Ultra Age

Ultra Age is an indie hack-and-slash action game developed by a small team, drawing clear inspiration from titles like Nier Automata, Devil May Cry, and Bayonetta. Players appreciate its fast-paced and fluid combat mechanics, weapon-switching combos, and a dodge system that feels natural and responsive. The game features a variety of bosses, each unique and challenging, with a combat style that encourages strategic weapon use based on enemy types. However, the game is relatively short, averaging around 6 hours to complete, and lacks post-game content or new game plus modes.

Despite its solid foundation, Ultra Age exhibits several rough edges such as clunky camera angles, repetitive level design, and a somewhat lackluster story with weak voice acting. The weapon durability and time manipulation mechanics are underutilized or feel gimmicky. Some players found the enemy variety limited, with most combat revolving around two primary weapon types due to enemy weaknesses. Nevertheless, the game offers a satisfying experience for fans of the genre, especially at a discounted price point.

Highlights

Players praise Ultra Age's engaging and satisfying combat system, highlighting the fluidity of combos and the innovative weapon-switching mechanic that adds depth to battles. The dodge and parry mechanics are noted as intuitive, contributing to a fast-paced gameplay flow. Boss fights stand out for their uniqueness and challenge, providing memorable encounters. Graphically, the game performs well with solid visuals and smooth animations for an indie title. The soundtrack, while not exceptional, complements combat sequences effectively. Fans of DMC and Nier Automata find familiar elements skillfully blended, making Ultra Age a worthy addition to the action genre.

Criticisms

Common criticisms focus on the game's camera issues and level design, with the camera often being too close or awkwardly angled, hampering visibility during combat. The story is described as bland and poorly paced, with characters lacking depth and the narrative feeling uninspired. Weapon variety is limited, as players tend to rely mainly on two weapons due to enemy damage type weaknesses, reducing combat diversity. The durability system and time manipulation mechanics are viewed as unnecessary or poorly integrated. Additionally, the randomized maze sections before bosses and scarce checkpoints lead to frustrating backtracking, artificially padding game length. Some also note repetitive enemy types and unbalanced difficulty spikes.