Release Date: February 13, 2024
An action platformer metroidvania. Ultros tells the story of Ouji traversing a cosmic Sarcophagus, searching for a way out, fighting enemies, learning about the place and its inhabitants.
Ultros is an action platformer metroidvania developed by independent studio Hadoque.
Ultros is set in a sci-fi universe. Its main protagonist is Ouji, her ship having crashed on the Sarcophagus - a gigantic cosmic uterus hosting a demonic entity known as Ultros. There, she ends up trapped in a time loop, her psyche put to the test. To escape she must learn more about the Sarcophagus, its inhabitands and understand the role she is to play. The story tackles such topics as mental health, life, death and the cycle of karma.
Ultros is a side-scroller. The player must traverse the Sarcophagus, its interconnected rooms forming an elaborate maze. Along the way we'll face hostile insectoid aliens, which we can fight using melee weapons and combat skills. Each battle requires keeping in constant motion, avoiding enemy blows, countering and chaining attacks into effective combos.
We're granted some respite between encounters by growing plants, each of which has unique traits and effects, providing new abilities and ways to dispatch enemies; plants can also be used to solve environmental puzzles and open new paths.
Since Ouji is stuck in a time loop, the story's key scenes can be played through multiple times; this lets us understand it better, discover the world's secrets, unlock new areas and abilities.
One distinctive feature of Ultros is its original cartoonish artstyle and vivid, neon-like color palette. The project was supervised by El Huervo, an artist known for his work on the Hotline Miami series. The atmospheric, symphonic soundtrack complements the visuals well.
Platforms:
PC Windows February 13, 2024
PlayStation 4 February 13, 2024
Nintendo Switch February 13, 2025
PlayStation 5 February 13, 2024
Xbox Series X/S February 13, 2025
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System Requirements for Ultros Video Game:
PC / Windows
Minimum System Requirements:
Intel Core i5-5675C 3.1 GHz, 8 GB RAM, graphic card 2 GB GeForce GT 750M or better, 6 GB HDD, Windows 7.
Recommended System Requirements:
Intel Core i5-6600 3.3 GHz, 8 GB RAM, graphic card 4 GB GeForce GTX 850M or better, 6 GB HDD, Windows 11.
Game Ratings for Ultros Video Game.
Metro GameCentral: 7 / 10 by Max Freeman Mills
Sometimes visuals are enough to carry a game and they certainly take Ultros far, although mediocre combat and some jankiness slightly undermines the unique vision.
Screen Rant: 4.5 / 5 by Leo Faierman
Further and further in, Ultros’ world seems one of creative, chaotic malleability instead of precision, opening up to sequence-breaking and weird shortcuts through experimentation. It’s a game about amassing the tools and time to carve a connective path with nature, learning the layout of the land, and collaborating with it to continue on. Ultros takes the common ingredients of the modern metroidvania, then transplants them into an utterly original DMT-infused Metroid fever dream, in the very best way.
Digital Trends: 3 / 5 by Giovanni Colantonio
Ultros is a bold and beautiful artistic vision, but a convoluted Metroidvania.