Ultros marries metroidvanias and environmentalism together in a mysterious and captivating journey.
In some faraway sector of the cosmos lies a strange spaceship, emanating colorful clouds of light and encircled by projections of swimming fish. There is a mystery surrounding this odd relic, and your job in the bright metroidvania game of Ultros, developed by Hadoque, is to uncover it and find a way out of the beautiful cycle in which the ship has you and all its inhabitants trapped.
After crash landing onto this strange ship, you soon find out that it isn’t really a ship but a giant cosmic uterus named The Sarcophagus that is holding an ancient, demonic being known as ULTROS. The only way to prevent this evil being from being unleashed on the universe is to relive a cycle over and over again, each time killing off one of the slumbering ancient beings that are found in The Sarcophagus, which gives the demon power.
Inside the spacecraft, you’ll find a vibrant ecosystem home to various strange beasts and flora. You can harvest fruit that is scattered around the multiple levels of the ship and use it to replenish health and acquire new skills. You’ll also come across various kinds of seeds that you can plant in fertile patches across the map. These will provide more food to consume and can give you a helping hand in all kinds of ways. For example, during my time navigating the maze-like levels in Ultros, I have found myself using berries to remove walls of mechanical cogs and give me a platform to access higher levels. Both are incredibly useful means to unlock new areas of the map to explore.
It’ll take you quite a while to explore everything Ultros has to offer with its expansive levels and sprawling tunnels – many of which hide secrets; there’s always more to find and plenty to do in this metroidvania. There are also distinctive sections that vary slightly in their appearance. For example, there’s the Geggamoja Refinery, which is full of sharp spinning blades, rivers of orange liquid, and industrial architecture.
