A Forgotten Classic
A lot of the time the thing that frustrates me about the 8-bit generation the most is the absence of knowledge on some of the best games that came from the release of the Sega Master System. Some of those Disney games are literally the prime of the generation and they're just completely forgotten about. However, it isn't every day that you play a Nintendo Entertainment System game that just completely masters every part of what they're trying to achieve... and no-one discusses it.
Well with this one the reason is simple: It had no North-American release. With Europe favoring the Master System and Australia being almost literally 50/50, Ufouria didn't really stand a chance to go down in the history books, it just wasn't widely available. Even if it did sell well in the UK and Australia, without Nintendo of America's sales, good luck.
And this is the biggest bummer really, because Ufouria is incredible. This game looks better than almost any NES game I've ever seen, no kidding. The vast world, the expressions of the characters... it all looks so intricate. The game is also incredibly colorful, really hitting the limits of saturation. Sonically, it was made by Sunsoft, so naturally, tonally the songs sound incredible. Really hard-hitting, crunchy soundtrack. The controls are incredible and play... kinda like Ducktales, actually. To jump on enemies and hit them you have to hold the down direction at the same time. The game plays kind of like Metroid but better. You have a map, a compass, and the parts of the world are separated aesthetically from each other, much easier to get around and know where you are.
Ufouria is a classic that should have gotten so much more attention. The fact that it wasn't released in the US is criminal. A must have. Play it. Now.