UFO 50: Retro Gaming Without Cheap Nostalgia

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UFO 50 is a collection of 50 games that don’t just bring back old memories but offer something new and unexpected.

The game compilation takes you back in time, yet it feels fresh and different. It’s like playing games from the past, but with a twist. Imagine games influenced by cool stuff like Snake and Kid Icarus, but also like those quirky game jams from the 2000s. It’s not just about looking or sounding old-school; it’s about exploring creativity without limits. UFO 50 shows us that video games can be anything, which is super exciting when everything else feels the same.

I think the retro look of UFO 50 makes the games simple and light. They’re easy to run and play with just a few buttons. No long tutorials here! Each game has its own charm, and you don’t need a ton of time to figure them out. It’s like jumping into an emulator filled with cool, rare games rather than reliving the past with an old console.

The retro style also highlights each game’s unique choices and ideas. Some games are like siblings, while others seem from entirely different worlds. But they all share the same simple building blocks: pixels, code, and a few controls. The simplicity brings out endless possibilities, making each new move feel amazing.

One of the standout games is Mooncat, a puzzler where you use just two buttons. At first, figuring it out is the real game. You control a funny little creature with weird but fun moves, like jumping and dashing. The art is strange yet fascinating, with cute critters and creepy skeletons. It’s hard to imagine it being sold in stores, even back in 1985. UFO 50 dares to be different, and that’s its charm.

The story behind UFO 50 is like finding a lost treasure. It starts with a team discovering a forgotten console in storage. It’s not like those other collections that look like they came from a childhood room. Here, the games are dusty and hidden, waiting to be uncovered. It feels like an adventure of discovery rather than a trip down memory lane.

Fans love uncovering hidden gems, don’t they?

UFO 50 isn’t about going back to the past; it’s about finding something new in what was forgotten. It wants you to experience these games as if they’re brand new, not just relics. This makes them feel alive and fun, without the sticky sweetness of nostalgia.

Even though I talk about UFO 50’s simplicity, it’s also quite big. With 50 games, there’s so much to explore, each with its own complete story. Unlike big games that repeat the same tasks, UFO 50 offers a fresh experience with each game. You could spend forever playing them all!

There’s a bit of sadness in how UFO 50 stands out. Liz Ryerson said it reminds us of a time when games were simpler, before they became big business. Today, games tend to be similar, but UFO 50 breaks that mold. It’s like the biggest playground for game experiments, even if that’s still pretty small.

Yet, we should cheer for UFO 50. I often wish there were more game makers like Martin Scorsese, not for crime stories, but for their respect for gaming history. I want developers who learn from the past to make something new and exciting. UFO 50 is a small but bold step in that direction.

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Sam Gordon
Sam Gordon
Gordon serves as a freelance writer for GamerInbox while also pursuing his studies in Games Design and acting as a Video Game Ambassador. He has been contributing to GamerInbox for more than 5 months.

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