Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I don't get their obsession with telling you nothing about the games in game. Old school games had instruction booklets and such!

Omg Mini & Max. The concept is so cool, how you can just move around the room big and then shrink to go into the different areas of the world, grow big again whenever you want to come back out and get to another area quick. Great exploration platformer, feels like nothing I've played. And I thought I had seen almost everything when the game throws shrinking even smaller into the mix.

Wow. Definitely one of my favorites so far.

@Zero

The SMB2-style enemy grabbing is a fun touch there too. I didn't get far in that one but really enjoyed it, it's another one that feels like a DSiWare game.

@Zero
I just started this last night ('tis the season and all that) and it's good spooky fun! Nice atmosphere and I appreciate the modern streamlining in a genre like this. Are we doing Shocktober this year? Everyone with UFO 50 can play this!

@TriforceBun

Good idea!

Everyone on the site should have this game! It's 50 games for 20 bucks or whatever! You can't go wrong.

Finished Mini & Max! It's a meaty one. Not sure how much is mandatory though, it's kind of an "open world" 2d platformer. Though you need a certain amount of stars to get through to the end and I did a lot of the "extra" stuff and still barely had enough stars to move on.

Once again this is a game I'd have happily paid like $10 for and had no regrets. And it's just one in a huge collection!

I like how Zero and I are running through a similar set of games!

41 - LORDS OF DISKONIA ('88) - This one's a grower. I was kind of put off by the odd strategy-meets-minigolf gameplay at first but it's actually a pretty meaty game. Lots of scenarios and ways to approach the combat, lots of little extra resources to shoot for, and even a little bit of placement strategy on the world map. That said, there are still some irritations: some systems are too opaque/confusing (I still don't know why I can't choose certain disks on my turn), everything takes a little too long to happen (would be nice if there was a speed-up option for the CPU turns), and the CPU's aim is annoyingly accurate. I can see myself returning to this one between other games when I want something quirkier to play.

42 - NIGHT MANOR ('88) - 'Tis the season for an Uninvited-style old-school adventure/horror game! Night Manor is very narrative-heavy and has atmosphere to spare. It also smartly streamlines all those confounding commands with two simple actions (Look and Use) that you can switch freely between. Just the right level of modern twist on a hoary old genre! The Resident Evil-style journal entries are a fun bit of piecemeal storytelling and the puzzles are tricky without being completely obtuse. While I also really like the scare-factor--you can't ever really relax because Mr. Jumpscare could always be ready to pop out--it does occasionally get annoying having your exploration interrupted. Even so, this is the second game in the set that my wife really got into, and despite a few moments where I get stuck and have my progression halted, I have very few complaints overall. A highlight for sure.

43 - ELFAZAR'S HAT ('88) - I only played this Pocky & Rocky-like once so far but I'm excited to get back to it when I have a larger chunk of time to devote, as there's no saving. I like it a lot! It feels reasonably challenging without being over-the-top, with seemingly infinite continues and 3 lives per credit with respawning on the spot. The card-matching element is fun although I wish it was a little clearer at a glance what each one did. And the charm is through the roof here, with a fun premise of a magician's animals escaping and plenty of cute, wintry environments and characters. Plus I geeked out when I heard the remix of Magic Garden's theme in the third level. Kind of fun having the game reference itself at this point! Doesn't seem like it'd be a terribly long game but it's a welcome one and I'd like to try the 2P mode.

I've also briefly dabbled in the next two games but I'll write about them soon. So far, this fifth row has been really strong!

@Zero
Yeah the value proposition is crazy with UFO 50, although Mini & Max is usually seen as one of the best games in the set overall.

@ZeroI still have somewhere an old FF1 original booklet in good condition. It's a wacky booklet and I'm disappointed that game advertisements and booklets (if they existed anymore) don't have the goofy jovial mood they used to have.

?? THE TERMINAL? (??) - I started going down the rabbit hole in this game yesterday, and found myself smack-dab in the middle of a Terminal password scavenger hunt full of surprises! If you'd like to try it yourself, start by checking out the description in Night Manor. And be on the lookout for codes that fit the "_ _ _ _ - _ _ _ _" format!

HINT: Put in GREG-MILK into the Terminal and look closely at the results. Doesn't that pattern look familiar? And be on the lookout for the Terminal icon while you're at it!

FURTHER HINT: Go to Mini & Max (the game indicated by the first hint) and check one of the rooms on the lower level. You'll see the same Terminal icon (^) and little else in the room. Go to the Terminal and you'll get a hint about one of the other games! Solve that hint by going to that game and doing what it says, then accessing the Terminal again. And keep going!

@TriforceBun

I was wondering when you'd find this!

@Secret_Tunnel

[SPOILERS for UFO 50's big secret] Yeah, I had heard rumblings of a secret 51st game and I've actually gotten to play a little of it! But it would seem that the game is more a meta-game where you pull together clues from other games and then (apparently?) get little playable behind-the-scene metaphorical bits about the rise and fall of UFOSoft. Really a neat idea to kind of pull it all together! All I've done so far is talk to a couple guys and try an early, different version of Paint Chase. I have no idea where I'd "rank" this game compared to the rest but it's definitely a fun thing to try to unravel between the other games. I'm guessing at this point it's less about the gameplay and more about following the trail of clues and not knowing what's next.

Welp, I've played all the games at least once now. The core 50 anyway.

Then I went back to the second level of the dinosaur one and had 4 bases held and was about to win but I got attacked and... it turned into a soldier 1v1 where mine lost! Oof. I should have still taken the win but I got caught too far away from their bases to stop them holding the 4.

44 - PILOT QUEST (’88) - I’m usually pretty mixed on the idle game genre, but having something that runs while you play other UFO 50 games is actually really clever. I’m already jumping between games, so why not have one that rewards me each time I fire it up? That said, despite a strong first impression with good visuals and snappy music (the rhythmic first few measures of the crash site theme now get stuck in my head reguularly), the gameplay of this bad boy is pretty sparse. I see people criticize Planet Zoldath all the time but its combat is leagues better than Pilot’s second on-foot adventure here. At least there I had a variety of long-range subweapons to utilize, but here it’s just a stubby Yo-Yo. All the creatures are so FAT and BLOCKY and ATTRACTIVE that battling them is an exercise in frustration, and now I've maxed out my drops and ingots so I really need some other resources. I'm hoping for some upgrades that improve the combat because I like the concept and the colors.

45 - MINI & MAX (’89) - I sadly haven't put a ton of time into this one but I've just started it over so I can play it with my kids watching. But early impressions are good--nice concept, cool visuals, nifty Mario 2-style play, and a surprisingly large amount of creative lore. Mini's shrinking isn't like Mario squeezing down to get through narrow places in NSMB. It's more like it makes the whole world suddenly huge, so you can move around the small room to essentially quick-travel to all the big (tiny) places.

All that would make for a fun, solid indie game. But Mini & Max has a secret that might be the most mind-blowing thing in the entire UFO 50 collection for me. I'd recommend everyone find out about it themselves, but it's the moment when you get the ability to shrink even *smaller*, which apparently makes the game *exponentially larger.* I couldn't believe it. Is there some sort of random-generation at play here? Or is the game actually that mind-bogglingly huge?? And that was the moment I decided I needed to quit my run and start over to show my kids Mini & Max. Looking forward to really digging into it!

Also I love that this game takes place in the back room of the Party House! I could've guessed that the Host there would be something of a conniver (at least she is the way I play Party House).

46 - COMBATANTS (’89) - I went into this with rock-bottom expectations since I know that people hate this game. It's probably the most disliked of the whole set. Combatants is an RTS where you pit your blue ant army against the ferocious red ants. There aren't many options at your disposal--basically either fight directly, or grab food and bring it to your queen to make more ants--but the trick is in knowing what to do when. That sounds RTS-ish but Combatants has the world's jankiest AI. Both your team and your foes will wander around in circles like brainless zombies, and if you're lucky your buddies will get food or help you fight rather than get stuck behind a wall. The enemy troops similarly shuffle about, severely addlepated unless you get within firing range. So the gameplay really becomes about exploiting these dopey creatures even though you're hopelessly outgunned. It's admittedly occasionally fun but really super janky. Not one of my favorites but probably not my least favorite since I've already beaten half of it? I dunno lol what even is this

47 - QUIBBLE RACE (’89) - And what is THIS? Man, two completely stupid games in a row. Quibble Race isn't a racing game at all but a goofy betting simulator all within the seedy underbelly of the Campanellaverse. You bet on which "Quibble" (disturbingly humanoid Wiggler things) will win, but you can pay extra money to get tips, sponsor other Quibbles, or sabotage the competition by breaking their knees (!!) or killing them (!!!). What the flip is this funky squiz? It's fine though because sometimes it really grabs you by the honkers and doesn't let go, particularly in the last round when anything goes and that precious cherry is just within reach, and you find yourself screaming at the TV for your Quibble to stop pointlessly jumping while his competitors stumble drunkenly or trip over random garbage strewn across the track. What is happening anymore!? Have I been PLAY FOREVERing too long or something? This madness must end! This should've been UFO 45!! These last few games are just nuts

@TriforceBun

Pilot Quest is one of my favorites! You'll learn to enjoy it too, given your love of Zelda 1. It's all about learning the map and routing. I always saw Planet Zoldath as an intentionally bad game meant to demonstrate the team's improved game design skills by the team you get to Pilot Quest. So much bizarre stuff in PZ only made sense when I started PQ!

I haven't played much Combatants, but my understanding is that it's also intentionally bad? Doesn't the game's description imply as much?

As far as that mechanic in Mini & Max goes, it's gotta be doing some random generation, right? Those microscopic levels seem pretty sparse, anyway.

Quibble Race is great. Another late-game standout for me.

Definitely has some random generation at that level, if you leave some rooms and then go right back into them they're different.

I think it is only at that level though.

@Secret_Tunnel

Pilot Quest did remind me of Zelda 1! But I need a little more intrigue, a little more mystery. At the moment it feels like the world has very little interaction or secrets, as my singular action is just to hit enemies with my Yo-Yo. I do like several things about the game right now such as it's graphics/music, the way it uses the idle aspects to add extra pressure to your excursions, and the Zelda 1 vibes with the dungeons. But I need a little more spice to either the combat or the exploration to really have it stick to the ribs. Planet Zoldath was kinda janky but I felt like I could interact with a lot more stuff in a limited space.

Combatants, maybe? They say it's one guy's "magnum opus" so it could be a tongue-in-cheek part of the overall narrative. I'd rather the games be good though, haha.

Quibble Race had me scratching my head for my first run but I enjoyed my subsequent ones more. It's weirdly stressful in a few ways though; I could see this being hilarious in multiplayer with the right people.

@Zero

Ah, that makes sense. Still a very neat trick.

At last, my UFO 50 journey has come to an end, of sorts. At least, I've dusted off all the cartridges and have given everything the ol' college try. Here are the last ones:

48 - SEASIDE DRIVE ('89) - Like Quibble Race, the name implies some sort of driving game but you get something pretty different. It's a little bit Moon Patrol but mostly reminded me of that Contra III level where you're on the bike. It's good fun! The shooting feels good, the music catchy as always, and there's kind of an easygoing sun-drenched vibe to it all. I also like the drift/charge mechanic which rewards players for constantly being on the move rather than staying put and shooting (sort of like Doom 2016 in a way, weirdly enough). The breakout-style mini game between rounds (if you do well) is a nice change of pace too. My only gripe is that I wish it were a couple stages longer.

49 - CAMPANELLA 3 ('89) - Hey, I didn't expect a StarFox game in this! I thought we were sticking solely with the NES. Campan3lla is, in true series' form, totally different from Camp2nella (which was in turn totally different from Campane1la) and the tech here is pretty cool as to be expected from the penultimate game. This is yet another one where the difficulty kind of gets in the way though; you get a sparse three hits per stage and the checkpoints are few and far between. These "master them or gtfo" games have a certain appeal to them but I can't help but wonder if I'd enjoy it more with the traditional world map, save points, etc. As is, it's pretty discouraging to get to a boss, die, and start the whole dang stage over. I wish there was an option to invert the controls as well.

50 - CYBER OWLS ('89) - We've reached the end! And our final game calls to mind late-80s hero teams such as the Ninja Turtles (or perhaps Action 52's Cheetahmen). The different Bojack-Horseman-esque designs are pretty cool (I like the barn owl, and all the puntastic bosses) and the game's variety is impressive. I got a chuckle from the concept that the last of 50 games in itself also contains several different styles of game. Part of me wonders if the balance is a little off though, as I'm less-enthused about the Metal Gear segments than the other more action-oriented ones. It all feels pretty darn polished though so I'm curious how it'll hold up over time as I get further. I was able to try out all the initial stages but I only beat the beat-em-up one.

That's a wrap! Heck of a game, this. If it counts as a 2025 title it might even beat DK Bananza for me, but it really came out last year so I'll just retroactively call it an easy GOTY 2024. Final thoughts and tentative rankings coming soon!

Triple post! You'll just have to deal. It's time to post my final rankings (at least at this particular point in time after having played some 200 hours of the game). One star means I beat it, two means a cherry:

[Kinda bad, actually] - 5.0/10 - Stick to its NES counterparts
50) Fist Hell

[Not my thing] - 6.0-6.5 - Games with some good ideas but don't appeal much to me
49) Block Koala
48) Combatants
47) Rakshasa
46) Onion Delivery
45) Devolition
44) The Big Bell Race**

[Okay] - 7.0 - Fun/interesting but flawed/slight
43) Velgress**
42) Divers
41) Star Waspir
40) Pilot Quest
39) Campanella 3
38) Quibble Race*
37) Barbuta*
36) Hot Foot
35) Campanella 2
34) Planet Zoldath**
33) Porgy

[Good] - 7.5 - Solid enough, especially as part of 50 games
32) Lords of Diskonia
31) Waldorf’s Journey*
30) Caramel Caramel*
29) Mooncat*
28) Hyper Contender*
27) Kick Club
26) Pingolf
25) Campanella*
24) Ninpek**
23) Cyber Owls

[Very good] - 8.0 - I might buy these standalone for cheap
22) Avianos*
21) Mortal II*
[?? ?????]
20) Attactics*
19) Rail Heist
18) Paint Chase*
17) Elfazar’s Hat*
16) Seaside Drive*

[Lesser Favorites] - 8.0 - All from here on I marked with a heart
15) Valbrace
14) Golfaria*
13) Vainger*
12) Camouflage**
11) Magic Garden**
10) Grimstone**
9) Overbold**

[Top Favorites] - 8.5-9 - These games really nail what they were going for
8) Mortol*
7) Warptank*
6) Night Manor**
5) Bug Hunter**
4) Bushido Ball**
3) Rock On! Island*
2) Mini & Max
1) Party House**

What a journey! I can't believe I've been playing this for over two months, and still have plenty of games to actually finish (a few of which I'm dreading). Overall, UFO 50 gets a 9.6/10 from me which would place it around the area of my top 20 favorite games--very unusual for a modern title. It's pretty awesome altogether. Also, I finally put more time into Mini & Max and it's superb! Such a creative game that really tickles the brain and has by far my favorite story of the set (which is not faint praise considering the likes of Grimstone and especially Night Manor). Party House is still something my wife and I play daily though so that's gotta be on top.

Anyway, go buy it, check out my review in the next NF Magazine, and PLAY FOREVER.