This UFO 50 game is a must-play for Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest fans

I’ll be honest, when I first saw UFO 50, I almost instantly disregarded it. I’m just about old enough to remember playing games from the late 80s, and I couldn’t imagine parting with my own money to simulate that experience all over again. Still, plenty of voices whose opinions I trust told me it was a great game, so I decided to check it out on my Nintendo Switch 2. That’s how I found Grimstone. Sweet, sweet Grimstone.

You see, while I might moan about the late 80s era of gaming, it was also the dawn of my favorite genre: turn-based RPGs. Dragon Quest first hit the shelves in 1986, while the original Final Fantasy, a personal favorite of mine from the Apple Arcade games library, arrived in 1987. So it makes sense that UFO 50’s imagined compendium of 80s games includes something in the style of those iconic first introductions to the genre. That something is Grimstone, and I love it.

While it’s visually and mechanically very similar to the games I’ve already mentioned, the biggest difference is the setting. Grimstone doesn’t take place in a fantasy world full of wizards and swordsmen. Instead, it’s got a Wild West-style theme, from the design of the towns, which feature saloons and old-fashioned single-cell jailhouses, to almost all the characters you run into on your quest. Even the name of the game’s setting, Lone Star, projects some serious rootin’ tootin’ vibes, and I’m a big fan.

I say that Grimstone is mechanically similar to the famous games from the early turn-based era, but it’s not exactly the same. It feels a little bit more modern thanks to its twist on the turn-based formula, with a variety of time-based minigames when attacking. For example, when you’re shooting with your pistol, you need to hit the ‘A’ button at a certain time, or you’ll miss altogether. It’s a little thing, but it keeps you engaged even when you’re grinding, as I’ll get into later; you’re going to be grinding.

Right from the introduction, I knew that Grimstone was the one for me. In the introductory scene, you can pick four of eight playable characters to save from a burning saloon before your quest begins. Sadly, those who remain perish, but you can only pick four. It’s a great way to kick off the story and certainly beats a plain old character selection menu or a five-hour introduction that takes forever to introduce you to your party.

For my first time in Lone Star, I selected Doc, Umbra, Maria, and Bull. Bull is my favorite character; he’s got those old-school spaghetti western vibes, but they’re all winners. I later learned that I’d made my adventure a bit more difficult, as Doc and Umbra are both healers, and you only really need one. I also didn’t realize that you can save Rufus the dog, which, I won’t lie, has haunted me ever since. Don’t worry, Rufus, a second playthrough is very much on the cards.

One of the things I love most about Grimstone is how it gently guides you on your quest and offers some surprisingly deep worldbuilding without reams and reams of text to read through. It’s a controversial opinion, but I want to do as little reading as possible when I’m playing a game, unless it’s a visual novel. Give me the information, plus a little intrigue around the edges to keep me curious, and I’m a happy camper. That’s just what Grimstone does, and I’m all for it.

I also have to mention the visuals of Grimstone and their 8-bit glory. The character designs are fantastic, projecting a sense of personality without a single word, while the game world is colorful and varied. I’ve got a soft spot for retro visual aesthetics, hence my love for games like Stardew Valley and Vampire Survivors, but this game takes it to the next level, and it feels remarkably authentic. In fairness, that’s the case for all UFO 50 games. If you removed the context and told me they were actually from the 80s, I’d believe you.

Admittedly, Grimstone is so authentic to the early RPG experience that it includes some things that we’ve learned to hate over the years. Most notable is the grinding. If you want to get anywhere in this game, you’re going to have to grind your characters up through random encounter after random encounter. It takes a lot of work, and toing and froing from the overworld to the hotel, where you can heal up by parting with your teeth (don’t worry – that’s the in-game currency; your characters don’t have to sit in the dentist’s chair.) I don’t mind grinding; it’s the closest I get to meditating, but if you’re not a fan, it’s something to keep in mind.

You also can’t save manually, which, unlike the grinding, I find harder to justify. It’s not so bad in the early game, but before long, it did slightly put me off exploration, as I found myself somewhere I shouldn’t be with hard-as-nails enemies, resulting in a pretty quick death and losing around 20 minutes of progress. However, this at least led to some intense gameplay where I tried to find a way back to a town with little in the way of health to go on, so while it’s not ideal, it can lead to some immersive moments.

Despite the occasional frustration, Grimstone serves as a perfect reminder of why I fell in love with RPG games in the first place. The world, the characters, the battle mechanics, and yes, I’m going to say it, the grinding. It’s my happy place, and when I’m playing UFO 50, I almost feel like I’m a little kid again, discovering the joys of gaming for the first time. Outside of Donkey Kong Bananza and Super Video Golf, that’s a feeling that no other game has provided me in quite some time.

While I’ve tried and enjoyed a lot of the other games included in UFO 50 – Avianos and Party House are my other favorites – Grimstone is worth the admission fee on its own. The problem now is that I’m desperate for more. While it seems unlikely, outside of potentially appearing in a UFO 50 follow-up – which I also wouldn’t say no to, if anyone from Mossmouth is paying attention – I’d pay the same price as I did for the complete collection for a Grimstone 2. Honestly, I don’t care what form it comes in; just give me more Grimstone.

For more on the latest and greatest games, be sure to check out our long list of all the best Switch games, including some modern classics from the last seven years you might not have tried out yet. Or, if you want to see what else is coming to the original Switch and the new follow-up console, see our guide to all the most exciting upcoming Switch games.