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Before I get lost in the rest of the review, an urgent message! There are three ways to play Ultracore... with the music off, enjoying the chunky sound effects and blazing weaponry. With the original score that takes us back to those fruity FM synths, or the new synthwave soundtrack from a number of contributors that add a modern aural gloss.
Do try all three, they change Ultracore's atmosphere in remarkably powerful ways, and represent a sonic testament to the care baked into the game from the original team and those that brought it back to life (that story here).
One example of that care, the very first part of level one, a parallax, ominous, bruised-blue sky with dark clouds racing past - so gorgeous, I got lost in that view, the calm before the storm. Then there's the action itself, a 16-bit platform-shooter from a developer at the top of their pinball game, looking to do something new - mixing hectic combat, exploration and an endless conveyor of robotic death, all great 90s gaming staples, yet somehow refined.
The hero has plenty of health, lives and ammo to mix it up in combat, lighting up the dark corridors of an alien base with firepower and explosions. Each robotic enemy, under the control of someone called Vance, explodes into pieces and fireballs, making most other games' minion deaths look feeble in comparison. There's also a neat little zoom option when you tap Select to bring things a little more into focus.
With dual-stick controls or the original Mega Drive mode, there's a hefty collection of weapons to hammer into the alien skies with. Unleashing twin beams, rockets and upgraded guns, all ripping up the ground and the far reaches of the 4*3 screen. All as that limited time ticks away, and the health bar takes a pummeling in some encounters. Looking for the extra lives, hearts and ammo, and upgrade items is key to success and enjoying Ultracore.
In several recent reviews I've pleaded for developers of the many relatively simple platformers ported to the Vita to pack secrets into their games. We can hold Ultracore up as one of the best examples they should learn from, with hidden walls, blast-able walls, false floors, locked doors, hidden platforms and much more, often used in combination to create layers of buried treasure that are a joy to uncover.
Punctuating the battles are a string of bosses, mostly rather dumb and lumbering which is about the only thing that really detracts from the overall flow of the game. But for 90s bosses, I guess they were rather impressive at the time. And just when you think you've mastered a level, in the corner of a screen you'll noticed some coins or another part of a new room that you have no idea how to get to, adding another mental note for when you next pass that way.
There are some other quirks, there's little-to-no background sounds or noise - which seems strange for an otherwise lively world. The map screens don't do much to help your progress, and there are some painful jumps that lead to a ludicrous number of deaths or that see you bounced to your doom by incoming enemies. Also, the high score doesn't save, that's just cruel and the very long passwords, while a good period touch, are a pain!
In the current battle zone of superb Mega Drive hits Ultracore vs Xeno Crisis, slugging it out on the Vita, I love the craft and energy that Ultracore delivers and look forward to seeing how XC does on Sony's box.
In combat, Ultracore is controlled chaos, but I took a few minutes to look at the screens I'd grabbed, and all the tiny details that passed me by at the time pop-up. Even so, these screens don't do the action justice, or I'm crap at grabbing them in the heat of the action - so do watch a YouTube clip, Then, there's the other little details, from flipping plot text to a vectorball game over screen and the wibbly score chart, all awesome touches!
Enough typing, headphones on, dark room - game on! Join in, now!
Developer Strictly Limited
Price: £15.99 (PSN)
Score: 8/10
Progress: Didn't screenshot that last level code - damn!
Before I get lost in the rest of the review, an urgent message! There are three ways to play Ultracore... with the music off, enjoying the chunky sound effects and blazing weaponry. With the original score that takes us back to those fruity FM synths, or the new synthwave soundtrack from a number of contributors that add a modern aural gloss.
Do try all three, they change Ultracore's atmosphere in remarkably powerful ways, and represent a sonic testament to the care baked into the game from the original team and those that brought it back to life (that story here).
One example of that care, the very first part of level one, a parallax, ominous, bruised-blue sky with dark clouds racing past - so gorgeous, I got lost in that view, the calm before the storm. Then there's the action itself, a 16-bit platform-shooter from a developer at the top of their pinball game, looking to do something new - mixing hectic combat, exploration and an endless conveyor of robotic death, all great 90s gaming staples, yet somehow refined.
The hero has plenty of health, lives and ammo to mix it up in combat, lighting up the dark corridors of an alien base with firepower and explosions. Each robotic enemy, under the control of someone called Vance, explodes into pieces and fireballs, making most other games' minion deaths look feeble in comparison. There's also a neat little zoom option when you tap Select to bring things a little more into focus.
With dual-stick controls or the original Mega Drive mode, there's a hefty collection of weapons to hammer into the alien skies with. Unleashing twin beams, rockets and upgraded guns, all ripping up the ground and the far reaches of the 4*3 screen. All as that limited time ticks away, and the health bar takes a pummeling in some encounters. Looking for the extra lives, hearts and ammo, and upgrade items is key to success and enjoying Ultracore.
In several recent reviews I've pleaded for developers of the many relatively simple platformers ported to the Vita to pack secrets into their games. We can hold Ultracore up as one of the best examples they should learn from, with hidden walls, blast-able walls, false floors, locked doors, hidden platforms and much more, often used in combination to create layers of buried treasure that are a joy to uncover.
Punctuating the battles are a string of bosses, mostly rather dumb and lumbering which is about the only thing that really detracts from the overall flow of the game. But for 90s bosses, I guess they were rather impressive at the time. And just when you think you've mastered a level, in the corner of a screen you'll noticed some coins or another part of a new room that you have no idea how to get to, adding another mental note for when you next pass that way.
There are some other quirks, there's little-to-no background sounds or noise - which seems strange for an otherwise lively world. The map screens don't do much to help your progress, and there are some painful jumps that lead to a ludicrous number of deaths or that see you bounced to your doom by incoming enemies. Also, the high score doesn't save, that's just cruel and the very long passwords, while a good period touch, are a pain!
In the current battle zone of superb Mega Drive hits Ultracore vs Xeno Crisis, slugging it out on the Vita, I love the craft and energy that Ultracore delivers and look forward to seeing how XC does on Sony's box.
In combat, Ultracore is controlled chaos, but I took a few minutes to look at the screens I'd grabbed, and all the tiny details that passed me by at the time pop-up. Even so, these screens don't do the action justice, or I'm crap at grabbing them in the heat of the action - so do watch a YouTube clip, Then, there's the other little details, from flipping plot text to a vectorball game over screen and the wibbly score chart, all awesome touches!
Enough typing, headphones on, dark room - game on! Join in, now!
Developer Strictly Limited
Price: £15.99 (PSN)
Score: 8/10
Progress: Didn't screenshot that last level code - damn!
Currently playing on my Vita/PS4/PS5
