You're immediately dropped into a grid of 50 8-bit thumbnails when you open UFO. It's difficult to know where to begin: should I start at the first? Should I pick at random? Should I play the last one, since the default list order is chronological, because it might represent the creative peak of fictional studio UFOSoft, or should I choose at random?
It doesn't matter because there are so many games. I've been absorbed in the point-and-click horror Night Manor over the past few weeks, but when I first booted up the game I was sucked into Barbuta & Bushido Ball & neglected the other 48 for days. I went through a Walforf’s Journey phase and completed some levels in Block Koala and Camouflage. I haven't finished any of the games.
No one should feel slow or bad for not having completed any UFO games yet. I recently learned, in a chat with the Mossmouth Team, that no one else on the team had either. And they made it.
Eirik Suhrke replied "No, not at any time," when I asked him if he had completed all the games. "It's just too much." We all played them in a similar way, but I've watched Twitch and have seen new stuff constantly. No one has a complete picture."
Paul Hubans, UFO 50's designer and tester, said he had not even played beyond the first level in Campanella 3.
Suhrke continued, "You must focus on one game (level) at a given time." "You have to black out 49 other game for a while to make any progress." Every time I thought about it, I would feel dizzy and overwhelmed. I'd go for a long walk and then try to block out as many of the thoughts as I could. It's only just now that I can see the full power of it all."
Tyriq Plummer believes that the way the early players react to the game, their surprise at its scope, is similar to how he felt when he first saw it. "It is one of those projects that, despite being so large and encompassing, still manages feel more than its parts," he explained. "And that was something that was difficult to grasp when I was working on the project. Everyone else says now that this is way more than I ever realized. It's super cool."
Derek Yu agrees. "It's always fun to be surprised by the game you're working with, and I believe that's why it's so enjoyable to have worked on it all these years." We're always sharing and surprising eachother."
Our review states that UFO 50 is "a superb retro style smorgasbord". I spoke with the majority of the Mossmouth Team earlier this week. You can read about it here.
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