Ultrosis a Metroidvania game set on a space-drifting Uterus teaming with alien life and eye-popping visuals. WhileUltros' psychedelic art styleis one way it stands out from the growing 2D Metroidvania crowd, it’s also got another trick up its sleeve that could offer a different experience to fans of the genre: its looping system. Crashlanding on The Sarcophagus, players become trapped inside its endless Black Hole loops, with the option to break or breathe life into the cycle through destructive or constructive game mechanics.
Game Rant recently spoke with game design director Mårten Brüggemann, as well as game designer and programmer Hugo Bille, aboutUltros' looping mechanics and their role in making a different kind of Metroidvania gane. Brüggemann and Bille also talked about howUltros' looping mechanics link to its overarching karmic cycle themes, plus the different story choices and scenarios presented to players.
Ultros' Looping Mechanics And Metroidvania Approach
The desire to do something different in the Metroidvana space underlinesUltros' approach to the genre while still building upon elements fans might expect. While Bille outlined citedgames likeHollow Knight,Super Metroid,andCastlevania: Symphony of the Nightas inspirations, Bille specifically identifiedUltros' looping mechanics as one of the ways it approaches the traditional Metroidvania formula differently. Bille added these loops essentially act as a “time loop” or “seasonal cycle” and explained how they work in practice in terms of gameplay:
The time loop places the Metroidvania exploration inside a kind of karmic cycle of rebirth. At certain points in the story, you trigger the end of a cycle and find yourself back at the start of the game – it may even seem like the game has completely reset, and indeed many things have… but you will discover that not everything is affected. Almost immediately, you stumble into new areas and new adventures where you can learn to get some of your progress back. You start to learn the difference between what is just temporary in the Sarcophagus and what persists for eternity.
In this sense,Ultroslooks to play out somewhat differently from a traditionalroguelike video game, as it’s not simply re-starting at the beginning after dying but an opportunity to make different story-related choices. Brüggeman also explained more about this approach and the reasoning behindUltros' cyclical nature:
The cyclic nature of the game came as a result of wanting the player to experiment in that space, getting to make an informed story-changing choice without having to start the whole experience over from the beginning. Instead, there are multiple cycles or chances to make the choice they want to make.
How Ultros' Looping System Connects To Its Story
Brüggemann also spoke more about howUltros' cyclical gameplay and looping structure are significant to its story and enable players tomake different choices. Bille added that players' relationships with characters they encounter may also change depending on their actions. As Brüggemann explained,
The looping structure of the game also lets the player try out different solutions to different scenarios. Sometimes coming into a familiar situation with a new perspective. So, experimenting and finding new paths are part of the journey.
WhileUltros' cyclical, structural nature could is reflective of its karmic cycle themes, Brüggemann added that what is responsible for the loops is a mystery on a story level. It’s presumably something players will discover for themselves as they progress. Without going into spoilers, Brüggemann added it’s something based on science more than magic that “connects to the civilization that is at the base of the world ofUltros.”
Although looping mechanics appear in various video game genres in different ways, likeDeathloop’s time loop mechanics, they could helpUltrosoffer a unique twist on the Metroidvania experience and give a different experience for fans eager for something fresh.
Ultrosreleases on August 01, 2025, for PC, PS4, and PS5.
