It’s easy to appreciate the Unreal 4 Engine. It’s a cinch to use, works great with a large variety of game types, and is very well-rounded. But so many of the games made in it look extremely similar, especially when it comes to the lower-budget side of things. Ultra Age certainly falls into the category of a lower-budget title, and it looks a hell of a lot like many other Unreal 4 games. But it does have some tricks up its sleeve, as well as some solid combat mechanics that may or not remind you of NieR: Automata. But the question stands: is Ultra Age worth it?
So to start, the title. Why Ultra Age, you ask? Well, the main character’s name is Age. “But that isn’t a name,” you may be thinking. You’re right. It absolutely isn’t. Age is an extraordinarily bland young swordsman who works for some kind of company or something. He, along with a robot named Helvis that’s set to stop functioning in a week, is on some kind of future Earth overrun by hacked robots and generic wolf monsters. Age and Helvis are sent to retrieve a powerful relic, but they’re attacked by an anime woman in a skimpy outfit, requiring Helvis to jump ship to the relic.
There’s a whole lot of talking in Ultra Age, and the plot is exactly as dull as it sounds. I mostly skipped past it as soon as I read a line, because the writing is so perfunctory I absolutely can’t stand to spend any additional time reading it. The game has fully-voiced dialogue in both Japanese and English but its presentation is so lifeless and bland that those with narcolepsy should be wary. The game isn’t necessarily ugly, but everything looks like plastic (a common Unreal 4 problem) in addition to all the painfully standard character designs.
Not even close to a Static Age
You’ll guide Age through some of the most generic locales gaming has to offer. Forest, sci-fi research facility, train station, whatever. The areas let you roam freely, though, so you can explore off the beaten path if you wish. Defeating enemies grants you currency you can use to upgrade Age’s and Helvis’s abilities, plus you’ll find components that can improve other aspects. One interesting thing is that Age’s sword breaks early on, so he uses crystal formations to create more sword types. They break quickly, but you can stockpile a bunch of them and swap between them on the fly.
The combat, as I stated earlier, feels almost exactly like NieR: Automata‘s, although it’s not as smooth or flashy. It’s pretty close, though, making the game entertaining enough, save for how hard it is to see all your enemies at once. Ultra Age is fond of making you fight a bunch of enemies at a time, so prepare to get hit in the back. The game’s weapons are mostly really samey (regular sword, katana, big sword, slightly faster electric sword) and there’s not much enemy variety (I hope you like fighting crystal wolves and robots).
Ultra Age is solid despite how repetitive and bland it is, though. If you can get past the extreme cheapness of the visuals, at least. The combat is smooth and responsive and it’s decently fun to smash through robot hordes and upgrade your abilities. This won’t blow anybody’s lid off, but it is a solid 3D action game. Is Ultra Age worth it? If you’re itching for a 3D action game that’s decently fun, then I’d say so. Just don’t be surprised when you catch yourself blowing past all of the dialogue.
