NES PAL Exclusives: UFOURIA (Nintendo Entertainment System Review)

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  • Опубликовано: 17 янв 2025

Комментарии • 114

  • @50factsabout
    @50factsabout 2 года назад +11

    It's part of the Hebereke's series of games, of which most were puizzle games. The sprites are from Heberekes Popoito and Popoon games AFAIK

  • @susanfit47
    @susanfit47 2 года назад +11

    This game previewed and reviewed in magazines, in addition to being showcased in playable state to attendees at the 1991 WCES. This game appeared on the Winter 1991 Sears Wish Books advertised for 42.92. Sometimes around 1991, after the game was released in Japan, ad advertisement was made and shown in the U.S. Magazines from the U.S. show screenshots of U-four-ia: The Saga. Its American origins could be verified by the title screen in the advertisement, one of them was a title screen that said, which read “LICENSED BY NINTENDO OF AMERICA, INC.”, hitting that an American release was planned. There was also an advert to promote the game in the US, but even then, it became a collector's item and sells for a higher price, thus making it a rare item. An American was slated for a fall 1991 launch before being delayed to early 1992 release, but was cancelled (according to David Siller, Sunsoft of America's former vice president of development, claimed that the company's managers felt the game's characters were too "strange or quirky" compared to cartoons by The Walt Disney Company and Warner Brothers, which is also the reason the US release of Mr. Gimmick was scrapped also suffering the same, although a US prototype for that game was dumped, unlike Ufouria. However Siller stated that both titles most likely could have been commercial successes) late in the NES’ lifespan. and would have been licensed by Nintendo for play on the Nintendo Entertainment System. It would later be delayed, before getting cancelled sometime around 1993. The screenshots in the ads show slight differences from the European version. According to many sources, the game was to be released in 1992, which contradicts previous knowledge that it was to be released in 1991. The game was not seen in America until 2010, when it was made available on the Wii's Virtual Console service, however, no Rom of this localization had ever surfaced, so the European version was chosen. And because PAL used 50hz, the music was faster, debunking this localization. The second time, it was later released on the Wii U Virtual Console in 2014, but the ROM still wasn’t available, so it’s the same case as the Wii Virtual Console version. A user named "Armadylo” discovered 2 prototypes of this game, one of which was the then-lost US Prototype was also found for Ufouria and it was dumped on March 23, 2021. The screenshots in the ads show slight differences from the European version. ROM images for it were released, now debunking its “lost” status.

  • @XpRnz
    @XpRnz 2 года назад +6

    Ufouria is truly a hidden gem for NES, played this so much! Love the music and the characters and i still think the design holds up today and could very well be translated into a modern title.

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  2 года назад +1

      For sure. Could definitely see a switch update or sequel :)

  • @TheUncommonValley
    @TheUncommonValley 3 года назад +9

    Both Taito and Sunsoft were great companies to end the life span of the NES over all. Kind of wished we got this in the states along with Mr. Gimmick, but might of been denied because of how the SNES was already out and Sunsoft didn't want to risk under selling. But great video, and happy to see this game get coverage!

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  3 года назад

      For sure, Taito especially really dominated the late NES era. That 90-94 period is the most interesting to look back on when the Super Nintendo took over and lots of interesting games were snuck into the mix.

  • @goatbone
    @goatbone 2 года назад +4

    Played this to death as a kid. It was my favourite game, was lucky to buy it for $5 used back in the day. Still have my original cart and now a VGC boxed complete copy.
    Love the music and animation. I wish I could play it for the first time again.

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  2 года назад

      Damn that’s awesome. I could see this as my DuckTales as a kid, just a game I play over and over again.

  • @Andres33AU
    @Andres33AU Год назад +2

    I'm happy to see you enjoyed this gem! Before I had the internet, I had no idea that this was a PAL exclusive, I remember renting it at a video store, and almost immediately falling in love with the game. Then, years had passed and I was yearning for this game, until I finally found it (it wasn't cheap... lol). If only I had bought this when the video store was closing down and selling games, videos etc. back then, I could have gotten myself a bargain deal, haha.

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  Год назад +1

      That’s awesome you played it at the time. This might be my favorite PAL game and one of my favorite NES games.

    • @Andres33AU
      @Andres33AU 11 месяцев назад

      @@BigOleWords It has come to my attention, that a sequel to Ufouria is coming out next month, I can't believe it!

  • @SEGAblocks
    @SEGAblocks 3 года назад +2

    UFOURIA Looks rad! The music is upbeat and fun! The character sprites also look great! The upgrades and mechanics are neat!!! Can’t believe I’ve never heard of this one! Thanks for showcasing!

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  3 года назад +1

      It’s a good one, check it out!

  • @Dystnine
    @Dystnine 2 года назад +1

    Both this and Hebeberke are somewhat referenced in Blaster Master Zero 2. Shades the Ghost later became an homage to Stein, right down to the sunglasses and wing cap. Jason even calls him "Shades". Bop Louie and Heberke are keychains in the BMZ art book.

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  2 года назад +1

      Neat! Haven’t played any of the zero games, any good?

    • @Dystnine
      @Dystnine 2 года назад

      @@BigOleWords Very good games.

  • @susanfit47
    @susanfit47 2 года назад +3

    The game got a VidPro card with preliminary artwork. The article I saw this in back of box follows the information about the game: “Bop 'Til You Crop. You’ll rely on your friends to survive in this strange. Changing world. But beware, powers for the strange worlds you’ll encounter…or you lose. As you make your trek through mystical forests, deserts and oceans, you’ll need to seek out and destroy monstrous creatures every step of the way. Will you have the right powers at the right time? Join Bop Louie as he searches for his three friends - Shades, Freeon Leon and Gil - to help him complete his mad scramble. It won't be easy. Brain-boggling mazes, traps and bizarre pitfalls stand in your way back to Ufouria. You'll rely on your friends to survive in this strange, changing world. But beware. You better have the right powers for the strange worlds you'll encounter... or you lose. As you make your trek through mystical forests, deserts and oceans, you'll need to seek out and destroy monstrous creatures every step of the way. Will you have the right powers at the right time? Don't let the mind-zapping colors and stupefying sound effects throw you off. Remember - it's only a game.”

  • @Sinn0100
    @Sinn0100 2 года назад +1

    This game reminds me of a really good surprise indy. One of those where you're like....I don't want to play this but okay. Then you can't stop playing and it's one more hour.

  • @ClassicGameSessions
    @ClassicGameSessions 3 года назад +1

    Great insights and look at this game! This looks pretty cool - check out those little characters man. The NES has such a great library of games!

  • @JohnDoe-wq5eu
    @JohnDoe-wq5eu 2 года назад +1

    Never heard of this but this is very cool. Always love another game to throw on the pile of my backlog.

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  2 года назад

      It’s really fun, definitely check it out!

  • @anthonybernero9720
    @anthonybernero9720 2 года назад +1

    I love this game. And the main title theme is killer.

  • @bananonymouslastname5693
    @bananonymouslastname5693 3 года назад +1

    I have this on one of the Sunsoft Collection discs on Japanese PS1, I think vol. 5. They did 6 discs full of NES games on the PS1. I beat it last year, and had a great time. It's a good time, amd there's no real language barrier.
    This is actually the first of a bizarre series called Hebereke. It Hebe was even Sunsoft's mascot for awhile. There's a 4 player arena fighter, isometric racer, a weird puzzle board game, several Puyo Puyo-like puzzle games, a picross game, and even barcode battler cards for Famicom.

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  3 года назад +1

      Damn that sounds like a really dope collection! Bar code battlers?!? How did that work?

    • @bananonymouslastname5693
      @bananonymouslastname5693 3 года назад +2

      @@BigOleWords Oh, man, it's this really weird system where you could swipe in barcodes from literally anything and it would generate monsters to battle each other like a primitive Monster Rancher. However, the cool part was that it had interface units for Famicom and Super Famicom (they work with the US systems as well if you have the games that support it) that allowed you to enhance certain games almost like amiibos with swiped barcodes, or in other games like Conveni Wars, create monsters for a strategy RPG. I wrote up a thread on in many years ago on digital press that was, at the time, about as complete an english resource as was available.
      The Hebereke games, though, are all generally pretty great fun. I especially like Hashire Hebereke for Super Famicom. It's an isometric racer where the four main characters have a footrace, but it's a massive series.

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  3 года назад +2

      @@bananonymouslastname5693 What?!? This sounds unreal! I remember barcode games, but had no idea they did anything like that for the Famicom or SFC. I gotta look into this...

    • @bananonymouslastname5693
      @bananonymouslastname5693 3 года назад +2

      @@BigOleWords It's pretty interesting. I spent a good amount of time with the SNES stuff, and I have all but one of the compatible games. If I remember right, it's:
      Lupin III
      Doraemon 2
      Doraemon 3
      Donald Duck Mahou no Bouken
      Spider-Man: Lethal Foes
      Hatayama Hacchi Pro Yakyuu
      Excite Stage '94
      Excite Stage '95
      Alice in Wonderland
      Dragon Slayer: Legend of Heroes II
      Conveni Wars
      In most of the platformers, it functions more like an amiibo or game genie, doing level skips, extra lives, power-ups, etc. In the sports games, it powers up teams and players mostly. The Alice in Wonderland game is a little like Mario Paint, and it adds different things to use in your art, and in Dragon Slayer II, you get special items to use. Some games even came with special cards with barcodes that did specific things, amd in others, like Excite Stage '95, there are barcodes on the page edges of the manual you can swipe. You could also use other card sets that were sold to play with the Barcode Battler unit on its own, or you can just cut out UPCs from stuff in your kitchen and see what happens.

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  3 года назад +2

      @@bananonymouslastname5693 This is the coolest thing I've learned about video games in a long time. Thank you for this. I'm gonna try and track down Barcode World.

  • @DadRacer
    @DadRacer 3 года назад +1

    Great review. What an epic adventure this games looks like. And those names! Freon Leon!? Hot damn! Yep, Sunsoft knows (knew?) what’s up when it comes to music.

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  3 года назад +1

      Hmmm looks like their last game was 2018? Maybe still going?

  • @AngryDadGaming
    @AngryDadGaming 3 года назад +1

    I hadn’t heard of this game, but I got downright excited when you showed some footage from NES’s _Gremlins 2!_. I LOVED that game as a kid! Hard as hell, though!
    Also, 2:17 - I’ve never tried climbing that way, but maybe that’s why I can’t climb any walls. 😂

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  3 года назад +1

      Hump climbing is the only way to grind your way to the top!

  • @skRapKlan
    @skRapKlan 2 года назад +1

    I love this game so freakin much!! Thanks for the great video!

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  2 года назад +1

      Awesome! Ufouria rules!

    • @skRapKlan
      @skRapKlan 2 года назад +1

      @@BigOleWords I recently found a prototype version where the map is different and some new areas were added (like a pyramid temple) - worth checking out if you enjoy the game!

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  2 года назад

      @@skRapKlan Whoa cool! Where did you find this?

  • @backintheday3097
    @backintheday3097 3 года назад +3

    I actually remember reading about this in the Pack Watch section of Nintendo Power back in 1991 and wondering sometime later as to why it never came out. It's actually rather interesting how many games were featured in Nintendo Power that never got a U.S. release or were never released at all. That would actually be a cool topic for you to tackle.
    As far as this video goes. It was spot on as usual! I love the way that both you and RonMan are able to edit footage together so seamlessly. Hopefully when I get a new laptop I'll be able to get some editing software and start making better videos. Also gotta ask. Are you the one singing the intro of your videos?

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  3 года назад +1

      That is a part of my collection that’s sorely lacking: Nintendo Power. I’d love to go through all of them and find the games they never ended up releasing.
      And thanks! I never edited before making these and I’m just figuring it out as I go. I do dig Ron Man’s stuff as well :)
      The intro soundbite is from Mr. Show with Bob and David. I think you can watch them on HBO now.

  • @RetroReminiscence
    @RetroReminiscence 3 года назад +1

    Such a good game, this and Mr.Gimmick we’re both solid games. Authentic gimmick carts are out of this world expensive now unfortunately. But this is a cool game. By this late into the NES lifespan, they really knew how to maximize the graphics on games. Super solid late release. I wish we would have got in here in the states.

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  3 года назад

      For how good it is and how uncommon it is, Ufouria can still be found for a somewhat reasonable price. I think it’s just never going to be as desired by the American retro market.

  • @stewsretroreviews
    @stewsretroreviews 3 года назад +2

    Never seen this one, but it looks class!

  • @romusz
    @romusz Год назад +1

    Hey man im new to this channel, but I wanted to say Im really into it. Love the intro card and the nods to various titles, like Dr Wily's castle and the locked door from SMB2 (also CHECK THIS SHIT O~U~T lol)... the videos are well presented, factual and amusing, and Im really fond of the lengths of them. 5-10 minutes on a single title is more than enough to get the point across. Im about tired of some of these channels whose videos can stretch upwards of a friggin HOUR LONG on one game, loaded with skits and other unnecessary junk. This is my kinda place. ROCK ON!!

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  Год назад

      Hey thanks so much! Definitely not focused on long (or overly long) reviews, especially for some of the simpler titles. Ufouria though I probably could talk about for an hour.

  • @mr.g4990
    @mr.g4990 2 года назад +1

    Glad I snatched a copy of this for €20. Label is very worn but I couldn't pass... the game is awesome, and a non-punishing open-world like that could suit younger players. And look at how cute Bop Louie is when he takes damage. Cheers!

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  2 года назад +1

      Nice! Love to hear it, Ufouria rules!

  • @birchmahogany2718
    @birchmahogany2718 2 года назад +1

    I have this on my Wii U, great game.

  • @GenerationPixel
    @GenerationPixel 3 года назад +2

    That is a win for PAL 💪💪 kinda want to play this now 😎

  • @youreallyplaythat
    @youreallyplaythat 3 года назад +1

    This one looks great!

  • @akumagouki8668
    @akumagouki8668 Год назад +1

    Love your wording at the end right before check it out, pretty ambiguous! Only us who know know 😂

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  Год назад

      Had to rewatch to remember but yeah, you know!

  • @gullpayne
    @gullpayne 3 года назад +1

    Great review 👍

  • @fshoaps
    @fshoaps Год назад +1

    Jesus Christ. all these NES games made after 1990 are ridiculously good looking.

  • @JoeyJ0J0
    @JoeyJ0J0 8 месяцев назад

    I have been playing this on the Evercade, thanks to the Sunsoft collection 2 cart. Great game

  • @OmegaAceGaming
    @OmegaAceGaming 2 года назад

    Ufouria looks like a ton of fun! Being a PAL exclusive, I am almost sure it isn't cheap... confirmed at the end of the video! About 100! 😂
    Your editing style is reminiscent of retro reviews of old :*) Kinda takes me back to the days of early RUclips and Gametrailers.
    Just as you said, their animations are too cute 😂
    In relation to the other games you mentioned, I tried Gimmick... I found the game extremely difficult, but fun 👌🏻

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  2 года назад +1

      I have not had as much success with Ginmick either, it’s tough!

  • @thenewnostalgia
    @thenewnostalgia Год назад +1

    These guys looks straight out of Extra Fabulous comics.

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  Год назад

      I had to look it up, but I can see it for sure!

  • @PhilipMarcYT
    @PhilipMarcYT Год назад +1

    Never heard of this game, but looks fun.

  • @jonnyboombox9211
    @jonnyboombox9211 Год назад +1

    Still got my original copy I got for x-mas 93.

  • @EuSouRCS
    @EuSouRCS 10 месяцев назад +1

    Another great game with this catching art style is ASMIK KUN LAND (yes,a game starring that cute ASMIK logo mascot) on Famicom!

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  10 месяцев назад +1

      Don’t think I’ve played that one, but I know the logo!

    • @EuSouRCS
      @EuSouRCS 10 месяцев назад

      @@BigOleWords very good game,you need to score some Famicom gems to start a new series on this awesome channel!

  • @garyhall7867
    @garyhall7867 2 года назад +1

    A friend of mine gave me what was supposed to be a SNES mini, but it turns out it is just nes games, and it just happens to have Ufouria on it. And you are right, this game is rad as a fuck

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  2 года назад

      Man that’s a pleasant surprise!

  • @Superb_Owl80
    @Superb_Owl80 10 месяцев назад +1

    I've really wanted this game since I first saw it. It doesn't seem too easy to find for a reasonable price. Do you have any recommendations for where to find it? Alibaba type reissues would be acceptable - I just wanna play the game. I don't have an Everdrive.

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  10 месяцев назад

      I haven’t checked AliExpress for it but I’m sure they have one, that site has everything bootleg. Last I checked you could get an authentic PAL cart for $50-80 but you need the Top Loader or a newer NES clone console to play it.

    • @Superb_Owl80
      @Superb_Owl80 10 месяцев назад +1

      @@BigOleWords ok that’s not too bad! Thanks for the reply. I got myself an AES that I’ve been enjoying. I’m trying to build my collection now - reconnecting with childhood is the best!

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  10 месяцев назад +1

      @@Superb_Owl80I have the AVS and it works if your TV is compatible with PAL. If not you can play it as NTSC but the speed will be off. Still fun though!

  • @Wyrdwad
    @Wyrdwad 10 месяцев назад +1

    2 years late to comment on this, but I guess it showed up in my recommendations on account of the random and unexpected release of Ufouria 2 on Switch this past week! Who'd've ever guessed this game, of all games, would get a sequel in 2024?! Pretty awesome, though!
    Anyway, 100% agreed with most of your review, EXCEPT the last part about Legacy of the Wizard. Man, Legacy of the Wizard... is just one of the greatest games of all time. Absolutely one of my favorite games ever made, barnone, and I've beaten each version of it at this point -- NES, MSX1, and MSX2. It's not frustrating at all... well, except when playing Xemn's section of the maze and trying to move blocks, arguably. The block-moving can be pretty annoying! Cool at first, but kind of overstays its welcome. Fortunately, in the MSX2 version, you can skip his whole section with Roas, the brother, if you're skilled enough at the platforming, by way of some secret painting warps -- which is just one of many reasons why the MSX2 version of that game is (IMHO) the best version. (It may lack smooth scrolling, but it makes up for it with some very smart maze redesigns, better item placement, an easier method of finding the shield, and a ton of added painting warps that actually make Roas useful!)
    In short, I seriously recommend giving Legacy of the Wizard another shot sometime. Ufouria is fantastic, but I swear to you, Legacy of the Wizard is better -- it's an unbelievably ambitious, fun, rewarding, enthralling adventure.

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  10 месяцев назад +1

      Never too late! And yeah, those damn block puzzles are the bane of my existence. It completely puts me off Legacy. I talked about it (and Ufouria) more in this Metroid Clones video: ruclips.net/video/Xzi7IBvQbGw/видео.html

  • @Gold2thGaming
    @Gold2thGaming 3 года назад +1

    💩dude i ain’t played this in forever but will do this weekend it still looks bad a$$ in a cute way👍🏻Big up Gill 🤘Big up Sunsoft 🤘im sure i saw Tina Turner calling you on your cell 😜awesome as always ✌️

  • @ThePreciseClimber
    @ThePreciseClimber Год назад +1

    I definitely prefer the main character design from the Japanese original. What a cute little bird guy.
    It's curious Hebereke got loads of spin-offs but never a proper sequel.

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  Год назад

      It definitely needs one, this is one of my favorite NES games!

  • @JayRock21122
    @JayRock21122 2 года назад +1

    Thankfully this is on the US Wii U eShop...until that shuts down in March 2023.

  • @duhmez
    @duhmez 3 года назад +1

    Why the hell of 13 years on Youtuyybe watching gaming videos have I not heard of this one? it looks awesoe and I am gonna see if it works on my toaster with everdrivbe (FX pak pro)

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  3 года назад

      I mean, it is pretty obscure! This and Mr. Gimmick! are both solid games that never made it over to North America.

    • @duhmez
      @duhmez 3 года назад +1

      @@BigOleWords Mr gimick is badass too. In japan ist is just called Gimick. Japan version already ntsc so if that matters ot anyone, it could not and would not be an issue runing on NA hardware/flash carts.

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  3 года назад

      @@duhmez You're saying the Famicom version works on a NTSC console? The PAL Mr. Gimmick! works on the NTSC Top Loader.

    • @duhmez
      @duhmez 3 года назад +1

      @@BigOleWords Ya, all famicom versions will run on NA nes, at least when u consider the timing and video. But i forgot when I posted, some famicom hgames have unsupported audio chips int hem, and the sound will be not right and mising stuff with some famicom games. So i take it back! But all one need tdo is check the famicom game in quesiton for a unique enhanced audio chip or not. i actually did a simple mod on my toaster NES, now it can play all Japan enhanced audio. iIt takes just a single resister be soldered into then NES, and it is good to go. I use it with my everdrive, and holy sh!t, Castlevania 3 Japan sounds SO MUCH BETTER!

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  3 года назад

      @@duhmez Dayum, that sounds cool! So just using a famicom to NES converter to play the game and then soldering the sound chip?

  • @fco64
    @fco64 10 месяцев назад +1

    its sad that this game only got stuck in the europe but at the same time give a happy feeling that only europeans managed to play this masterpiece

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  10 месяцев назад +1

      They were so lucky!

    • @fco64
      @fco64 10 месяцев назад

      @@BigOleWords I'm european so hehe

  • @jeremygreen2883
    @jeremygreen2883 11 месяцев назад +1

    Is Freon Leon a dinosaur or a cat?!?

  • @SuperJim
    @SuperJim 3 года назад +1

    Very good game for the nes! Your poor copy of Blaster Master - that's seen the wars!

    • @BigOleWords
      @BigOleWords  3 года назад

      Haha yes it has! Not sure why that of all games is so messed up, usually with the more common ones I upgrade at some point.

    • @SuperJim
      @SuperJim 3 года назад +1

      @@BigOleWords so long as it's loved that's all that matters :)

  • @NESADDICT
    @NESADDICT 2 года назад

    Runs to eBay

  • @tuff_lover
    @tuff_lover 2 года назад +1

    [16t] bird poops...damn