The first thing that strikes you about Ufouria: The Saga 2 is, of course, its art direction. The game is beautiful from start to finish, charming and unique, but its adventure, although short and easy, may not appeal to players beyond its retro audience and fans of the franchise.

We’re going to talk about these topics in this review, coming from a player who didn’t know the series until this game. If you’re looking for a review from a gamer who was a fan of the franchise and already knew the first adventure, we also have LudovicoLuka’s review.

The Art Direction of Ufouria: The Saga 2 is a spectacle in itself

Of course, my favorite part of this game is its graphics, the style of which is very reminiscent of some Nintendo games, with very bright colors, expressive characters and, in this case, the effect that everything has been made out of wool and cardboard and gives you the feeling that you’re reading a children’s book.

This style of graphics gives me a very relaxing feeling and helps the player feel more immersed in this universe full of funny and sometimes bizarre little creatures. Humor predominates here and the characters, being so expressive, manage to get a good laugh throughout the adventure.

A curious mix of Metroidvania and roguelike elements

In this game, we have a mixed gameplay between a traditional metroidvania, with short sessions between randomly generated areas. This actually works well, as it allows the player not to feel so repetitive when revisiting these areas and helps to keep the adventure fun.

Here we have four playable characters, each with their own quirks and abilities, and we can switch between them at any time, making it a very welcome mechanic that facilitates exploration.

Its gameplay is simple and fun, very much in the style of old NES games, just like its predecessor. It’s a platform game, where you can shoot projectiles at enemies, or jump on them and press an attack button to defeat them. There’s a system of lives and hearts, but in the end the game isn’t too difficult and I can even say that it would be well enjoyed by younger gamers or by parents playing with their children.

Missed opportunity to attract a new audience

Something I felt throughout my playthrough was the sensation of being in an NES game with modern graphics, because its controls respond well, but still have the limitations of old games, causing me accidental deaths or some frustration at certain times.

Some level design choices force you to do very specific things and this ends up making the game quite linear. I believe that expanding its metroidvania side and giving the player more freedom would make the game more fun and less frustrating at times.

However, it’s not a difficult game, as mentioned above. It can easily be finished in around 3 hours without needing a guide and this makes it a good game to bring up on a livestream, after all, its strongest point is its art direction and its humor and this will please the audience a lot and won’t stretch it out too much to become tiresome.

Also, it’s a game that could easily be speedrun, with the streamer focusing on improving their time and finishing the game faster and faster.

Ufouria: The Saga 2 was received and tested in its PC version. It’s a relatively light game and doesn’t require a very powerful machine. It is available in a total of 8 languages, i wish if had more options since this would help the game to be more appreciated on livestreams, due to its humor, and the dialogue helps the player to know where to go next.

Ufouria: The Saga 2

PC, PS5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch (2024)

Performance

Streamability

Audience Engagement

Replayability

Summary

In the end, Ufouria: The Saga 2 is a fun adventure that will please many fans of the original game, but it won’t easily attract a new audience to the franchise by sticking too closely to classic gameplay. It could work well on a livestream, either as a quick game to relax and play or as a speedrun.

3.5