Ultros Review
Ultros Review
Every Metroidvania seemingly sets out to have a unique angle, something new or improved they can bring to the overcrowded genre. Hollow Knight has extremely responsive controls, Ori has fluid movement and platforming. Ultros is dripping with unique style and atmosphere, but it’s the karmic time loop where what you do in one life passes on to the next that is how Ultros uniquely separates itself.
Ultimately, the question for Ultros is does it have enough substance to match the style and can gardening carry this Metroidvania?
ROGUE-VANIA
In a way, Ultros is almost as much of a rogue-like as it is a Metroidvania. You awaken on a mysterious alien planet and you are given instructions on how to break the time loop. You are given conflicting information from the people you meet, so you aren’t really sure if you are doing the right thing. Each time you accomplish one of your seven tasks, you awaken back at the start without any of your skills or weapon.
At least for the first few runs that is because, eventually there are certain ways that you are able to keep some skills from your previous knowledge. There is also a personal drone that is attached to you and it’s this drone that unlocks certain skills needed to progress. However, upon the start of each loop, you have to trek all the way back to the center of the map where your drone is located, which can sometimes be easier said than done, even if you already know how to get there.
The atmosphere and ambience of this world second to none, thanks largely to an eye melting art style, which occasionally gets in the way of the gameplay, but also thanks to an understated score. There is music but it is set so low that you mostly just hear the flora and fauna of the world, which escalates the immersion and isolation. It’s also highlights certain moments when the score rises, leading to more impactful story beats You truly feel like a stranger is a strange place.
Amidst all of the lush and bright flora is dangerous fauna that sees you as a threat. Disposing of these alien creatures requires adept timing and precision or else you are left with bloody pulp. However, if your timing and skill is good enough you will be able to salvage high quality remains, which will grant you boosts in categories that you need to level up in order to unlock new skills.
Sadly by the time that you master precision killing the inhabitants of the world, you learn that there is a different way to life. You don’t have to murder everything. Instead, you can nurture the world around you in the game defining mechanic of gardening. As your knowledge increases about the world around you, the understanding sets in that you can get better resources with a little more planning and patience.
Before I knew it, I began to abandon combat which felt rewarding. Not only did it feel like a more positive way to play, but it was also faster. Instead of trying to time parries and attacks, you just slide right past or jump over and grab the fruits from the trees you planted in a previous life. You can even upgrade to not smell threatening. The only issue with a passive play is that some rooms are locked unless you defeat an enemy,
ULTRO-NO
The extremely unique art style is a double edged sword. While it obviously jumps off the screen, there are times when it is detrimental to the gameplay. the obvious concern is that the main character would be lost in the background, and thankfully that isn’t the case, but there are enemies that can sometimes be nestled in the fauna that are next to impossible to see.
The other issue was the sections felt a little repetitive, which caused a lot more map checking than I am used to playing other Metroidvanias. Although gorgeous, the use of bright, vibrant colours was a pillar of the art style and this was a cause for areas feeling similar. There were a few outliers, but for the most part, the lush vibrant art style all around you, made it hard to absorb your place in world. A side effect of this was a higher than normal amount of aimless wandering.
Near the start you are shown the seven points of interest that you need to visit, but there is no indication of which ones you need to visit in which order and there is, at least, some type of order. The lack of pins you could place on the map can lead to frustration as you trek halfway across the map heading towards a point of interest only to discover, you can’t attempt this one yet.
VERDICT
What you do in one life, is more than just about you. It has ripples into the next life. In every other Metroidvania that I have ever played, I didn’t think twice about my actions. Kill as many as possible and leave the world in ruin as long as it got me closer to the end goal. This won’t change moving forward, but evolving from murderer to green thumb in just a few time loops was an original experience that is accented by a grotesquely beautiful world full of large metaphors on life.
Ultros is a Metroidvania where mileage will vary dramatically depending on how some of the systems are received including the gardening and rogue like elements.