UFO 50 Gets A Surprise Shadow Drop On Switch Today

One of the best games of last year. Couldn't recommend it more

Never heard of these titles. Interesting.

i'm happy about this, but i'm angry about how it was announced

I've been holding off from getting this on Steam to see if we'd get it on the Switch, and today is the day! Will probably pick this up with the next paycheck.

Heck yea! I’ve been off games at the moment while I build my own but this might tempt me back in.

Grabbed it on Steam around launch day and I can honestly say, money we'll spent. There's a surprising amount of depth and variety it the games presented for a budget price, and everyone will find something they'll gravitate towards! The poin and click style horror game kept my attention the most of all the offerings.

This Direct didn't fail to deliver a lot of good, new games for my wishlist. This one is definitely getting added to it!

@cylemmulo Yeah I'm really pleased about this game! BUT they must've known this game was hugely sought after and it's quite a big deal, so why did they only put in a Sizzle Reel? Especially when it's out today!

Is it just me or Nintendo's PR is really off lately and they've lost their ability to read the room? Same with giving that campfire game so much time in the Partners direct. They seem to do weird things like this all the time now, why didn't they tell us we can use the mouse in Mario Picross/Nobunaga's Ambition and that they'd improved the SNES CRT filter either? Small things maybe, but they should be bigging up any wins or new games/features people would enjoy.

I don't know, but I seem to notice this a lot from them lately. Like even going back to the Switch 2 reveal they didn't say anything about all the free Switch 2 game upgrades, we found out after. Basic PR would say stuff like that would be good to highlight to counteract the other decisions like not packing in Welcome Tour etc.

Then I ask why the devs of Handy Hockey and the Campfire game have Switch 2 dev kits but Nitrome, the developers of Mouse Works don't even though their game looks way more interesting?

It's really weird and feels like they're becoming more isolated, cut off from the wider gaming world and eccentric even by their normal standards.

We're not the only one noticing this pattern right? I mean I'm happy with the games and the way Switch 2 is going personally, but it feels like Nintendo's doing themselves zero favours a lot of the time right now.

For whomever is on the fence, this has a 91 on metacritic (pc)

Best announcement for me, was waiting on this game to be available on switch

@Suketoudara Dude I'm so confused. Nintendo acts like they're paying for airtime on the superbowl. What's the harm with making larger announcements for games? Almost all those sizzle reel games have full trailers. The only thing I can think is they're like charging these companies more for more time on the direct or something.

@Suketoudara Completely agree with you.

I was tempted by a sale on Steam a ways back, like a fool. I haven't even tried it yet. Psyched that it's here on Switch.

UFO 50? Totally missed out during the presentation. This is awesome! I have been waiting and wanting to play this game.

best game best game best game best game best game

i was obsessed with this game last year.
300 hours of playtime. got all cherries. ready to do it all over again on switch!!!!

@Suketoudara no, I been saying this for months. The marketing team is absolutely out of their mind. Like with the whole Pauline thing. Why fake a cover art and trailers when you're just going to reveal it three weeks later? Like, the only way this makes sense is a awkward play at viral marketing in which they leak the art through Nintendo of Korea themselves. Even then, just why? People told me because of spoilers, but she's on the damn box. The only reason her being there was a spoiler was because of some nonsensical decision by Nintendo. There's a lot of little things like what you mentioned and how they showed MKW, but this one is the biggest example of them just almost being incompetent — or at least very weird and cagey. DK sold because it was very good and that had probably nothing with how it was marketed. Judging by what I saw on the internet, not many people were even a little interested until it came out and turned out likely be a goty contender. That's gonna bite them if they have a game that's not very good. Hell, mkw probably wouldn't have sold well if it wasn't literally bundled with the switch 2.

That’s a bit out of my digital price range but I’m curious about this one. Will keep an eye out for reviews.

Seems like a good title. I won't buy it yet but I'll put it on my wishlist.

@cylemmulo Even asides from UFO 30 I'd have preferred if it was 25 - 30 minutes long if it meant trailers for all those games. I don't like the Sizzle Reel thing.

Yep I was very much waiting for this and I am very happy about it. Great direct for this and Mina alone, two from my most wanted list!

As others have said though, Ninty needs to get a grip. PR in some key areas has been lacking lately and that's putting it mildly.

@RupeeClock With Nindie presentations, it's surprising how often that the games I want only seem to appear in the sizzle reel. It's a strange pattern. I guess my gaming tastes aren't in tune with whoever runs nintendo's Nindie presenations.

I only learned about UFO 50 the other day, after reading Damian's review on Time Extension. What a great concept. I really like Spelunky 2 and Downwell, was just playing them recently. To have it available to buy so soon after learning about it, is really great.

@Xansies Yeah, is it some kind of 4D Chess? Do they think by doing stuff like putting UFO 50 in the Sizzle reel they'll get people talking about it more because everyone will be commenting on their bizarre behaviour? Are they purposely trying to start micro dramas to keep Switch 2 being talked about? Maybe that's giving them too much credit, but I know Outrage Marketing is a thing sometimes and at times it feels like they enjoy messing with people.

If it the game had an eshop page, I would have bought it.

$35 seems steep when it's $25 on steam, if wario64's reference is correct for eshop. This would have been an instant buy if it's $25.

@Suketoudara I mean, not a lot of people are calling out how weird they're acting. I feel like the way their doing this is going to be a serious mistake. One bad game and this strategy falls apart because they are barely outlining what their games are until like a week before release with mkw and dk. I don't think Sony's handheld will outsell nintendo, but it's possible Nintendo is doing them a favor lol

@WoomyNNYes it's $25 on the eShop. Might've been a typo on Wario64's part.

@Suketoudara “Do they think by doing stuff like putting UFO 50 in the Sizzle reel they'll get people talking about it more because everyone will be commenting on their bizarre behaviour? Are they purposely trying to start micro dramas to keep Switch 2 being talked about?"

I hate to be the one to break to ya, but even if it's entirely unintentional, it's working very, very well on you and some others in the comments here.

Normally, I have zero interest in physical Deluxe Editions, especially for a game I only learned about a few days ago, but this one is quality. That book would be really nice to have while going through each game.

tiny image hosting

Very excited for this! I held off on the Steam release because I wanted the game on what I felt to be its natural home and now it's really happening!

The special edition looks cute, but I think it's one of those things where it doesn't resonate with me but I might double dip after I play the game itself.

Actually wound the YouTube video back (watched the Indie World late) when I saw this because it looked interesting. And according to the comments here it is. Maybe this will be my Switch 2 equivalent of Slime San

@RupeeClock Seriously. This could have been the one last thing.

@AccessibleDaydream Yes, that's true

@OorWullie Oh my God.

hell yeah. i'm ordering the deluxe physical.

What a nice surprise, haven't heard of this one before and the reviews are great! Seems like a perfect fit for casual playing on handheld in between changing my son's diapers

The Direct was full of nice little surprises (especially compared to last week's terrible Partner Direct), but this was the highlight for me. It's funny that it only got a few seconds at the tail end of the closing sizzle reel.

this looks fascinating, love the concept! im glad the ones who were hoping for it got this at the end of the sizzle reel. honestly, when i get enough money i might pick this up

I just preordered the physical edition. A game on a cart in a box ... See how it works, Nintendo?

Now I have no excuse to not support UFO 50.

Why is it an 18 on the eShop? What kind of games are featured on here?! 😏

UFO50 is excellent, highly recommend it!

Looks interesting and I've heard good things about this one, and it's also nice that there's gonna be a physical as well! Hopefully anyone who's interested in playing it enjoys it!

Interesting opinions on here about how much hype a nearly year old game that fell off the public scene a month after release deserves.

@Burning_Spear Nintendo games are always on the cart

It looks a hell of a lot better than Action 52, but I suppose that isn't saying much, haha.

I gasped prior to purchase.

@N00BiSH Thanks for the update<3

One of those rare cases in which I'll buy the game digital and then I'll get the physical version ❤️

I think I'll pick this up digitally and buy the UFO Companion book to go with it. Looks like the EU Fangamer website doesn't have the deluxe edition, which makes things a bit easier for me. 😅

This game is pretty great. I know I'll be playing a lot of Pingolf on my Switch 2 in the future!

Awesome game…or games. 😀

@somnambulance I thought the same thing. Kind of buried the lede.

Very strange they just had it in the sizzle reel at the end. This is a great enough addition that it could have been a "one more thing" instead and I'd have been just as excited

And with that, I can sell my Xbox!

I’d encourage everyone to take a good look at this. Absolute masterpiece and perfect for portable gaming.

Action 52 the good version? Sign me up.

Guess with all this praise, im buying it.

Talk about an amazing shadow drop!

Considering my long history with Mossmouth games (I've been playing Spelunky since the first release in 2008!,) I want this sooo bad. I was holding off on a Switch release before grabbing it.

More idle curiosity, but do we know how Switch 2 compatible it is?

@AeonicB It should be fine I think. If a game isn't Switch 2 compatible you simply aren't able to download it from the Switch 2 eShop and it's on there.

Loved this famenon steam. And so instant buy now i’m on holiday and can rediscover those games again

Deluxie is 2026? Hope you can get the manual / magazine as a pdf or something

@Suketoudara
One of the games is simulated horse betting. And gambling makes things 18+ according to PEGI. That's pretty much the only reason why. All the other games are fine, though there's also one horror-themed game that might've made it a 12+ otherwise.

This isn't just a good or even great game - this is one of the single best games I've ever played in my life. It's that amazing. It makes my top 10, along with the likes of Breath of the Wild and Dark Souls. (Yes, it's a collection of 50 games, but I personally like to consider it one big open-world game.)

Are we supposed to have the Nintendo News app? Did they pile all the games into the app while the Direct was going on and that's how people are supposed to know? Is that what Nintendo wants, for us to have the news app or else we're confused why certain incredible games are left to a sizzle real?

I know almost nothing about this but I hear great things.

Is this kind of like Retro Game Challenge, where it's a series of games by a fictional company and you get the impression that they kind of progress throughout the decade? Is there some kind of macro progression or way to keep track of which games you've beaten etc?

oh this is big big news, one of the best here

@MatthewTaranto Yep, it can be compared to Retro Game Challenge, but consider all of these to be fully-fleshed out games in their own right, that would have been accepted as full games during the era they're supposed to have come out. (I've tended to average about 4-5 hours on each, but some are longer, like a full-blown JRPG). Yes, there is a sense of progression about the collection as the years go on. There's a whole meta layer to the game and company lore, etc. And recurring motifs, sprites, sequels, etc.

There's multiple ways to keep track of what you've beaten. Time spent on each game is tracked, completing a game is tracked, and there are "cherries" for completing extra-difficult challenges, and some hidden mechanics for each game as well that are tracked.

@naxuu Thanks, sounds good!

@EarthboundBenjy

What kind of content is in the horror game?

@Nabbit01
Dead bodies and blood, and a killer with a cleaver who chases and occasionally jumpscares the player.

It's all pixel art, so nothing realistically grotesque. But it is definitely more intense contentwise than any of the other games in the selection, and it even comes with an in-game content warning when you boot it up.

@Suketoudara one of the most on point posts I've seen recently. Yeah Big N are making some seemingly baffling decisions. Maybe it is some weird 4D chess where they want to drive engagement on outrage, but its an interesting strategy when it kind of at times makes them look incompetent. Still, if they make more money they'll be happy...

Higher quality Action 52/Retro Game Challenge let's go.

It's no Phoenix Games Retro for PS2 either.

@cylemmulo Right? It deserved so much more screentime.

I was so excited when I saw this, I’ve really been wanting to play this. Unfortunately it’s not on the New Zealand eShop yet. Anyone have any info about release dates outside the US? Is it a classification issue?

@EarthboundBenjy

Thank you so much for your reply! Are there any other games in UFO 50 with disturbing content, specifically anything about animals?

@AG_Awesome I usually don't spend more than $10 for a digital game, but I would have felt guilty spending less than $25 for this. I might double dip, too.

And yet, there's nothing about this game or even the showcase itself on the S2 eshop's Featured page. Just Mina. Fail, Nintendo.

It is on the Featured for the S1 eshop, at least. I guess those launch titles really crowd out the spaces for S2's.

@Thomystic The positive press I’m seeing has me very interested in it. I’m going to need to hunt around and see if any review covers every game on it (switch or otherwise). If you spot any decent ones that really explain the game please feel free to respond!

@Nabbit01
The main thing that comes to mind is the "quibble race", the horse betting simulation game I mentioned earlier - it's possible to sabotage your opponent's Quibbles by feeding them poison, or boost your Quibble by giving them performance-enhancing drugs. They are not really animals though, they are silly cartoon aliens that run on two legs.

As for animal cruelty...

There is an RPG-style game where an old, one-eyed dog can be selected as a party member, and just like any other party members, they can lose all their HP and need to be resurrected in town.

Two games involve intentionally killing chickens - one game involves placing live chickens next to campfires in order to turn them into roast chickens, and one other game involves throwing chickens into the line of fire of some very trigger-happy gunmen as a distraction.

Again, it's all cartoony shenanigans and none of this is depicted realistically.

I have this on Steam and while I’ve only played approx. 10 games, a few really stood out to me.

Ninpek is probably my favourite. It’s essentially an old school side scroller like Ninja Gaiden on NES. It doesn’t try to do anything super unique or revolutionary, but the execution is done so well. It’s tough but not cheap.

On the opposite spectrum, Party House is quite unique and isn’t akin to any NES game I’ve played. It’s more roguelike/ deck builder and it’s quite deep.

I don’t think I’ll double dip but if I had the choice today, I’d opt for Switch over Steam.

@mossmouth posted on X, game has been delayed for New Zealand release but they’re working on it! Just thought I’d share in case any other Kiwis are trying to figure out why they can’t buy it yet. They will announce when it’s available. I guess I will just have to finish Hollow Knight and try to get less terrible at combat in KCD2 in the meantime…

@EarthboundBenjy

Thank you for all of this info, I really appreciate you taking the time to write it all out like that.

honestly I didn't even know anything about this company. I'm picking up the deluxe version since it brings the guide book with all the games and the a download code for the soundtrack. I do collect some of the game sound tracks on vinyl so I'll look out for this one if the game soundtracks are any good.

I was worried about this game being a key card game but the game is for the Switch .

@AG_Awesome NF Magazine (formerly Nintendo Force until they got C&D'ed) announced that their next issue will have individual reviews on all 50. It comes out in 2 months, so there's time to get on their Patreon. I don't know what the minimum subscription period is. But at least you're in the US which might be all they ship to. (They also give PDF versions.)