Greetings everyone! I’m Mårten, game design director at Hadoque, which is a brand-new studio based in Sweden. We’ve been busy working away on our first game which we are excited to give you a first look at today.
We revealed Ultros during today’s PlayStation Showcase. It’s a exploration-adventure style game grounded in sci-fi, layered in mystery, with deep lore and meta themes. Players will want to explore every nook and cranny of the game to understand and share information of what the truth really is…
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The opening of the game exemplifies mystery – our protagonist, Ouji wakes up after seemingly crashing her ship on a giant cosmic sarcophagus, carrying an ancient evil entity known as Ultros (we’ve all been there, right?). Caught in the eternal loop of a black hole, anyone unlucky enough to be trapped in the sarcophagus will have their psyche undergo scrutinizing attacks. Ouji feels the need to venture across the time-loops and break this eternal cycle.
This loop-based gameplay mechanic means that across multiple runs you’ll uncover secrets at every turn all whilst unlocking different abilities on a branching skill-tree. This means you can cater to your preferred playstyle and impact the environment across different loops.
One of the first things that’ll hit you when you see Ultros is the vivid neon color palette and eccentric art style we’ve created; this stems from the enigmatic mind of renowned artist El Huervo, known for their work as an artist on the Hotline Miami series. We’ve created a unique blend of hand-drawn art with big juicy sprites, topped off with dynamic zooming, creating a hypnotic effect. The goal has been to create a look that feels like one big canvas, where every frame is like an isolated piece of psychedelic art.
Similarly, the music of Ultros is intentionally orchestrated with a beautiful, emotional, symphonic soundscape, breaking traditions of sci-fi’s mostly using classic synthesizers, as we instead draw inspiration from, and record, analog instruments, including the cello, viola, violin, ands pump organs. We travelled to Peru and the Amazons to record sounds of nature, classical instruments, and other sound-making tools from Peru’s rich history.
Being an explorative platformer at heart, Ultros features an intimate close-combat system. Inside the Sarcophagus, Ouji goes toe-to-toe with the bug-like, cosmic lifeforms, and every battle is as beautiful as it is deadly. You’ll experiment to develop your own fighting style using a multitude of different combos and evasive manoeuvres, forming a sort of “dance of death”.
On the reverse side of this, a more peaceful part of game revolves around tending to ecosystem and planting seeds in The Sarcophagus. You will grow a variety of plants, each with their own characteristics and effects; from unlocking skills and levelling-up abilities, to solving puzzles, to even subduing enemies. This changes the environments and, over multiple loops, adds personal touches to players’ journeys and makes the game world feel alive.
We’re honored to feature our work on the show and are thrilled to reveal more soon – there’s a lot to discover.
Ultros launches in 2024 as a console exclusive on PS5 and PS4.
PlayStation Showcase 2023
PlayStation Studios & third-party publisher announcements
Final Fantasy XVI launch trailer, Salvation, revealed
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 gameplay revealed
Introducing Concord—a new PVP multiplayer FPS from Firewalk Studios coming to PS5 and PC
Bungie unveils Marathon
Watch the first trailer for Dragon’s Dogma 2, Capcom’s upcoming action-RPG
Tower of Fantasy, an immersive cyberpunk open-world RPG, hits PS5 and PS4 this summer
Two new playable characters join the Granblue Fantasy: Relink roster
First Assassin’s Creed Mirage gameplay revealed, launches October 12
Alan Wake 2 launches on PS5 October 17
Foamstars, a fresh new party shooter revealed for PS5 and PS4
Helldivers 2 drops on PlayStation 5 later this year
New Immortals of Aveum trailer highlights enemies of the realm
Introducing Fairgame$, a competitive heist experience coming to PS5 and PC
PS VR2 announcements
New gameplay details revealed for Crossfire: Sierra Squad, coming to PS VR2
Beat Saber launches on PS VR2 today with new Queen Music Pack
Immersive PS VR2 action-shooter, Synapse, launches on July 4
First look at Arizona Sunshine 2 revealed, launches on PS VR2 this year
First PS VR2 footage for Resident Evil 4 VR Mode revealed
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted 2 – hiring again on PS VR2
Indies announcements
Revealing Ultros, a psychedelic sci-fi side-scroller coming to PS5 and PS4 in 2024
Welcome to Revenant Hill, where your journey to become a witch’s familiar begins
Towers of Aghasba hits PS5 next year – new gameplay details
Revealing Cat Quest: Pirates of the Purribean, coming to PS5 and PS4 next year
Phantom Blade Zero: a new beginning in a long journey
Teardown hits PS5 later this year
Meet the friends and foes of The Plucky Squire’s storybook world
Introducing Neva, the beautiful new game from the developer of Gris
The Talos Principle 2 brings mind-bending puzzles and haunting beauty to PS5
Introducing Sword of the Sea, a new game from Giant Squid
