Ultros is a 2D side-scrolling metroidvania set in a colorful and surreal world filled with secrets, puzzles and dangerous enemies. Playing as Ouji, you awake on a strange planet with the form of a womb known as The Sarcophagus, which is also the shelter of an ancient and malevolent entity called Ultros.

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Affected by amnesia and trapped in an eternal loop, you must explore The Sarcophagus and interact with its bizarre creatures to unravel the meaning of your existence. Throughout its story, the game offers the possibility to make multiple choices that change Ouji’s personality and fate, leading to three different endings.

Therefore, you have enough reasons to play the game again, making different choices and exploring alternative paths that were blocked in your previous playthrough. Like other similar metroidvania games (Ori, Hollow Knight, Dead Cells), the story explores several interesting and profound themes regarding life, death, mental health, ecological preservation and karmic cycles.

A metroidvania with roguelite elements and… gardening

At its core Ultros is a metroidvania, showcasing a non-linear map that can be explored better as you learn new platforming abilities, like double jumping or air dashing. Combat is intense and rewarding, requiring good precision and different strategies depending on the enemies’ attack patterns (especially bosses).

Dead enemies drop body organs that you can consume not only to replenish your health, but also to increase your nutrition level and unlock more abilities through the skills tree (here known as Cortex). Once you beat one of the bosses, a new time loop begins and you are teleported back to the starting point. You need to re-acquire most of your skills, but this time the landscape has changed, previously defeated enemies don’t reappear and you can also explore new areas.

In addition to combat and exploration, Ultros also features gardening. Sometimes you will discover empty plots of land that you can turn into soil. Finding different seeds and planting them is very important, because they can blossom into trees and produce different types of fruits, which are fundamental to unlock new skills and increase your stats.

Sometimes, growing trees can also become platforms that allow you to reach new areas. This mix of metroidvania, gardening and roguelite elements make Ultros a really particular and fun experience that sets it apart from other games of the same genre.

Ultros is a unique experience for streaming

Ultros can offer a really unique experience for streamers thanks to its eccentric art style and the mystical soundtrack created by the visionary musician El Huervo, who previously scored Hotline Miami and Else Heart.Break().

It’s a great choice for streamers who played other metroidvanias and are looking for a more unconventional game to stream.

This is also a game that encourages discussion and increases the connection with the audience. For example, streamers can involve their audience in theorizing about the story and its philosophical meaning, share their interpretation and discuss about socially important themes.

Viewers who love the metroidvania genre will certainly be engaged, but also those that value profound narrative and stunning art style more than anything else.

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marcoleo

I’m a passionate guy who loves videogames, movies, anime and comics. I like to talk about videogames and share my opinion with the world.