Over 30 years after its original launch, Ufouria: The Saga is getting an official quasi-sequel-remake from Sunsoft. Following up on the initial announcement, Ufouria: The Saga 2 has locked in a March 1, 2024 date on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Sunsoft shared a new trailer via the IGN YouTube channel, highlighting more of the follow-up’s fantastic looking stop-motion felt style. It’s got a bit of a Kirby’s Epic Yarn vibe to it, and the animation really sells the diorama aesthetic.
Ufouria: The Saga was originally released for Famicom in 1991 as the first entry in Sunsoft’s Hebereke series. A European release followed in 1992, but folks in North America didn’t get a chance to try it out until it hit the Wii Virtual Console in 2010. If that port and its re-releases left you wanting for a proper way to enjoy it without having to deal with the PAL refresh rate, it looks like the follow-up might do the trick.
Remake? Sequel? Why not both?
When Sunsoft first teased more Ufouria it was a little unclear as to what they were planning. Sunsoft announced it as a “full remake after about 32 years,” but now they’re calling it a sequel. Kind of.
According to the devs, it’s “a brand new Metroidvania-type game featuring the humor and the characters from the original but with a brand new art style.” Cutting through some of the confusion, it sounds like a mix of both. Ufouria: The Saga 2 features a recreation of the world of Ufouria and all the characters from the first game. Those classic stages now “change randomly every time you enter,” and there are new areas thrown into the mix.
There’s also a new enemy threat in the form of the Bumyon, a creature who “sticks to everything and everyone” but can be countered with Hebe and friends’ Popoons. Cleaning them up throughout Ufouria will take you one step closer to besting the evil plans of the Utsujin. Add in characters that previously only appeared in Hebereke art books and you have what’s shaping up to be a real treat for fans of the side-scroller. You know who you are.
