Our top pick of the week: UFO 50

In 2016, Spelunky designer Derek Yu and a group of friends set off on an adventure to develop not just one new game, but 50 of them. The plan at the time was to release them all within a couple years. Eight years, a pandemic, and a Spelunky sequel later, and UFO 50 is now available.

The package, presented as the games of a fictional game studio called UFO Soft for a fictional NES-style console called the LX, contains story layers and secrets below the surface. But the most impressive thing is the scale of it all — and that most of the games are good. These aren't minigames or reskinned versions of the same thing. They're all games that could have sold for $50 in the mid-'80s, and no one would have complained.

"I wholeheartedly recommend UFO 50 on a gameplay level alone," wrote Grayson Morley in Polygon's review. "I feel confident in saying, should you be able to stomach high difficulty and occasionally obtuse objectives, you will find a game, or two, or 30 in UFO 50 that will resonate with you. But I also recommend UFO 50 as a metafictional narrative argument that we all benefit when the same people have the opportunity to make multiple titles together. In an industry plagued by layoffs and closures, UFO 50 imagines a group of people who made 50 games together, building off of successes and taking wild swings throughout their career. Sure, it's a work of fiction, but it's a hopeful one."

Polygon's Patch Notes is a weekly newsletter that shares the best stuff to watch, play, and read. Let our band of editorial experts simplify your plans. Subscribe here.

This week on TikTok | Tastiest-looking video game food | Some video game food looks like plastic and that's OK. GREAT even.

9 stories to read

An oral history of the action classic Blood and Bone | The 2009 classic helped launch the careers of many modern action luminaries, and we talked to as many as we could.

How a Twitch streamer helped bring NASA to the livestreaming community | Moohoodles is pioneering science and space coverage on Twitch.

Dan Da Dan's creators were just as worried about doing the manga justice as you were | "We wanted to make sure that we put a focus on [everyday action], more than normal anime."

What if every movie with a grim ending got a Speak No Evil-style remake? | Worried about movies with sad endings? Just put them through the Speak No Evil process.

The new D&D Player's Handbook is a treasure, and we may never see its equal again | The seminal role-playing game's latest effort may very well be the franchise's high-water mark.

Polygonathon 2024 returns this October! | Join us on Twitch and help support this year's charity, GLSEN.

How Pokémon TCG Pocket replicates the feel of opening a physical card pack | Making the digital feel tangible.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard's press preview gave me the reassurance I was looking for | Pulling the veil off of Veilguard.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 stuns in first hands-on experience | Microsoft's ambitions are sky-high.

10+ things to watch

The Ark on Peacock | A perfect throwback to an age when sci-fi didn't have to be so serious.

The Penguin on Max | Cristin Milioti's ascendant mafia boss Sofia Falcone is The Penguin's standout villain.

Transformers One in theaters | The best things about the new Transformers movie are things I thought I'd hate.

Batman Ninja available to rent on Amazon and Apple | The 2018 anime film is one of the Dark Knight's most fascinating stories.

The top 5 horror films to pair with Magic: The Gathering's new set, Duskmourn | From cult classics to genre masterpieces, MTG's next set calls back to some of horror's most important movies.

The best TV of 2024 so far | The best new and returning shows to watch on Netflix, Prime, and more.

8 games to play

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster | Capcom's remaster fixes most of what made Dead Rising a flawed classic. Available on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.

The Plucky Squire | This well-crafted adventure is very pretty and creative, but lacks the substance we were hoping for. Available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.

Wild Indigo Ranch | Red Dead Redemption meets Stardew Valley. Available on Windows PC.

Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines | Please don't let the dogs-with-grappling-hooks game die. Available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X

What the Car? | A car platformer of sorts. Just play it; you'll see. Available on Windows PC.

Frostpunk 2 | The sequel scales up and overloads the play, but modding could save it. Available on Mac, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.

Crime Scene Cleaner | Hauling bodies and scrubbing blood is a surprisingly good time. Available on Windows PC.

Leap Year | A Metroidbrainia for people who hate Metroidbrainias. Available on Windows PC.

Free game of the week

I Hate My Legs demo | A challenging 2D platformer where you play as a turtle with human legs. Available on Windows PC.

The best of the rest

NO SIMS: Project Rene isn't The Sims 5.
YES JEDI: With a Star Wars Jedi threequel coming, does this mean Cal Kestis… must die?
PROBABLY WICCAN: Agatha All Along's unnamed 'Teen' is probably this familiar Marvel Comics character.
NO SHIT: Super Nintendo World's Toad is finally fed up with people's shit.
YES HATS: The next Like a Dragon game is a wild pirate-themed spinoff, and it's out soon.
DEFINITELY OPTIONAL: Waiting in virtual lines is apparently the best thing about the Roblox Universal game.