I'll admit unlike some people I had never even really heard of this project before a few months ago. I had no idea this was actually something that started development roughly 8 years ago. I can kind of see that making sense for this compilation based on what I've played so far., That is to say that nothing seems like dumped in shovelware so far. Basically for those a little skeptical, no, this is not like Action 52. This is something entirely unique and seemingly a labor of love. Also put together by a team of indie veterans.

Why is this unique? Aren't there tons of other compilations available? Indeed there are. But nothing of this magnitude. You've got really 2 types of compilations. On one hand you have compilations that feature games that were previously released by various publishers. And some of these are massive as well. It's not entirely a difficult thing to put together considering the games are already there and just need to be emulated or ported. Most of the work is already done. And then you've got original compilations, such as Retro Game Challenge, the Dread X series, Retro Game Crunch, etc... But those are typically small in comparison when it comes to number of titles. The closest I can think of is Arcade Paradise which has a collection of 35 included games. That itself is no small feat, but when considering the types of games, it pales in comparison since those are just games modeled after arcade titles, which aren't very big.

UFO 50 though not only ups the ante with more titles, but rather than being based on simple arcade games this entire collection is more representative to the quality and lengths of titles you'd find on home consoles during the mid 80s to very early 90s, more so on the 8-bit side. So that is to say systems like the NES/Famicom and Master System. So much like those consoles you'll find games here that are short, but also some that are quite lengthy and packed full of depth. But the packed in value is not really enough to make it unique on its own. There's also an entire meta surrounding this package. A fictional universe these games existed in where a studio called UFO came out and put out a ton of games, starting with the rough and archaic Barbuta and continuing to evolve and get better and better throughout the span of this fictional developers history on this fictional 8-bit machine. And they did not just become some 1 trick pony. No, UFO decided to branch out and explore tons of different genres. But also reviving the legacy of some games with their own sequels making franchises in the collection. And having crossovers with some games featuring cameos from other titles. This is basically a publisher compilation for a publisher that never existed.


Well, if you look at my total playtime at the time of writing this I think it's safe to say there's no way I have played through each and every game in the collection. I haven't even booted up every game to be honest. I've tried about 20 or so titles so far. Some of them I will admit did not click, but I'm willing to give them another chance. Some of them clicked immediately though. A few of them I'm sure I've already dropped more than hour into at this point without even scratching the surface of them.

some of the titles I've tried so far:

Warptank - A hybrid of puzzle action and shooting mechanics where you maneuver a tank (that oddly resembles the one from Blaster Master) around a series of stages to get to the goal in each one. The trick here is that the tank can jump from one side of a platform to the opposite side by warping. So they can go from ground to ceiling, or from a left wall to a right wall, as well as diagonally in some spots. Along the way there are your typical hazards like spiked walls, enemies constantly lobbing projectiles at you, exploding mines and more. This one really makes you think of which path to take, and there's also some secrets to find if you explore well enough. I had a lot of fun with this one.

Mini & Max - I will admit this is one of my favorites so far. You play as a girl who gets locked in a room with dog by one of her siblings while her parents are away. You along with your dog strangely have the ability to literally shrink. And shrinking in different parts of this room sends you to a new area ant man style. So while the room itself is kind of small, the actual game grows quite big. It's also a fun platformer with lots to explore, characters to interact with and more. It's also super adorable!

Valbrace - A first person dungeon crawler reminiscent of old school CRPG titles. Pretty straight forward if you know the genre. Explore a maze, fight monsters, level up, etc... The combat system is what I quite liked about this one. Instead of being turn based its sort of punch-out style. You move left and right dodging attacks and looking for openings to attack the enemy. Quite fun stuff.

Paint Chase - This is the "splatoon" type one you've heard about probably. It's pretty fun. You move around an arena in a vehicle painting the floor and attacking other vehicles who are painting the floor the opposite color. Some enemies don't attack you, while others can. At the end of the match you win if you passed a certain percentage of the floor covered in your paint. Pretty simple, but fun.

Fist Hell - This one's a beat 'em up that sort of reminds me of games like the Kunio Kun brawlers or Scott Pilgrim. Kind of has a visual quality that reminds me most of River City Ransom Underground in fact. It's not an easy one mind you, but quite fun still.

Vainger - This one's a Metroidvania apparently more on the Metroid side since you use guns. I have not gotten far into it, so I'm not sure how the later abilities will impact the game. Off the bat though it has a neat gravity mechanic where you jump if you press the jump button again you shift to the ceiling to make it now an upside down platformer.

Grimstone - A full fledged old school JRPG. Complete with party system, towns to explore, loot, weapons and armor, and more. Not sure how long it will be, but it's nice to see something like this in the collection.

Night Manor - This one was a surprise to see in a collection like this. It's a legit old school point and click adventure title, and it seems a lot of care was put into this. Looks to be horror themed and filled with the same type of mechanics you'd expect from a proper P&C title.

There's several others I've tried but the names escape me at the moment of putting this review together. Some of them were shoot 'em ups, some smash TV style games, a 4X strategy title, some action sports titles, and a lot more. Basically this collection has you covered on sheer variety.


Up to you. I think the value is amazing though. $25usd for a collection this stacked is something that does not happen often. And from the way it looks like this was put together we may never see something like this again. While not every game is going to be a winner, I'm sure for most people several will be.

Oh, and it works on the Steam Deck!

[h1]What is UFO 50[/h1] I'll admit unlike some people I had never even really heard of this project before a few months ago. I had no idea this was actually something that started development roughly 8 years ago. I can kind of see that making sense for this compilation based on what I've played so far., That is to say that nothing seems like dumped in shovelware so far. Basically for those a little skeptical, no, this is not like Action 52. This is something entirely unique and seemingly a labor of love. Also put together by a team of indie veterans. Why is this unique? Aren't there tons of other compilations available? Indeed there are. But nothing of this magnitude. You've got really 2 types of compilations. On one hand you have compilations that feature games that were previously released by various publishers. And some of these are massive as well. It's not entirely a difficult thing to put together considering the games are already there and just need to be emulated or ported. Most of the work is already done. And then you've got original compilations, such as Retro Game Challenge, the Dread X series, Retro Game Crunch, etc... But those are typically small in comparison when it comes to number of titles. The closest I can think of is Arcade Paradise which has a collection of 35 included games. That itself is no small feat, but when considering the types of games, it pales in comparison since those are just games modeled after arcade titles, which aren't very big. UFO 50 though not only ups the ante with more titles, but rather than being based on simple arcade games this entire collection is more representative to the quality and lengths of titles you'd find on home consoles during the mid 80s to very early 90s, more so on the 8-bit side. So that is to say systems like the NES/Famicom and Master System. So much like those consoles you'll find games here that are short, but also some that are quite lengthy and packed full of depth. But the packed in value is not really enough to make it unique on its own. There's also an entire meta surrounding this package. A fictional universe these games existed in where a studio called UFO came out and put out a ton of games, starting with the rough and archaic Barbuta and continuing to evolve and get better and better throughout the span of this fictional developers history on this fictional 8-bit machine. And they did not just become some 1 trick pony. No, UFO decided to branch out and explore tons of different genres. But also reviving the legacy of some games with their own sequels making franchises in the collection. And having crossovers with some games featuring cameos from other titles. This is basically a publisher compilation for a publisher that never existed. [h1]But what about the games themselves?[/h1] Well, if you look at my total playtime at the time of writing this I think it's safe to say there's no way I have played through each and every game in the collection. I haven't even booted up every game to be honest. I've tried about 20 or so titles so far. Some of them I will admit did not click, but I'm willing to give them another chance. Some of them clicked immediately though. A few of them I'm sure I've already dropped more than hour into at this point without even scratching the surface of them. some of the titles I've tried so far: Warptank - A hybrid of puzzle action and shooting mechanics where you maneuver a tank (that oddly resembles the one from Blaster Master) around a series of stages to get to the goal in each one. The trick here is that the tank can jump from one side of a platform to the opposite side by warping. So they can go from ground to ceiling, or from a left wall to a right wall, as well as diagonally in some spots. Along the way there are your typical hazards like spiked walls, enemies constantly lobbing projectiles at you, exploding mines and more. This one really makes you think of which path to take, and there's also some secrets to find if you explore well enough. I had a lot of fun with this one. Mini & Max - I will admit this is one of my favorites so far. You play as a girl who gets locked in a room with dog by one of her siblings while her parents are away. You along with your dog strangely have the ability to literally shrink. And shrinking in different parts of this room sends you to a new area ant man style. So while the room itself is kind of small, the actual game grows quite big. It's also a fun platformer with lots to explore, characters to interact with and more. It's also super adorable! Valbrace - A first person dungeon crawler reminiscent of old school CRPG titles. Pretty straight forward if you know the genre. Explore a maze, fight monsters, level up, etc... The combat system is what I quite liked about this one. Instead of being turn based its sort of punch-out style. You move left and right dodging attacks and looking for openings to attack the enemy. Quite fun stuff. Paint Chase - This is the "splatoon" type one you've heard about probably. It's pretty fun. You move around an arena in a vehicle painting the floor and attacking other vehicles who are painting the floor the opposite color. Some enemies don't attack you, while others can. At the end of the match you win if you passed a certain percentage of the floor covered in your paint. Pretty simple, but fun. Fist Hell - This one's a beat 'em up that sort of reminds me of games like the Kunio Kun brawlers or Scott Pilgrim. Kind of has a visual quality that reminds me most of River City Ransom Underground in fact. It's not an easy one mind you, but quite fun still. Vainger - This one's a Metroidvania apparently more on the Metroid side since you use guns. I have not gotten far into it, so I'm not sure how the later abilities will impact the game. Off the bat though it has a neat gravity mechanic where you jump if you press the jump button again you shift to the ceiling to make it now an upside down platformer. Grimstone - A full fledged old school JRPG. Complete with party system, towns to explore, loot, weapons and armor, and more. Not sure how long it will be, but it's nice to see something like this in the collection. Night Manor - This one was a surprise to see in a collection like this. It's a legit old school point and click adventure title, and it seems a lot of care was put into this. Looks to be horror themed and filled with the same type of mechanics you'd expect from a proper P&C title. There's several others I've tried but the names escape me at the moment of putting this review together. Some of them were shoot 'em ups, some smash TV style games, a 4X strategy title, some action sports titles, and a lot more. Basically this collection has you covered on sheer variety. [h1]So is it worth it?[/h1] Up to you. I think the value is amazing though. $25usd for a collection this stacked is something that does not happen often. And from the way it looks like this was put together we may never see something like this again. While not every game is going to be a winner, I'm sure for most people several will be. Oh, and it works on the Steam Deck!