Games worth discovering

This creepy platformer just might give you nightmares

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SHOULD I PLAY UGLY?

Give Ugly a go if you’re into platformers, puzzlers, or dark fairy-tale worlds. Even though controlling two characters simultaneously in a mirrored world can be incredibly disorienting, Ugly’s puzzle mechanics are truly unique and blend perfectly with the game’s dark atmosphere. And though I wouldn't classify Ugly as horror, there were still plenty of twisted memories to unlock that genuinely gave me the creeps.

TIME PLAYED

I spent around three hours on Ugly, but barely feel like I’ve scratched the surface. Of course, like most puzzle games, your ability to solve these head-scratchers will determine the speed of your progression. I’ve collected several keys, unlocked a few memories of our voiceless protagonist, and even gotten involved in a boss battle, but I can tell there’s a lot more left for me to dig into.

WHAT'S AWESOME ABOUT UGLY

• This game is anything but ugly. The environment in Ugly is absolutely breathtaking; I legitimately wanted to stop in every room I went through just to take in the artistry. Small details like pictures in the background or toppled furniture all added to my uneasiness. Each pixel seems perfectly tuned to add to the game’s dark tone, which is especially important because Ugly has no dialogue. Scenes from past memories were scribbled in childlike drawings, and those really got an emotional response out of me.

• Impressive sound design. The soundtrack in Ugly is ambient and mostly sparse (save for the boss encounters), but the strings and piano really add a haunting feeling. Small sound effects like the echo of dripping water were emphasized to build up the overall sense of creepiness that the game is going for.

• Trippy puzzles. I had a great time racking my brain to master the various rooms. Ugly is one of those games where it was easy to build up puzzles in my head and make them feel more complex than they actually were. Some puzzles relied purely on platforming; others focused on timing; and the most challenging ones required maneuvering and interaction with my mirrored image. I appreciated that I could approach each puzzle from different angles to find a solution. Also appreciated: the handy hint button, which made things less frustrating when I got really stuck.

• A dark story that hooked me in. Without giving too much away, Ugly took me into the mind of a red-nosed nobleman, and suffice to say...dude’s got a few issues. There’s no voiced dialogue in Ugly, but because of the aforementioned visuals and music, the story still hit brilliantly for me. I genuinely had jump scares at moments and felt disturbed reliving some of this character’s haunting childhood memories.

WHAT SUCKS ABOUT UGLY?

• A tiny little screen. Playing on my iPhone 15 Pro was a great experience, except for the occasional moments when the camera pulled back far too much. Solving some puzzles required me to split myself into two and run at the opposite ends of the screen. In these scenarios, everything became very tiny, which made it incredibly difficult to make out details of what I was looking at.