20 Recent Incredible Video Games That Came Out Of NOWHERE

8. UFO 50

UFO 50 is a development feat for the ages, featuring a collection of 50 different retro-inspired games across a wide array of genres. There’s basically everything a player could want, from metroidvanias to strategy to point and click horror, and 25 of the titles also offer a two-player mode.

Though it does so loosely, UFO 50 does present some narrative alongside the collection, with the games presented under the conceit of being from a fictional video game company, UFO Soft, from the years 1982 to 1989. 

Some of the entries are short and sweet, like quick platformers, while others are incredibly elaborate, like an RPG that can take around 20 hours to complete. Many of the games included are also delightfully strange, like Golfaria, where the player character is a golf ball, or Ninpek, which follows two ninjas on their quest to recover their stolen sandwich.

UFO 50 was developed by Mossmouth, the company behind the Spelunky series, and it was a long journey for the six-person team from when it was announced in 2017 to its release in 2024. Clearly all their effort paid off, receiving near-unanimous praise from critics and several nominations across many awards shows, including a win for best indie game at the New York Game Awards.