Ufouria: The Saga 2 Review (Switch)

The Ufouria series (or Hebereke in Japan) has a surprisingly long history for a game franchise most people haven’t heard of. Back in the early 90’s, Hebereke was Sunsoft’s answer to the Mario or Sonic series, and the first game released on the Famicom and NES in 1991 and 1992 respectively. The original game has gained a cult following since then, and interestingly, every single other game in the Hebereke series has not been a platformer like the original. Many of the games have been puzzle games, another was a fighting game, and another was a racing game.

None of the games after the original were localized outside Japan. That is until now, with the release of Ufouria: The Saga 2 (Hebereke 2), which goes back to the original’s platforming Metroidvania roots. Ufouria: The Saga 2 released on February 29 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox Series X|S. It’s a cute, easy, and short game. But, the style can be described as an acquired taste.

Ufouria: Saga 2 is a pretty game in the style of Yoshi’s Island on the SNES. The title screen goes straight to gameplay when you hit the A button. It’s straight into the action and you’re immediately greeted by pleasant 2D platforming surroundings. The main — and primary — character that you’ll control is a small white penguin named Hebe. He’s small and cute and It’s clear that this game is aimed at younger kids. This is reflected in the design of the characters, as well as in the dialogue. There isn’t much world-building and I didn’t really understand or appreciate what the dialogue between the characters was all about.

The in-game text can be too small to read if you are sat at a medium distance away from the TV. I found this took me out of the experience as I found it harder to properly follow the story. There are various sections to the game world, and each is uniquely themed. This gives the game variety in its environments which makes things less boring. The game isn’t too exciting. Its coin collection is the most fun part of the experience, while many of the puzzles fall flat, the platforming controls are floaty, and the abilities that you can buy from the vending machines you often won’t need.

The game could be compared to Kirby in its general feel, and it would be a chilled experience if it wasn’t for the horrible sound design.

The movement in Ufouria isn’t precise, it’s floaty in a similar way to the 2D Kirby games and this can make movement less accurate. The main attack move is a downward thrust performed by pressing down and B. Hebe and the other characters also have access to throwing some blue goo at their enemies. This is a secondary attack and it can also be used to solve puzzles. The problem is that the moves are slow, the enemies don’t react in any appealing way, and generally, there is a weird vibe to the game.

World-building is quite odd and it could even be described as gross and disgusting. There’s a lot of goo spread on in-game items that looks like excrement. It’s just not an attractive element of the environment. If you don’t know what I mean by this criticism, I suggest that you play the game, and maybe you’ll pick up on what I mean. It’s difficult to articulate my dislike for this game because at first sight, it looks quite cute and fun. The issue is that the atmosphere is strange, it’s an acquired taste I guess. The most fun I had, was maybe a couple of the boss battles and the coin collecting. Generally, the gameplay is just slow and weird. When you integrate the music into the concoction, you get an irritating mess. Maybe, if you like the Kirby games, you’ll have an appreciation for Ufouria, but for me, it’s slow, boring, and not appealing in any sense.

To give Ufouria: Saga 2 credit, the game runs smoothly, I didn’t notice any drops in frame rate, and the game never froze on me. To add to the positives, the aesthetic looks quite nice, definitely like something out of a Yoshi game (it’s kind of reminiscent of Yoshi’s Woolly World on 3DS and Wii U). There is some decent enemy variety, with new types of enemies being introduced as you progress into new areas, but the areas look like palette swaps, with each area using the same boring platforms. Overall, the sound design was quite horrible, and most of the soundtrack was actually annoying to listen to.

Overall, the basic Metroidvania (via Final Weapon) progression in Ufouria: Saga 2 is done quite well. There is a sense of satisfaction upon reaching new areas. There is also some fun to be had in coin collecting, and defeating enemies can be satisfying. However, the game is held back by an annoying soundtrack, boring gameplay, and odd atmosphere and world building.

It’s not that Ufouria: The Saga 2 is a particularly bad game. It’s just that it’s not really much fun, and the gameplay is slow and floaty. I’m sure, that a lot of people will appreciate the game more than I did, particularly if you like slower platformers like Kirby. I think that the game won’t be easily appreciated by western audiences, and that Japanese audiences will understand it more. It is a decent platformer that could be described as an acquired taste.

Ufouria: The Saga 2 is available now on the Nintendo Switch, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. You can buy it on the Nintendo eShop.