Ultracore (Switch) Review
Release Date: July 21, 2020
Publisher/Developer: Strictly Limited Games (originally developed by Digital Illusions)
Platform: PS4, Switch (reviewed), PS Vita (!), Sega Genesis (!!)
Price: $19.99 digital, various high prices on limited physical releases
For anyone just seeing Ultracore on the Nintendo Switch eShop, it may blur into the rest of the 2D shooters up for grabs, but gaming historians will see Ultracore as a historical milestone. Digital Illusions was prepping a title by the name of Hardcore for release on the Genesis back in the day. Gamers had seen full blown previews of the title. Despite it basically being ready to print, it was suddenly canned in favor of focusing on the next generation and the Sony PlayStation. Thought lost to time, the original code has been found, polished up using original Genesis development hardware, and ported to modern systems. Gamers can pick it up for $19.99 digitally, or go all out on eBay picking up one of the Strictly Limited Games releases, which even included the game on a physical Genesis cartridge.
With that in mind, I can’t even call this a “retro aesthetic.” Perhaps “vintage” is the key word here? Ultracore takes you right back to how it Used To Be. Given this was primarily developed in the 90’s, many modern amenities are not on display here. In fact, starting up Ultracore flashed me back to Blockbuster rentals. No instruction book, no tutorial, just start hitting buttons and seeing what sticks. My first play session, I found you could shoot with a button, and aim up and down with your walking left analog stick. Figured that’s just “how it was”, as the retro game is playable on a Genesis. Session 2, I learned you could do your shooting with the right analog stick. There is a little chaos in this, as there are times where it benefits to stand and aim, others where running and gunning are key, and still others where shooting behind is needed. When not using the analog stick, it’s very...sticky to get exactly what you want. Given the MetroidVania-lite gameplay (levels you have to maze around, finding keycards to open gates) means you’ll have to do quick turnaround gunfire frequently. Further ingraining Ultracore into the 90s, gamers must write down passcodes every few levels, and they will be cognizant of how many continues you have (you must complete the game on only three continues).
If I were to review this when it first was supposed to come out, I would be lauding the game for it’s inventive, branching gameplay, action-packed levels full of enemies to clobber, and frequent and unique bosses. Sadly, these innovations have come and gone in other titles since then, leaving us with a dated game that still shows plenty of faults, such as awkward controls, unforgiving fall damage, and moments where elevators lift you up straight into a pile of enemies. If you are looking for a genuine recreation of a quality 1990s action game, you’ve come to the right place. If you’re looking for a high-quality modern game, Ultracore falls more into the low-end indie budget era. Back then, I’d have a loose leaf page with all my level unlock codes and be digging through magazines to see if there were secret code for infinite lives or grenades. Today, it’s a fun novelty worth visiting, but I’m not sure if I see myself jumping at the bit to see the next still image and wall of text to further along the paper-thin plot of Bad Guy Doing Bad Things so Destroy Lots of Robots.
Ultracore is a budget title at $19.99, and easy to recommend as a time capsule of classic 90s run and gun action, warts and all. If you’re expecting a revolution in gameplay, it isn’t here. It’s too bad that Ultracore couldn’t have been released at the original time of conception as it would have been a swan song for the Genesis as it made way for the next generation.
Pros:
-Wonderful evolution of the run-and-gun genre for the original time of conception
-Engaging Metroidvania lite gameplay
-Big exciting bosses
Cons:
-Cumbersome control scheme
-No modern amenities like save states or convenient continue options
-Old Genesis era problems that would have been ironed out in a modern game
Special thanks to Strictly Limited Games (and Digital Illusions!) for providing a code for review!