UFO 50 has almost been out for a full calendar year—look no further than the excellent Eggplant podcast for those keeping weekly score in a book club format—but it can still be quite the imposing monolith for folks who are jumping in for the first time. Games can be filtered through chronology (relative to the fictional release timeline), assorted in genres that range from “epic play” to “reflex play” and more, so where in the heck should you even begin?
The quick answer is “with Barbuta,” of course. As fantastic as the first chronological entry in UFO Soft’s storied history is, though, its plodding pace and esoteric goals can lead to a quick bounce-off for some, bringing them right back to the question at hand.
Now that UFO 50 is also out on Nintendo Switch, I thought I’d do my best to get everyone started in what I truly believe is one of the greatest accomplishments of game development, indie or otherwise. What Derek Yu, Jon Perry, Eirik Suhrke, Tyriq Plummer and the rest of the team have created is nothing short of astounding, and it would be a shame not to explore it in earnest.
Considering how important those first steps are, I’m going to highlight at least two games in each of the five rows that I consider to be a solid starting point. Your mileage may vary, and the breadth of genres alone guarantees our tastes won’t necessarily align, but I hope it helps you during the nascent steps of your journey.
Stay tuned for the first recommendation, and keep this post in your back pocket as a hub for all the recs to come!
UFO 50 Recs:
subhumanzoids 