Ultimate analysis – extraterrestrial psychedia

Strange world

The game protagonist wakes up in The sarcophagusA giant cosmic uterus that moves into space and leads inside an old demon known as Ultimate. Without having memories of what happened, we have to explore this strange place while we meet its particular inhabitants, cultivate plants and hunts for extraterrestrial creatures. Everything to discover what role we play in this place far from the universe.

Or at least that's what I understood. Well, after playing about 5 hours (among the 9-15 that last), there are still things in the story that I do not fully understand. And it is Ultimate is a very cryptic title, but that is part of its charm. As in other works such as Contempt,, The game claims that we feel lost in an unknown place and that, little by little, let's discover all its mysteries. A fairly risky bet that I understand that I could not please everyone.

Life is an infinite cycle

As I told you at first, Ultros is a metroidvania and, as such, he has classic mechanics of the genre. You already know: an excellent card to explore with interconnected sections, a platform, unlockable skills that allow us to reach new areas, etc. However, there is something that makes him special, and it is Temporal curls.

The sarcophagus is permanently trapped in a loop Infinite linked to shamans that are mired in an eternal dream inside certain pods. Our duty is to find and destroy them. NOW, Whenever we break, one of these capsules will start a new loop.

With each cycle, we will lose our main weapon (which we will have to look for) and the changes that we have unlocked. When you start again, NPCs will not be able to remember our passage around the world. Fortunately, the card areas that we have discovered in our “previous life” will remain. In addition, exploration, we will find a resource that will allow us to keep certain improvements for the following loops.

Although this mechanical cyclic can be frustrating at the beginning, the truth is that the point is brought. It is true that having always look for the weapon or starting without the double jump is something tired, but as the curls pass, it is easier to move through the card. What is it thanks to what The world also evolves between the cycle and the cycle.

From time to time, we will find Different types of seeds which, during their planting, will germinate trees or vines. These plants will grow with curls, providing us with shortcuts, new roads and fruit that will allow us to acquire more skills.

Noble art of hunting

To survive in the sarcophagus, it is necessary to know how to hunt. Ultimate offers a Agile combat system in which we must learn when and how to attack. Well, in this unusual place or eat or eat.

On numerous occasions, we will have to fight against more or less hostile creatures that will meet. When you beat them, we will have their flesh and their organs. Each of them will provide us with a series of nutrientsfor which we can combine Unlock new cortex skills (The typical skill shaft) in certain cabins located near the map.

What is curious is that all this helmet is also Our form of healing. Therefore, we will have to take into account if we have to consume it to unlock new powers that interest us or keep it in case a more difficult enemy appears than normal and we have to recover life.

Ultimate fights also have their crumbs. To end the life of a creature will give us its bowels, but will teach us will only provide us with poor quality raw materials. This is why we have to learn to fight with elegance, by beating our dams without repeating attacks to charge us better awards.

The color of the space

All the values ​​and the aesthetics of the ultras move in the It was BuddhismAnd this is something that perfectly corresponds to its game mechanics. Life, death, maternity, fertility or nature are among the most recurring concepts of the title, which are reflected in the art of The Huervo. If this name does not sound, I will tell you that it is Author of Hotline Miami and her suite.

The visual section is undoubtedly one of the strongest points in the Hadoque title. Basically, we are faced with one of these works that come directly through the eyes. Ultros presents a universe full of psychedelic colors and phosphorites which, curiously, are pleasant to the eye.

The level of details and the design of the scenarios is also remarkable, with hundreds of elements in the funds that tell us the story of the sarcophagus. Perhaps, for having put a paste, I would say that it is sometimes too recharged. Sometimes It costs to differentiate background platforms. Fortunately, we can solve this problem from visual adjustments.

As for the sound section, where I had planned to meet an overwhelming soundtrack in the line of the unusual artistic proposal, I met Relaxed orchestral melodies. Certainly, music is not an element that stands out too much in the whole of the work, but which fulfills its mission to make us comfortable in a universe that is presented to us. It should also be mentioned that the game is delivered with a Good translation in SpanishWhat is appreciated taking into account that his abstract plot is not easy to follow.

In short

Ultimate is a touch to a genre like Metroidvania. A video game which undoubtedly manages to emphasize thanks to its innovative visual design and its surrounding story based on Zen Buddhism. Its original gameplay (easy to learn, but complex to dominate) combined with deep immersion in an extraterrestrial and mysterious world, offers players an experience which is, at least, interesting. Although this is not a game for everyone because of its initial curve or its Roguelike mechanics, those who are ready to invest time and efforts will find a jewel full of discoveries and awards. And when the game will make a “click”, we will be attracted by the art and the bright colors of El Huervo, leading us to a dimension of authentic extraterrestrial psychedelics.