We love all sorts of games. Sometimes it is hard to cover a game in our traditional review style, which is why we have tidbit-style reviews. These shorter reviews cover games that deserve attention too, but simply don’t fit our good, mixed, and bad template. In addition, they get a monthly summary article to give them even more reader attention!
UFOPHILIA | 54%
Publisher | JanduSoft
Developer | K148 Game Studio
I’m sure many people have heard about a well-known title which revolves around hunting ghosts. Well, now it’s time to change things up and search for alien lifeforms in UFOPHILIA. Using the provided technical equipment, you must go it alone to find out which alien is currently taking up residence in the isolated home, find what room it’s in, take four pictures of said creature, and avoid being abducted for a successful mission. Now, although this may sound easy, it does require getting to grips with everything and becoming familiar with each alien’s traits to nail the gameplay. Developed by K148 Game Studio and published by JanduSoft, UFOPHILIA has a solid concept but can be a little difficult for the first few hours.
Firstly, the audio is immersive and kept me on my toes. The ‘events’ and sound effects heard throughout the search are terrifying, to the point where I had to keep leaving the house to have a breather. The visuals, which match the creepy atmosphere, are decent. The lighting ambience is great, allowing you to use your flashlight and house lighting, but this can be taken away at a moment’s notice, leaving you quite literally in the dark. The tutorial isn’t the best and could use some improvements to help players learn how to use the equipment before diving headfirst into the main game, since there was a lot to process. Yes, the laptop tells you how everything works, but it doesn’t let you test anything in a tutorial setting. As for working out the alien species and what was needed for the photographic evidence, this came naturally once I had a better understanding of what information the equipment was relaying to me.
The laptop is incredibly important and provides access to many resources: alien types/traits, different mission locations, equipment/game explanations, upgrades, photos of aliens you have successfully captured in your current mission, equipment readings, and the ability to initiate phase 4. Phase 4 is essential for capturing photos of the aliens and should only be activated once you have determined the type of alien and which room it’s in. It will bring the alien out of hiding, but this is also where things get dangerous and tricky. I found taking four successful photos while successfully avoiding abduction to be incredibly hard. Should I run or should I hide? I think this comes down to the alien species you encounter. There is also no narrative; just get the photos and book it to safety!
Overall, UFOPHILIA plays well for the most part and has many similarities to Phasmophobia in its mechanics. However, it could use some additional polish in places, the addition of multiplayer would be welcomed, and a friendlier tutorial area which allows you to learn the equipment would make the learning curve a little easier.
Hello, I’m Victoria. I’m from the UK and have been playing video games for as long as I can remember; back on DreamCast. I’ve pretty much fallen for Xbox since I was around eight years old and remember BioShock being my first game on the Xbox360. Although I find it thoroughly enjoyable to not only experience gameplay, I also find comfort in getting lost and engrossed in the online worlds that sometimes differ greatly from what we know. Another side of my Xbox passion would be achievement hunting and gamerscore. I thrive when I hear the little sound of one popping up on the screen and I’m always finding ways to work on my backlog when possible. Horror is my favourite genre so if you have any recommendations, don’t be afraid to send them my way!
