Ultra Blade guide: A few tips to guide you through the futuristic roguelike extravaganza

Solo developer Kyle Barrett has just released his latest roguelike game called Ultra Blade. Set in the connected universe of all Barrett’s pixel art games, Ultra Blade has just landed today for iOS and Android and is chock full of content to enjoy

On the surface, there is a huge number of things to get to grips with, between the thousands of class and skill combinations, the multiple gameplay modes, and the countless enemies, so we have put together a list of tips to set you on the right path.

Step one: Master the basics first

The first thing to bear in mind with Ultra Blade is pretty much the mantra for all roguelike games; learn the basics. Ultra Blade has a one-touch control that starts off simple and then builds in complexity as all of your movements, attacks, and skills become controlled with single gestures.

There is a plethora of content for you to get involved in, but devote your first few runs to getting a proper feel for the controls. It is a lot better than building a powerful character and then realising you don’t know how to use your OP skill before you get mobbed. Take it slow.

Explore all the classes to find your niche

When you’ve learned your heavy attacks from your dodges, your next stop should be learning the 5 core classes of the game - which each of the 12 unique heroes fit neatly into - so that you can find your favoured play style.

The Greatblade wielder is the classic in-your-face melee class. You will be spinning and swinging your blade in the direction you move, and have the ability to unleash a massive stomp that will knock foes back. Your next melee class is the Sword and Board, a soldier with a shield who blocks frontal attacks and can shield bash for a bit more of a defensive feel.

For those who prefer fighting at range, the Gun user fires projectiles in the direction they run, with their heavy attack seeing you spin as you unleash a hail of bullets at your unsuspecting foes. The Bow user is a bit of a flip to the Gun, as they spin and fire arrows in all directions with their default moves, before unleashing a penetrating shot with their heavy. If you prefer a bit of magic to your range, the Mage fires auto-aimed projectiles as they move, before unleashing a powerful magic explosion directly in front of them with their heavy.

The best part of Ultra Blades class system, however, is that you can create a bit of a hybrid class for your unique playstyle. Whilst the Sword and Board class gives a lot of defence it can lack a bit in group offence, so cure this by adding the light attack of the Bow user to your class, so arrows fly out each time you swing to damage all the mobs.

Add your own flair to the cast of characters

By default, you will be able to unlock the 12 unique characters. In your first few games, you should get familiar with each of these as you learn the game, and levelling them up will add more skills for you to use so you should play them a bit. Ultra Blade has you covered if you want to be more unique, however.

You can roll an unlimited number of characters from every class, which you can then customise further using the Relics you can collect. These can enhance your projectiles or increase your health, giving you a big boost to your chosen playstyle. They also scale to your character's level so you don’t have to grind out upgraded ones every few hours. Give each of these a go and see how they combine to create your perfect character.

Let loose and have fun with some insane skills

Now that you have your favourite character setup exactly how you like it, it’s time to get into the really fun stuff; weapons and skills. With hundreds of weapons and skills to discover there are truly countless ways for you to progress through each of the runs, with the more games you complete unlocking more ways to cause mayhem.

After getting comfortable and learning some of your favourite skills, you should try to mix and match the skills you unlock to other classes. The Bow user has a skill that unlocks bouncing projectiles, which sounds very fun for their normal arrow-spewing attacks, but what would happen if you equip this skill to a Mage and cast fireball? Make sure to experiment as much as possible to make your own hectic powers.

When you feel comfortable enough for a change of pace, make sure to try the Unique Endless mode. Every time you beat it, the difficulty goes up, and it refreshes every hour to change the environmental hazards and enemy composition to keep things feeling fresh.

If you want to test your full roster of characters, check out the Unique Challenge Gauntlets. There are 27 of these available each with its own restrictions ranging from melee attacks dealing zero damage to only certain types of skills being available, so you will need to put some tactics to the carnage.

These tips will help you get a headstart on the game, but there's no real substitute to experience, so make sure you pre-order Ultra Blade now on the App Store and Google Play for the low price of $2.99.