Galactic hero Serena S has been trolled on Spacebook. This is obviously a cause to embark on an epic quest to punish the troll in question, who just happens to be The Space Prince. Guide Serena through 7 stages of shmup action, jumping, shooting, and yet decidedly more jumping and shooting to her ultimate goal of total testicular annihilation of her foe. Ultionus is a love-letter to the home computer arcade games of the late 80s and early 90s, particularly Halloween Harry, Astro Marine Corps, Duke Nukem 2 and especially Phantis/Game Over II. The game features tons of lovingly crafted pixel art, and a rockin' chiptune soundtrack by the legendary Jake 'Virt' Kaufman.
A throwback to the 90s is a great descriptor for this simulated dos product.
The action platformer is solid, with a great music score, attractive sprite based presentation, and a tacky/juvinile base storyline that finds it impossible to overstay its welcome (almost seems to satire the requirement of most games to require a storyline, and it is rewarding in its simplicity.)
While the games length may not please many (you can easily beat the game within an hour), I personally find charm in the fact I can pick up the game, play it, and put it down. It currently has three modes of play (all of which are difficulties) ranging from easy (unlimited continues extra damage) to hardcore (one continue starting, and normal damage).
The level designs are interesting due to the multi-route potential that they provide. My only issue would be the final stage does not represent the same complexity that previous stages did. (It is shorter, and could have deviated the formula with more possible routes through it) That is really a trivial issue as all the platforming sections of the game split into two routes (a direct, and a rewarding), and from a design perspective consistency does work, I am just not a huge personal fan of stages oriented primarily around an auto scrolling elevator. (personal gripes)
As stated before, while the length of the game may pose a issue for some, and replay value is pretty much oriented toward speedrunning, score attack, and just seeing what it would be like to go down one set of upgrades or the other since you cannot max out both. The action you see in the trailer is what you get. Its solid, enjoyable, and if that is your cup of tea, then I highly recommend it. I can't fault folks for waiting for sales, and if they happen, I highly recommend jumping on them.
I have spent over 50 total hours mastering the game in its current form, and do not regret the 10 dollar price tag.