5/5/2023 0 Comments Ultionus petty revenge![]() ![]() This all gives the game a distasteful veneer of sexism that isn’t helped by the abuse you, the player, take at the hands of enemies. The game over screen has Serena’s ass up in the air like she’s being evaluated at a dog show, which I figured was my cue to peace out. I can’t say how it all shakes out because Ultionus is an utterly joyless exercise in frustration, but from the look of it I doubt it’s taking a bold stand against misogyny or objectification. You play as Serena, savior of the galaxy and perpetual back-sleeper, as she seeks revenge against an internet troll. And that’s not even touching on the bosses, which are predictably beefy as hell and have patterns that allow for almost no margin of error.Īs for the story… I don’t fuckin’ know, man. Coupled with the fact that it only takes three hits to send you back to the last checkpoint, it’s going to take you a load of bullshit deaths to get anywhere in this game. Then there are flying enemies which love nothing more than to approach from angles you can’t aim at. Walking enemies will constantly zoom towards you from either side with hardly any warning, and almost always take at least two hits to dispatch. Some games could make this work, I suppose, but Ultionus instead decides to be “hard as nails” in the nails-on-chalkboard agonizing way. Your character is slow, she can’t move while shooting, there are huge delays between her shots (which only get worse the longer you try to shoot at once), and she can only aim straight ahead and slightly up and ahead. The issue here is that because it exists as an homage to some ancient game I’ve never heard of, it controls worse than the Castlevania Adventure on the old GameBoy. You shuffle your top-heavy lass through rather open levels, dodging threats with her floaty jump and blasting enemies with her ray gun. Ultionus is primarily a side-scrolling platformer, though there are a few space shoot-em-up levels. We’ll get to the story later, because the gameplay needs to take center stage here. Ultionus definitely suffers from this sort of short-sighted design, and then goes and layers a bunch of other terrible ideas on top of it, like some kind of foul garbage lasagna. Honestly very few of them age well, and those that don’t are usually held back by designs or mechanics that should have remained in a bygone era. It sounds like it should be the opposite, except that classic games are often a product of their time. Even if you are not, the adventure can still be a lot of fun, at least if you enjoy a challenge and you do not mind dying every other few seconds.Making an homage to a classic game is often harder than coming up with something new, and I don’t think many people realize that. In the end, Ultionus: A Tale of Petty Revenge is indeed a great platformer, especially if you are aware of the games it draws its inspiration from. An authentic platformer that honors the classics In addition, the soundtrack is great as well, mainly because it’s designed to sound retro as well. Every area is unique when it comes to the type of terrain you have to explore, not to mention the fact that there are many variations within the same level as well, such as underground portions. ![]() The graphics are marvelous as well, especially if you are a fan of the retro style and low-resolution sprites. Thankfully, at least your character gradually gets more powerful and better equipped along the way, although the difficulty curve is still pretty steep. In fact, you are always assaulted by enemies from both directions, not to mention all the environmental hazards you must watch out for as well. ![]() Faced-paced gameplay that keeps you on the edgeĪs for the actual gameplay, the game is much more alert and full of surprises that most other action-platformers out there. That someone happens to be the Space Prince, which means that the conflict turns into a full-scale war. Since social media is apparently even more important in the future, Serena goes on a quest to destroy the one who insulted her. The story revolves around a girl by the name of Serena S, who one day gets insulted on Spacebook, the obvious sci-fi version of Facebook. At the same time, the game is pretty difficult for most casual players, but at least the easy mode provides you with infinite lives to keep trying until you make it. Ultionus: A Tale of Petty Revenge is a retro action game with shoot ‘em up elements and level exploration like in Metroid or Castlevania, plus a variety of exciting gameplay mechanics that allow you to approach each situation in a different way. ![]() However, the same thing was true a few decades ago when arcades ruled the gaming industry, since most shooters required lightning-fast reflexes and a lot of patience. Action games are usually designed for a more mature audience with experience when it comes to video games, which is why they feature complex gameplay mechanics unfit for a newcomer. ![]()
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