UFO 50 is a collection of fifty games developed by different authors, including Derek Yu, the founder of Mossmouth, to whom we owe the excellent Spelunky series, the game designer Jon Perry, coming from the world of board games, and Ojiro Fumoto, to be celebrated for Downwell and Poinpy. On the occasion of the Day of the Devs a video was shown with several games, all of very different genres and all clearly inspired by classics of the 8 and 16 bit era. She was the release date was also revealed: 18 September 2024only on Steam (we don’t know if it will ever come to consoles).
The evolution of the world of video games
During the event it was explained that we are not talking about mini games, but full games, although some are smaller than others. So these are done and finished experiences, which can be played individually, tackled in order or skipped based on your preferences. Genres range from platformers to shooters. They are essentially arcade, therefore.
UFO 50 also has it a kind of narrative side that ties all the games together: they were developed by an imaginary software house, UFOsoft, and designed to show the evolution of the console world over the years. So the collection will be divided into older and more recent titles, complete with sequels to what are theoretically the studio’s greatest successes.
In short, it is a really interesting project, with specific pedagogical implications, which retrogaming enthusiasts (and not only) could really enjoy. A true anthology of a software house that never existed.
