With Sunsoft engaged on their moderately unusual revival, it appeared like a foregone conclusion that they’d finally get round to Hebereke. It was in all probability the corporate’s most prolific sport sequence, in any case, stretching throughout a number of video games all through the ‘90s.

The sequence by no means actually got here to North America, however a number of have been localized for Europe. The primary time we noticed it on this facet of the ocean was when the primary sport was launched on Wii Digital Console beneath its European title, Ufouria: The Saga. That was, sadly, locked at operating on the PAL’s 50hz, which made it run sooner on fashionable shows.

For the remainder of the video games of the sequence, they unusually by no means returned to the unique system of quasi-Metroidvania. The sequence went via racing, puzzle fixing, and even area combating, however by no means again to sidescroller. That adjustments now, as Hebereke 2, er, Ufouria: The Saga 2 is the closest the sequence has come to the unique system. Finish assessment.

Ufouria: The Saga 2 (PC [Reviewed], Change, PS5, Xbox Collection X|S)
Developer: Tasto Alpha
Writer: Sunsoft
Launched: February 28, 2024, March 1, 2024 (Change)
MSRP: $24.99

Okay, so in case you’re not acquainted, Hebereke… I imply, Ufouria: The Saga, is a gated exploration sport the place you journey to search out new associates and talents to make progress in different areas. It’s high-quality. It’s a good sidescroller, if a bit of bit underwhelming and easy. Nonetheless, its persona made it really memorable.

Hebe… Ufouria: The Saga options 4 characters that you would swap between. The principle character is a penguin named Hebe, however he was modified to a snowman with the unbelievable title, Bop-Louie, within the European model. He was joined by O-Chan, an individual in a cat swimsuit, Sukezaemon, a ghost in sun shades, and Jennifer, a deep sea angler fish.

The setup in Ufouria: The Saga 2 is a bit totally different. You continue to attempt to assemble your occasion and unlock abilities to proceed to new areas, however the sport world has a a lot easier structure. It boils all the way down to an preliminary hub space that splits off into semi-randomized, largely linear ranges. 

The purpose of those areas is, usually, to simply attain the tip and perhaps defeat a boss. Upgrades are doled out via a merchandising machine adjoining to Hebe’s residence. You seek for “Utsu-cans” throughout your run, which unlocks new objects for buy. Then you definately spend the cash that you simply gather to really obtain the objects, and past getting the opposite three characters, that is the way you get hold of the abilities wanted to get to new areas. Even when the group finds the necessity for a ability contextually via exploration, it’s stuffed within the merchandising machine to be purchased.

It’s a bizarre and virtually insultingly easy method to development in a sport like this. Think about if Samus needed to return to her ship every time she needed to put in a brand new merchandise. Someway, this didn’t hassle me.

The story includes an alien named Utsujin crashlanding on… Earth or wherever that is imagined to be. They start spreading globs of jam in all places, and this jam takes over individuals’s minds, perhaps? The Ufouria gang actually simply appears to assume they’re gross and would moderately Utsujin doesn’t simply drop them on their picnics.

For the size of the sport, you largely simply chase this alien round. In fact, everytime you catch as much as them, they simply fly off till the ultimate showdown. You know the way it goes.

It’s a easy story for a easy sport. The true worth of the narrative comes from character interactions, that are closely leaned on. Quick skits kick off continually. Typically when Hebe returns residence, after a boss, on the entrance to a brand new space, or each single time you purchase one thing from the merchandising machine, there’s a brief trade.

Surprisingly, just like the merchandising machine, this didn’t hassle me. Unsurprisingly, that is primarily as a result of a number of the interactions are entertaining. The characters themselves are weird, and so is the way in which they work together with their world. A few of it appears particularly fitted to a Japanese humorousness, however the English translation handles it moderately properly. The skits aren’t all the time worthwhile, however I by no means discovered their fixed interruptions to be unwelcome.

The principle concern with Ufouria: The Saga 2 is its simplicity. Its puzzles, development, and even platforming all lack even a whiff of complexity. I’d say that it seems like an NES sport constructed for the trendy day, however even vanilla Ufouria gave you extra to chew on.

If there’s one standout addition, it’s that the characters converse throughout traversal. Each as soon as and some time, you’ll get a notification that somebody in your pocket has discovered one thing. When you press a button fast sufficient, they’ll come out and offer you a coin or a coil of poop. The prompts are simple to overlook, however the rewards are additionally not usually essential. It’s largely simply taste that can assist you do not forget that it’s a group of characters, moderately than only one hero.

It’s simply so damned pleasant. There’s little or no resistance. Perhaps Sunsoft has a youthful viewers in thoughts, however I believed children as of late simply play Fortnite.

Regardless, it winds up working properly. The aesthetic has a crafted look about it, with the characters and backgrounds having a needle-felted look with stray strands of fiber poking out in all instructions. The soundtrack is chirpy and cute, and the enemies have a vacuous goofiness to them. It’s cute with out being as vapid as a number of the cartoons aimed toward youthful kids as of late.

It additionally does some nice callbacks and even references the regional adjustments made within the European model of Ufouria on NES, with Bop-Louie making a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo. It exhibits a number of reverence for the sequence as a complete. I couldn’t discover any crossover between the developer (Tasto Alpha) and the group behind the unique, but it surely’s arduous to inform. They definitely made it their very own.

And that’s typically the Ufouria: The Saga 2 vibe. No matter how you’re feeling concerning the lack of problem and the simplicity of the design, there aren’t actually any noticeable minimize corners. It appears to know precisely what it’s. It’s a brief (3-5 hours) jaunt via a lovingly created resurrection of an previous franchise with a number of untapped potential. It’s perhaps not going to set your world on fireplace, however in case you have any affection for Hebereke, then it’s a worthwhile tribute. Even in case you don’t have the prior familiarity, its ease, tempo, and quirks imply that it is going to be, on the very least, a snug expertise.

To place it extra poetically, Ufouria: The Saga 2 won’t be a sport to your mind, but it surely’s one to your coronary heart.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}