Review: Ultros Is a Psychedelic Trip With a Familiar Formula

I’m a very visual person. The first thing I notice about any kind of medium is how good it looks. I’ve put down comic books, games, and movies I otherwise liked because the art didn’t hit right. Inversely, I’ve also enjoyed things I otherwise may not have because I love the style. Although, of course, the ideal would be good art and something enjoyable. Luckily, Ultros fell on the high end of that spectrum.

Ultros is a psychedelic sci-fi Metroidvania that takes place inside something called The Sarcophagus. The main character seemingly crash-landed on this entity or vessel. As a result, she becomes entangled in the overarching narrative of events unfolding there. From a storyline perspective, that’s really as in depth as I feel I can go without starting to spoil things.

The instant appeal of the art style cannot be overstated. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a game lean this heavily into a psychedelic aesthetic like Ultros. The world, the characters, and the UI all stand out and are simply dripping with style. Such excellence is unsurprising given Niklas Åkerblad, also known as El Huervo, spearheaded the art direction. For those unaware, Åkerblad did the critically acclaimed cover art for both Hotline Miami games. However, there are accessibility options to turn down saturation or blur the background. This way even if you feel the colors and everything on screen is too much, you can adjust to your taste. I always appreciate when devs include this sort of forethought when designing their games.

The art and design are accompanied by a dreamy, ethereal soundtrack courtesy of Ratvader. The music fits the themes and the visuals so well. This is, to be fair, one of those games you look at and just know the music is going to go absolutely crazy. Ultros just nails the aesthetics from the second you start. It helps to elevate what would otherwise be a fairly by-the-book Metroidvania, albeit with a couple twists.

Ultros‘ story is interesting, but incredibly vague, and many parts of it are open to interpretation. Some characters embody abstract concepts physically. Additionally, the dialogue is intricate and intentionally ambiguous, which often left me perplexed and uttering “What?” However, I think this is actually a strength of the game. The confusing nature really does makes you feel as if you landed in a very complex and different world.

The storyline and gameplay both revolve around a time-loop concept. When you achieve certain goals within the game, the loop resets. The point is to use these to eventually move forward, gaining a little ground each time. You lose everything in a new loop, including items and unlocked skills. The only things that remain are plants you’ve planted (we’ll get to that) and certain plot points.

This essentially makes the game a rogue-lite, in addition to a Metroidvania. I think the genres worked well together, although it did make some parts a little frustrating. For example, you lose your sword every loop and have to regain it. The first couple loops this takes a minute, and I found it a little annoying. You do eventually get some shortcuts and other mechanics to make future loops less frustrating. You get items that let you retain skills and even open new pathways with all new, upgraded items.

One of the main sources of shortcuts, as well as literal growth between loops, is the gardening mechanic. You find a variety of seeds throughout The Sarcophagus that you can plant in fertile soil. These plants not only persist between loops, they actually grow. This can lead to a number of benefits on future runs. The mechanic seemed stressful at first, because there are only so many loops and it was sometimes unclear which seed was most appropriate in each location. However, you do gain abilities in later loops to better manage your gardening and even change whole plants. Also, if you really screw up something, the game allows you to go back to the start of any previous loop.

The difficulty in this game comes more from knowing when and where to do things in various loops than from facing enemies. In fact, the combat system prioritizes style over standard difficulty. Enemies in the game drop resources to upgrade your abilities or even assist in gardening. If you defeat an enemy without repeating the same move twice, you’ll gain a pristine version of their drop. However, if you mash the attack button, you’ll get a lesser version. I found this interesting at first, but eventually it just became easier and more efficient to mash anyway. It was always nice to get a pristine drop, but rarely was it worth the extra time and setup of not trying to duplicate an attack. I appreciate the idea, but it was just easier to fight enemies without worrying about the drops at all.

However, combat actually takes a backseat to exploration for much of the game. The level design feels appropriate and many areas feel claustrophobic given the setting. Each area also feels unique, while sharing the overall look and design of The Sarcophagus. As you progress through multiple loops and cultivate some plants, navigation and traversal across the vessel can become notably swift.

Everything Ultros sets out to do as a game, it does well. The combat isn’t the most elaborate, but it’s not boring or poorly done either. The navigation and level design excel, yet they fall short of being the most memorable aspects of the game. The art style and design of the game may overshadow the game itself, but it’s not due to poor execution. The Metroidvania genre as a whole has a lot of familiar, but not quite tired, gameplay elements and that is true of Ultros as well. All in all, Ultros is a solid Metroidvania game with a ton of style, and if you are a Metroidvania fan it absolutely deserves a little of your time.

Ultros will debut on February 13, 2024 on the PS4, PS5 and PC.