Before you ask, “UFHO” stands for “Unidentified Flying Hexagonal Object”. No, it’s okay…no need to thank me, it’s all part of the service. Though, I won’t stop you from hitting that “donate” button off to the right a couple hundred times. At any rate, I was intrigued by the idea behind this particular game, seeing as how it incorporates a board game theme into a video game. In “UFHO2”, players will be choosing a character and moving it around a hexagonal playing field in an attempt to capture a set number of gems before their opponents do. It’s worth noting that the game is still in the Alpha state, meaning that all of the content you see here is subject to change. Also, a quick thank you to Ciro Continisio from Tiny Colossus for providing me with a free copy.
UFHO2 (Windows, Mac, Linux)
At the moment, the game is in limited in terms of features and content. I was able to access the local play area, where you can play with up to four different people. You can play with other human players by switching off with the mouse, challenge the AI players, or mix it up with both. I enjoy this feature right off the bat, as it allows me to play the game with others in the household without having to worry about acquiring additional copies of the game. The options menu and online modes appear to be a work in progress, but those who purchase into the Alpha will have their hands full with the local play and story modes.
Essentially, you’ve got so many seconds to make use of so many moves. Moves include rotating tiles, rotating the larger hexagonal pieces (called sectors), and moving your character. You’ll need to plan your moves out quickly and efficiently if you want to reach the gems that spawn around the playing area before your opponents do. During my play session, I had twenty seconds and seven moves during a turn. I would have liked the ability to adjust this during game setup and perhaps this is a feature planned in a future update. Power-ups can be enabled or disabled, which I appreciate. I recommend turning them off until you get a firm handle on how the game plays.
“UFHO2” is shaping up to be a great addition to my library and I’m looking forward to seeing what else the developer has in store for this game. For those of you interested, you can purchase into the Alpha now on Desura. Doing so grants you access to the Alpha along with any updates, including the full game once it is released. Like most games on Desura, the price of the Alpha is cheaper than the final price, so you may want to grab it now if you like what you see.
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For more details, feel free to check out the links and gameplay videos below:
http://www.desura.com/games/ufho2
You can help bring the game to Steam by voting for it on its Greenlight page, here:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92926665
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK1zRK4OYos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etqsQK00vZA