Retro Game Heaven
Date : 2025-09-16 Entry ID : 17373 Entry type : review Game : UFO 50 (@4266)
It feels like I discovered a new 16-bit system full of high quality games to try out.
UFO 50 feels less like a game or even a mini-game collection, but more like I discovered a new 16-bit system full of high quality games to try out. It reminds me of the time I started playing PC-Engine games and what a fascinating experience that was. The minigames in UFO 50 all have the size and scope of a full 8-bit or 16-bit game, and their game design mostly feel modern and fun.
Certain games really stuck with me:
Party House is a collectible card game with an incredibly charming presentation. You are planning parties, and searching for the right mix of guests that bring you Popularity to get more guests in your Rolodex (deck) and Money to expand your house (more guests per party). Rich Friends bring money, Rock Stars and Monkeys are popular but cause trouble, and Hippies calm down trouble. You're building a Rolodex of friends that has the right mixture to make for a popular and lucrative party.
Avianos is a strategy game where you control birds that worship their dinosaur ancestors in a post-apocalyptic world. The mechanics are just complex enough to require a lot of strategic thinking, but are also very explicit and clear. For players that are not great at strategy games, this is actually a very good one to start with, because it's so easy to get into.
The other games are crammed full of neat ideas:
- Valbrace is a first person dungeon crawler with third-person real-time combat.
- Planet Zoldath is a Zelda-like game with a randomly generated map.
- Onion Delivery is a top-down car delivery game with a GTA-like city map.
- Mortol is a 2D platformer where you can spend each of your lives on killing an enemy or building platforms for your successors.
- Camouflage is a turn-based stealth game where you play as a chameleon that can hide by copying the tile it's on.
The value here is extreme: you have 50 games to discover, and play the meta-game of completing them or getting gifts for the pig. This is very highly recommended to anyone who enjoys playing retro games.
Review written on 2025-09-16.
Review score: 
(Editor's Choice)
(Editor's Choice)