UFO 50

UFO 50
Developers	Mossmouth, LLC
Publisher	Mossmouth, LLC
Designers	Derek Yu Jon Perry Eirik Suhrke Paul Hubans Tyriq Plummer Ojiro Fumoto
Composer	Eirik Suhrke
Engine	GameMaker Studio
Platform	Windows Nintendo Switch
Release	Windows September 18, 2024 Nintendo Switch August 7, 2025
Genre	Various
Modes	Single-player, multiplayer

UFO 50 is a video game collection developed and published by Mossmouth for Windows in September 2024 and for Nintendo Switch in August 2025. It features 50 unique games of varying genres and length.^[1] The games were a collaborative effort by six developers over the course of several years, its development akin to a game jam.

UFO 50 was critically acclaimed, and was the highest rated PC-exclusive of 2024 on Metacritic. Critics applauded the amount of variety, experimentation, and consistent quality that the collection provided, although some wished specific entries were expanded as their own separate releases. It won Best Indie Game at the New York Game Awards and received several nominations for the category at various award ceremonies.

UFO 50 is presented as a compilation of games similar to Cassette 50 and Action 52, developed by the fictional company UFO Soft for the fictional LX-I, LX-II, and LX-III series of video game consoles between 1982 and 1989.^[2] Half of the games feature a two-player mode, either versus or co-op. The main 50 games are playable from the start,^[3][4][5] with the hidden 51st game, Miasma Tower, accessible via inputting commands in the in-game terminal.

The order in which the games are presented is intended to show the history of UFO Soft's development slate, with some games having sequels, and others featuring cameos from previously released games.^[3][4][5][6] Each game also features short development notes informing their fictional creation.^[2]

The games belong to genres including shoot 'em up, platformer, and role-playing, each with a twist. The games vary in length and scope, with some being described as "shorter, arcade-style experiences", while others "have narratives and expansive worlds to explore", with one (Grimstone) estimated to take upwards of 60 hours to complete fully.^{[7][8][9][10]}

When a game is completed for the first time, its border on the game selection screen will change from blue to gold. A more challenging win condition is also revealed, which grants a red border upon completion (referred to as "Cherries" in-game). Each game additionally includes a unique gift that will appear on the garden screen when certain requirements are met.

(For a complete list of games, please see below)

Barbuta (01), the first game in the collection, is a puzzle platformer where the player explores a castle, with the ultimate goal to "liberate the castle". There are items and money scattered throughout the environment which the player can collect. The items affect the game in various ways.

Like many games in UFO 50 that were directed by Eirik Suhrke in real life, Barbuta is credited to the fictional developer Thorson Petter.

Magic Garden (05) has the player collect so-called "oppies", small characters that resemble jelly, and "saving" them by delivering them to a collection area. Upon collection, the oppies follow the player character in a tail that lengthens in a manner reminiscent of the classic game Snake. The player will lose the game if they run into this tail. However, unlike Snake, the oppies are removed when they are saved.

Bad oppies also spawn onto the map at a steady rate. These bad oppies cause the player to lose the game if the player runs into them. Friendly oppies will turn into bad oppies if they are not in the collection area when the player tries to save them. These enemy oppies can be removed by drinking a potion, which puts them into a vulnerable state for a limited time, during which the oppies are removed when the player touches them.

The game is won when 200 oppies are saved.

Mortol (06) is a platforming game where the player can sacrifice their current character to improve the state of the game. The player starts with 20 lives, and a limited amount of extra lives can be collected in each level. Because the game continues from one life to the next, terrain that is destroyed or created in a previous life (including the bodies of the previous lives) can impact the gameplay during a current life. In this way, it is often necessary to sacrifice many lives in order to complete a level. The player may sacrifice their character using three different "rituals" - blowing up; flying horizontally across the screen (leaving a platform where the character contacts a wall), or turning into a cube of stone.

Mortol has a sequel in the collection, Mortol II. (These two games were conceived of separately at the start of UFO 50's development by Jon Perry and Derek Yu, respectively, and were made into one series with common theming and story elements during development due to their shared mechanics. Fictionally, Benedikt Chun originally had the idea for Mortol, but Gerry Smolski directed the game because Chun was preoccupied at the time. Mortol II was Chun's chance to make the game in a manner more true to his original vision.)

Velgress (07) is a fast-paced platforming game where terrain crumbles away a short time after the player first stands on it. The player must climb 30 stories to complete each level, and a grinder rises as the player goes up, destroying any terrain, and killing the player if they fall into it. The grinder is the only way the player can lose the game, but various obstacles can stun the player and remove the player's ability to control their character, making it likely that the player will fall into the grinder.

Velgress is the first game to feature Alpha, a recurring character in UFO 50, who also is the player character in the later game Overbold (34).

Attactics (09) is a turn-based strategy game, with each turn happening at the end of a fast-paced timer. Because the timer is so short, the player must think quickly, and often does not have enough time to input all their desired actions for any given turn. The game takes place on a 8-by-5 grid, with each side's army generating units on one edge of the grid (represented by a castle wall that spans all 5 rows). Each turn, every unit moves forward, and deals damage to any enemy units in front of it. When a unit reaches the other side of the grid, it removes a flag on the castle wall, and the player wins when all their opponent's flags get removed.

Grunts become immune to melee damage when they are in an unbroken vertical line of 3 with units from their own side. Archers shoot arrows forwards at an unlimited range. Shieldmen block arrows and take extra hits to kill. Cavalry move 2 squares forwards each turn instead of just one. Spearmen attack two squares in front of them (and can deal damage this way to more than one unit, and can also attack through their own allied units). Assassins throw (ranged) daggers vertically in addition to a normal forwards melee attack. Sappers explode in a 2x3 rectangle (with their own square, those immediately above and below, and the 3 squares in front of them, but not behind), dealing a large amount of damage to any unit in the explosion. Heroes attack two squares in front (similar to spearmen), start out "promoted" always attacking twice per turn, and take extra hits to kill. (Other units become "promoted" after killing one enemy unit).

Attactics is the first game that was developed for UFO 50.

Devilition (10) is a puzzle game where the player must defeat hordes of invading demons by placing bombs and detonating them in a chain reaction. Different types of bombs have a distinctive geometric pattern in which they explode, so they must be placed strategically in relation to the demons and the other bombs in order to create the most effective chain reactions. Friendly townspeople also spawn on the board, and the player must avoid hurting them. If the number of townspeople is ever less than the number of demons after a round, then the player loses the game.

Devilition is a remake of Derek Yu and Jon Perry's 1999 game Diabolika.

Mooncat (13) is described in UFO 50 as being conceived of as a spiritual successor to Barbuta, sharing the same developer both fictionally (Thorson Petter) and in real life (Eirik Suhrke). Mooncat, a platforming game, is noted for its non-standard and counterintuitive controls.

Camouflage (16) sees the player controlling a lizard with the ability to change its color to hide in its surroundings. There are predators such as frogs, gators, and birds, which will eat the lizard if they can see it. Because the lizard cannot change its color and move at the same time, the player must carefully plan out the route to take in order to get to the end of the level, and optionally collect fruits and a baby lizard along the way. The overworld (level selection screen) has branching paths, so there are multiple ways to get to the final level and beat the game. This game's cherry is earned upon attaining 100% completion (collecting all fruits and baby lizards in all levels).

In Campanella (17), the player controls the eponymous space ship Campanella to get through a series of levels with various obstacles. Horizontal movement is controlled by the d-pad / arrows, while vertical movement is managed by a thruster, controlled by one of the buttons. Inertia plays an important role in the Campanella's movement and control. Using the thruster to gain vertical momentum costs fuel, which runs out fairly quickly.

The space ship Campanella is the titular UFO that the UFO 50 collection, as well as the fictional UFO Soft, gets its name from. The Campanella is featured as the spawn point for the character Pilot in the games Planet Zoldath and Pilot Quest. Campanella also has two direct sequels, Campanella 2 and Campanella 3, as well as a spin-off, The Big Bell Race. The Campanella is also featured to a lesser degree in other UFO 50 titles.

Campanella and its sequels (but not the Zoldath games) are among the games in UFO 50 that are fictionally directed by Thorson Petter, and in real life were directed by Eirik Suhrke.

Golfaria (18) is an open-world adventure game comparable to The Legend of Zelda, but with the twist that the player character is a golf ball, and is controlled similarly to other golf games. This aesthetic is reinforced by the player only being able to hit the ball a limited number of times before running out of strokes and having to start from the previous checkpoint.

The Big Bell Race (19) is a multiplayer racing game, featuring the same physics, controls, and engine as Campanella (and Campanella 2). The game takes place on a series of race tracks, which the player must complete a loop around multiple times. The player aims to complete each race faster than the other racers. The game is won if the player comes in first place in the tournament consisting of a race around each race track. The game's cherry condition is satisfied if the player wins first place in each race in the tournament.

In Warptank (20) the player controls a tank with the ability to warp to stand on whatever surface is opposite it. For example, the Warptank can warp from standing on the floor to "standing" on the ceiling; or go from being on one wall to being on the opposite wall. Using this maneuver, as well as side-to-side movement, the player must successfully navigate the level to reach the end.

Warptank is one of several games in UFO 50 that are fictionally directed by Thorson Petter, and in real life were directed by Eirik Suhrke.

Porgy (22) is an underwater exploration game with a Metroidvania-like structure. Like many games in the Metroidvania genre, the player character, a submarine called Porgy, starts out very weak, with few powers, and a small fuel tank. This fuel tank determines how far the player can explore in each dive, as moving burns fuel. If Porgy takes damage from a creature, that will also reduce the amount of fuel in the tank. Porgy is refueled whenever it reaches one of two stations on the surface of the water.

The player will find fuel tanks as they explore the ocean, allowing them to explore further and deeper. In order to collect the fuel tanks, in addition to other collectible items, the player must not only reach the item in the ocean, but must successfully return to a station without running out of fuel. If Porgy does run out of fuel, whether due to traveling too far, or taking damage from creatures in the ocean, then the item will return to its original location, and must be retrieved again in order to collect it (once an item is successfully delivered to the station, then it will not be lost again).

A number of large creatures, called "roaming bosses" by the developers, roam the ocean. These can hinder the player's progress, but once defeated, they will not come back.

The player must delve into the deepest and darkest parts of the ocean in order to discover what is going wrong in the ocean, and win the game. By collecting all items and defeating all bosses, 100% completion may be achieved, getting the cherry for Porgy.

Party House (25) has the player manage a series of parties, and the list of guests invited to each party. As the player gains popularity, they can invite more and better guests to the party. Money can be used to buy a bigger house that can fit more guests. Most guests provide popularity and / or money to the player, but some also cause trouble. If 3 troublesome guests show up, without any way to mitigate that trouble, then the police arrive and end the party, and no popularity or money is scored for that round. The game ends after 25 nights. The player must invite special star guests, and have 4 stars in one party before time runs out, in order to win the game. In order to get this game's cherry, the player must win 5 randomized scenarios in a row without running out of time on any of them.

The design of Party House has been compared to deck building card games like Dominion.

Vainger (29) is a Metroidvania platformer game where the player can flip gravity upside-down.

Mortol II (32) is the sequel to Mortol. Unlike the original Mortol, players cannot gain extra lives. Also, Mortol II features a singular non-linear level, instead of multiple linear levels. See the entry for the original Mortol for information about the development history of the Mortol series.

Unlike the original Mortol, the player at the start of each life chooses between one of five character classes, each of which has only one way of being sacrificed (instead of the 3 in Mortol). The Warrior has a short-ranged attack, and turns to stone upon sacrifice. The Gunner has a long-range attack, and creates a permanent ammo refill when sacrificed. The Engineer has a moderate arced ranged attack, and can be sacrificed to create a downwards pipe. The Scout can double-jump in midair, has a medium-ranged attack, creates a portal from the starting location to where the Scout is sacrificed (there may only be one portal at a time, and making a second will remove the first). The Bomber blows itself up.

Campanella 2 (35) uses the same engine as the original Campanella, and controls in the same way for part of the game. The game actually features a different ship than the Campanella, known as the Big Belle, which is piloted by Isabell. Isabell's brother Pilot (the pilot of the Campanella) has gone missing, and Isabell must find him and free him. Campanella 2 distinguishes itself from Campanella 1 by allowing the Big Belle to land, allowing Isabell to exit the ship and explore on foot. There are two different on-foot modalities. Immediately after exiting the Big Belle, Isabell is rendered as a very small sprite, just a few pixels tall. In this modality Isabell is very fragile, dying immediately to any damage from enemies, or even from a fairly short fall. Upon entering a door, a more typical side-scrolling platforming modality is activated, and Isabell is rendered at a more normal size, and is less fragile.

Another manner in which Campanella 2 distinguishes itself from Campanella 1 is that instead of featuring fixed levels, the levels in Campanella 2 are randomly generated for each run, making Campanella 2 similar to Spelunky (which was designed by UFO 50's Derek Yu, and whose soundtrack was composed by the Campanella series' director, Eirik Suhrke).

Hyper Contender (36) is a fighting game with platformer elements, featuring a roster of 8 different characters which all control in different ways. Side-to-side movement is common to all characters, but instead of having a common jump movement, each character has a unique "Maneuver" ability which in some way or another allows the player to influence their vertical position. Each character also has a unique attack ability.

Both the platforming elements and the diverse roster of characters have drawn comparisons to the Super Smash Bros. franchise.

Grimstone (40) is one of the largest games in the UFO 50 collection, taking potentially as much as 60 hours to play through. Grimstone is an RPG with a western setting, including many references to the state of Texas. Lava flows through the world the way rivers and oceans might flow through a typical landscape. Religious themes are referenced and brought to life in the world of Grimstone, with devils and angels walking the earth, as well as stand-ins for the Judeo-Christian God (Biggan) and Satan (Malus).

Night Manor (42) is a point-and-click horror game. The game starts with the player character running into an obscure figure while driving home from a party (the party is implied to be from the game Party House). The player character blacks out, and wakes up locked in a room with several off-putting characteristics. The player must explore the house they are trapped in, and escape from a killer that attacks them. The back-story of what happened in the house previously is revealed through journal entries which the player finds throughout the game. Several corpses are scattered throughout the grounds. A series of four statues in the backyard stand in the back yard, with their mouths open "as if waiting to be fed". Each statue has a distinct inscription, forming the following poem when put together:

"On spring green fields the children play,

The red hot sun will warm the day,

When yellow leaves begin to fall,

The white wind comes to take them all."

Combatants (46) (also stylized as COMBAT ANTS: A Hill To Die On on the game's title screen, with "combat" and "ants" as two different words) is a strategy game where two colonies of ants fight against each other. The "history" tab in UFO 50's menu (which chronicles the fictional history of UFO Soft and the development of its games) says: "Mr. [Tao] Nemuru created the vision for this highly innovative strategy game!"

Despite sharing the same name as Campanella 1 and 2, Campanella 3 (49) has little in common with the previous games, and runs on a different engine. Campanella 3 is a pseudo-3D game, with obstacles appearing first in the distance, and getting closer as the Campanella flies closer to them. The Campanella can shoot both towards incoming obstacles, and well as sideways (up / down / left / right). All obstacles can be destroyed by shooting them, but can damage the Campanella if they reach the screen, and are in the same x-y position as the Campanella. Each level consists of 3 "waves" of obstacles, followed by a boss fight.

Cyber Owls (50) is the final game in the UFO 50 collection. The Cyber Owls are an elite team of 4 anthropomorphic owls, each with a distinct set of skills. Players must navigate a variety of levels, each tailored to the skills of one of the Cyber Owls. If a mission is failed, then that owl is captured, and a rescue mission must be completed in order to rescue that owl, and that owl's mission cannot be retried until they are rescued.

Within the game are references to the metagame and a secret storyline about the fictional game development studio UFOSoft.^[11] Miasma Tower itself is a game secretly developed by fictional developer Gregory Milk, which details the state of UFO Soft circa July 1989. In-universe, the UFO 50 collection is stated to be developed by Milk and never released officially, with the files found in an abandoned warehouse by the Mossmouth developers, as shown in the faux-cracktro of the game.

Director credits explicitly stated when directly sourced.^{[note 1]}

#	Name	Genre (as listed in-game)	Versus	Co-op	Fictional year of release	Directed by
1	Barbuta	Adventure, Platform	—N/a	—N/a	1982	Eirik Suhrke
2	Bug Hunter	Puzzle, Strategy		—N/a	1983	Jon Perry
3	Ninpek	Arcade, Platform	—N/a		1983	Eirik Suhrke
4	Paint Chase	Arcade		—N/a	1983	Jon Perry
5	Magic Garden	Arcade	—N/a	—N/a	1984	Main Director: Derek Yu Additional Support: Jon Perry, Tyriq Plummer
6	Mortol	Platform, Puzzle	—N/a		1984	Main Director: Jon Perry[13] Additional Support: Paul Hubans
7	Velgress	Arcade, Platform	—N/a	—N/a	1984	Derek Yu
8	Planet Zoldath	Adventure	—N/a	—N/a	1984	Jon Perry
9	Attactics	Arcade, Strategy		—N/a	1984	Derek Yu,[12] Jon Perry[12]
10	Devilition[note 2]	Puzzle, Strategy	—N/a	—N/a	1984	Derek Yu,[14] Jon Perry[14]
11	Kick Club	Arcade, Platform	—N/a		1984	Derek Yu
12	Avianos	Strategy		—N/a	1985	Jon Perry[15]
13	Mooncat[note 3]	Platform	—N/a		1985	Main Director: Eirik Suhrke[17] Additional Support: Ojiro Fumoto[17]
14	Bushido Ball	Sport			1985	Derek Yu, Tyriq Plummer,[18] Jon Perry, Paul Hubans
15	Block Koala	Puzzle	—N/a	—N/a	1985	Derek Yu, Paul Hubans
16	Camouflage	Puzzle	—N/a	—N/a	1985	Jon Perry
17	Campanella	Arcade	—N/a	—N/a	1985	Main Director: Eirik Suhrke[17] Additional Support: Ojiro Fumoto[17]
18	Golfaria	Adventure	—N/a	—N/a	1985	Main Directors: Derek Yu,[19] Tyriq Plummer[19] Additional Support: Paul Hubans
19	The Big Bell Race	Sport	—N/a		1985	Eirik Suhrke[18]
20	Warptank	Adventure, Puzzle	—N/a	—N/a	1985	Eirik Suhrke[18]
21	Waldorf's Journey	Arcade, Platform		—N/a	1986	Jon Perry
22	Porgy	Adventure, Shooter	—N/a	—N/a	1986	Derek Yu, Tyriq Plummer[18]
23	Onion Delivery	Arcade	—N/a	—N/a	1986	Main Director: Eirik Suhrke[19] Additional Support: Paul Hubans,[19] Tyriq Plummer[18]
24	Caramel Caramel	Arcade, Shooter	—N/a		1986	Eirik Suhrke
25	Party House	Strategy		—N/a	1986	Jon Perry[13]
26	Hot Foot	Sport			1986	Jon Perry
27	Divers	RPG	—N/a	—N/a	1986	Eirik Suhrke[18]
28	Rail Heist	Platform, Strategy		—N/a	1987	Main Director: Jon Perry[13] Additional Support: Paul Hubans
29	Vainger	Adventure, Platform	—N/a	—N/a	1987	Derek Yu, Tyriq Plummer[18]
30	Rock On! Island	Strategy	—N/a	—N/a	1987	Derek Yu, Paul Hubans
31	Pingolf	Sport		—N/a	1987	Eirik Suhrke
32	Mortol II	Adventure, Platform	—N/a		1987	Derek Yu[20]
33	Fist Hell	Arcade	—N/a		1987	Derek Yu[18]
34	Overbold	Arcade, Shooter		—N/a	1987	Jon Perry
35	Campanella 2	Adventure	—N/a	—N/a	1987	Eirik Suhrke[18]
36	Hyper Contender	Platform, Sport		—N/a	1988	Jon Perry
37	Valbrace	Adventure, RPG	—N/a	—N/a	1988	Main Directors: Tyriq Plummer,[18][21] Derek Yu[18] Additional Support: Paul Hubans
38	Rakshasa	Platform	—N/a	—N/a	1988	Director: Eirik Suhrke[22]
39	Star Waspir	Arcade, Shooter	—N/a	—N/a	1988	Derek Yu
40	Grimstone	RPG	—N/a	—N/a	1988	Main Director: Derek Yu[18] Additional Support: Paul Hubans
41	Lords of Diskonia	Strategy		—N/a	1988	Jon Perry
42	Night Manor	Adventure, Puzzle	—N/a	—N/a	1988	Main Director: Paul Hubans[21] Additional Support: Derek Yu
43	Elfazar's Hat	Arcade, Shooter	—N/a		1988	Eirik Suhrke
44	Pilot Quest	Adventure	—N/a	—N/a	1988	Main Director: Derek Yu,[20] Additional Support: Jon Perry[20]
45	Mini & Max	Adventure, Platform	—N/a	—N/a	1989	Main Director: Jon Perry[15] Additional Support: Paul Hubans
46	Combatants	Strategy		—N/a	1989	Derek Yu
47	Quibble Race[note 4]	Strategy, Simulation		—N/a	1989	Derek Yu,[14] Jon Perry[14]
48	Seaside Drive	Arcade, Shooter	—N/a		1989	Ojiro Fumoto[17]
49	Campanella 3	Arcade, Shooter	—N/a	—N/a	1989	Eirik Suhrke[18]
50	Cyber Owls	Platform, Shooter, Strategy	—N/a	—N/a	1989	Derek Yu, Paul Hubans, Tyriq Plummer[18]
51	Miasma Tower[note 5]	—N/a	—N/a	—N/a	1990	Unknown

Derek Yu and Jon Perry had previously developed a number of freeware games together using Klik & Play under the name Blackeye Software, with notable titles being Trigger Happy, Diabolika (remade in UFO 50 as Devilition) and Eternal Daughter. In 2016, the two decided to work together again on a project, making smaller scale prototypes for ideas.^[21] These prototypes eventually spiraled into the concept for UFO 50: a large collection of small games. The idea to create a collection came from Yu's belief that these concepts for games, if expanded, would not perform well enough as standalone releases in the current marketplace.^[2]

The first game in the collection to start development was Attactics, which was fully developed by Yu and Perry alone as a re-introduction into working together.^[12] Soon after, Eirik Suhrke was invited to join as both composer and designer, and the three started to brainstorm games on a private forum, with a majority of these concepts making their way into the final game. The number of games advertised in the collection (50) was chosen by Yu because "it was the first number I could think of that was completely undeniable... that would advertise itself with its own existence."^[23] Three additional developers joined at various parts of development: Ojiro Fumoto, who previously developed Downwell, spent a half-year on the team and directed Seaside Drive; Paul Hubans, who previously developed Madhouse, serving as the lead director for Night Manor; and Tyriq Plummer, who previously developed Catacomb Kids, co-directing several of the collection's largest games including Valbrace.^[24] Every member of the team contributed design, writing, artwork, and programming to UFO 50, and provided work on the other's games.^[21]

UFO 50 was developed in GameMaker. It was officially announced in 2017 and expected to launch in 2018. However, due to complications with development, the game received a number of delays.^[25] These complications included rewriting older parts of the game's "prehistoric" code (as described by Yu)^[24] and the simultaneous development of Spelunky 2 in 2020, causing Suhrke and Yu stepping away from the UFO 50 project entirely until Spelunky 2 was released.^[21][25] One result of these complications led to at least one game being scrapped entirely during development.^{[note 6]} After eight years of development (and six years after the expected release date), the game released on September 18, 2024.^[26][27]

Every game in the collection imposes restrictions which could be found in games released during the era. These include using only a 32-color palette across each game, having a limited number of colors per sprite and having a set number of sound channels. Slowdown and sprite flickering, however, were not included as Yu believed that it would hinder the experience.^[5] A number of games across the collection reuse sound, assets and code. For instance, some of the Campanella games are stated to have been made in the same engine.^[18] Suhrke intentionally chose to not use NES-inspired sounds typically featured in other retro-inspired indie games, instead opting to use wavetable synthesis more similar to the TurboGrafx-16. Suhrke is UFO 50's sole composer and sound designer.^[28]

UFO 50 was revealed in 2017 on the Mossmouth YouTube channel, and was slated to be released the following year.^[25] An early version of UFO 50 was showcased during 2017's Pax West game convention,^[29] as well as the following year's Pax West.^[30] It was one of the games featured at Summer Game Fest's Day of the Devs livestream, where its final release date was announced to be September 18, 2024.^[31] It was released on Nintendo Switch on August 7, 2025, just after it was unveiled at the Indie World showcase that same day.^[32] A physical Nintendo Switch version will be released on February 20, 2026 by Fangamer.^[33]

UFO 50 received "universal acclaim" according to the review aggregator website Metacritic, with an average score of 91^[34] making it the highest-rated PC exclusive of 2024.^[47] 100% of critics recommended the game according to OpenCritic.^[36] Many reviewers chose not to give traditional scores due to its nature of being a collection of 50 individual games.^{[37][45][48][49][50]} DigitalTrends alternatively chose to score all 50 individually in their review.^[38]

Most reviewers lauded UFO 50's variety, value, and experimentation. Eurogamer's Christian Donlan extensively praised the experimentation and variation of games in the collection, calling it a "dazzling piece of creative audacity".^[40] Simon Parkin of The Guardian described the collection as "a preposterously ambitious undertaking".^[41] Edge wrote that when one game "holds your undivided attention for an extended span, it must be something special indeed, and of those, UFO 50 has more than its fair share".^[39] The New York Times compared UFO 50 to "an ingeniously retro advent calendar"^[51] while Metro's GameCentral specifically praised that the games advertised were "not WarioWare or anything like it", being "50 fully formed games".^[52] Polygon's Grayson Morley lauded the metafiction linking the games of the collection chronologically, highlighting the evolution of "brutal" mechanics found in Barbuta to the life-based mechanics found later in Mortol and Mortol II, in addition to the "UFO Soft" narrative.^[45]

In contrast, PC Gamer's Kerry Brunskill remarked that they would have rather seen some games in the collection "stand on their own merits" as standalone releases, with others being "a little too retro for their own good".^[44] Digital Trends' Giovanni Colantonio praised the game for its experimentation, but admitted there were "a handful of duds in the batch".^[38] The A. V. Club's William Hughes recommended the collection, remarking that "there are extremely good games in here, some worth more than the asking price" but "many games in the collection feel torn between their desire to stay retro-hard and being genuinely fun".^[37]

Games in UFO 50 that were singled out by multiple reviewers as being exceptional include Mortol,^{[37][38][42][49]} Party House,^{[38][40][41][42]} Rail Heist,^[40][41][50] Night Manor,^{[40][41][44][52][53]} and Mini & Max.^[38][44][52]

• Official website