When UFO 50, the dizzyingly ambitious fictional game compendium from the creator of Spelunky, landed on PC last year, a Switch port felt inevitable. We’ve had to wait nearly 12 months for that to happen, but it’s finally here.
Rudely shadow-dropped into a sizzle reel at the end of Nintendo’s (otherwise largely underwhelming) Indie World showcase this morning, UFO 50 is available on Switch (and presumably Switch 2, barring any strange compatibility issues) for $25 right now. For those who missed it on PC, you’re getting a wildly varied set of retro-styled games belonging to a console that never existed, all designed by a made-up developer called UFO Soft from the 80s. Confused?
The high concept fictional premise is basically just a good excuse for the six modern-day indie developers actually responsible for the game to pay tribute to the 8- and 16-bit games they remember so fondly. The included games span just about every genre of the era, from platformers and puzzle games, to turn-based strategy, pure arcade titles and bafflingly fully-fledged RPGs. UFO 50 really is a remarkable achievement, and the Switch is the perfect platform for it.
The end of the game’s PC exclusivity could mean that Xbox and PlayStation ports will also arrive at some point, but it arrives on Switch as a console exclusive for now at least.