ULTIONUS A TALE OF PETTY REVENGE COVER HOW TO
ULTIONUS A TALE OF PETTY REVENGE COVER UPGRADE

There are a few useless defense power-ups (that I could never figure out how to use), but the weapon power-ups will always be welcome and useful. You only get to pick one, and you only get to choose from the two items the shop is currently showing so there’s not much choice involved, but if you’re gaining a power-up at all you’re already doing well. These power-ups are doled out as an either/or when you come to a shop, as the shop just gives you the choice between a defense or offense power-up and then disappears. You can increase your firing rate, make your bullets split on impact, or split your shot into multiple directions each time you fire. If you do, there will be a shop where you can buy either an offensive or defensive item, although the offensive items seemed to be where your money is best spent. You build up a score as you kill enemies, one that might just seem like a throwback to old games unless you find one of the game’s secret areas.

ULTIONUS A TALE OF PETTY REVENGE COVER UPGRADE

You can upgrade your gun if you find yourself getting annoyed at the firing rate. I can’t imagine how hard this game could be at high speeds. It’s very involved, and because of that it’s very engaging despite being a little pokey. It was enjoyable, resulting in many panicked jumps, weaving through the air while taking shots at your enemies. In Ultionus, you’re given the same waves, but have to do some careful maneuvering and shooting to survive them. While I do love Contra, the game does use waves or worthless enemies all the time while hoping you make a mistake. This made even basic enemies worth noticing and developing strategies for them rather than just walking and shooting. It also means that you can’t overwhelm areas of the game or bosses just by shooting as fast as the game will allow you have to be careful instead. I liked the precision of it all, because while I enjoy filling screens with gunfire for no reason, there was something fulfilling about nailing an enemy in mid-air with a single, well-timed shot.

This is necessary as you can’t fire your gun all that quickly either, so you really have to pick and choose your shots based on the game’s pacing. That speed isn’t unfair, as enemies move at an appropriate pace along with you. It was a different type of fun than what I was expecting and it made the first few stages a little uncomfortable as I learned to move and jump in what felt like zero gravity. It took a little bit of getting used to, but it grew on me as I came to realize that the game was more about taking precise shots and dodging around enemies than in twitch gunplay. Things felt a little weird at first when I played the side-scrolling levels, as Serena S (your character) moves a bit slow for what I thought was going to be a fast-paced shooter. It’s split up between shmup and side-scrolling shooter levels, although there’s way more of the latter than the former. Ultionus is all about blasting things in one way or another. Do you play the better person and ignore them, or do you hop right back in your ship, blast your way to their home planet, destroy every single living thing in your path until you find yourself in front of the commenter, and then deliver a single, vicious kick to the balls? I know which one I wanted to do, and Ultionus: A Tale of Petty Revenge let me do it. Well, the likes and congratulatory posts start rolling in, but then someone tells you that you should get back in the kitchen.

It’s gonna be way more interesting than someone posting selfies from their vacation for the hundredth time or recipes for vegan blood pudding or something. You just beat hordes of dangerous aliens, after all. You get home, kick your feet up, and sign into your favorite social media site, making a post about it. Picture this: You’ve a laser-gun toting, spaceship-flying gal who just saved the galaxy from a powerful threat. Ultionus: A Tale of Petty Revenge is always exciting due to ever-shifting and always entertaining environments, enemies, bosses, and music.

Ultionus a tale of petty revenge cover