in a kind of eternal loop.
Since our protagonist does not speak, much of the story is revealed when we find other secondary characters or plants with memories.
A (literal) tree of skills
ULTROS It is a metroidvania and everything that that implies in its foundations. A protagonist with a series of skills, platforms, action, returning to an area where we could not access; etc How is it different from others?. Well there are several things.
In the first instance, our protagonist can eat and harvest the creatures that we defeat. Depending on the attack combo we perform, it gives us certain resources and if we consume them we not only recover life but also raise certain “point” bars. These help us acquire improvements in combat or movement in a skill tree or cortex. A quite original concept that I had never seen in other similar games.
On the other hand, we also find seeds that we can plant in certain areas. We become gardeners in this strange living ecosystem. From this we create trees to access high areas or vines to propel us to remote areas.
The last thing is that ULTROS hides a roguelike (and not so roguelike) within its mechanics. When we reach a final boss and complete our main mission we start again at the original place. Without having our skills unlocked. To avoid falling into doing the same things over and over again; The game takes us to other areas during each cycle. Although at times it felt a little tedious to have to unlock all the skills again (luckily we can fix some so as not to lose them at the end of a cycle).
Also within each cycle we can see how the seeds we plant grow. The trees grow and new fruits emerge. There is a wide variety of possibilities.
The action and precision in movements is one of the strong points in metroidvania. This does not happen at all ULTROS. We move with agility but with a certain clumsiness. And the scenarios are striking but not functional to the enemies. It changes luck in the battles with final bosses (which end up being more classic moments of the genre).
A rainbow of abstraction
If you are like me, the first thing that caught my attention when I saw ULTROS was the design of its settings and characters.
My expectation was fulfilled when I realized that everything that happened in the areas I discovered opened my mind and I never found a similar color or environment.
The cycles can be “repetitive” from the playable point of view, but the title makes up for it with drawings that mix surrealism and Middle Eastern art. All in a sea of liquids and extraterrestrial guts. Seeing how a plant alters the scenery is something beautiful. The curiosity of not knowing what will happen next is what most captivates the player to continue with the journey.
Music is another journey in itself. The artist Oscar Ratvader Rydelius conveys the same feeling of the art of ULTROS. With sounds of nature and native musical instruments.
THE BEST
- His originality in unlocking mechanics and skills
- Exquisite level design that exudes sensitivity
- Music is a great companion in reinforcing visual ideas
WORST
- The action has some flaws and does not stand out (except in the bosses)
- Losing acquired skills can be frustrating and is closer to a rogue-like than a metroidvania.