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Ugly

Follow a hideous and tormented nobleman through a slew of very creative and inventive puzzle levels that, quite frankly, everyone should try — Ugly is a hidden masterpiece that I'm confident many will find something to love in.
Ugly Game Cover
92%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay
Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, replayability
94% User Score Based on 237 reviews
Critic Score 88%Based on 7 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchAndroidXboxSteam DeckiPhoneWindowsXbox Series X|SPCTabletPhoneXbox OneiPadMobile Platform
Ugly Game Cover

About

Ugly is a single player platformer game with horror and mystery themes. It was developed by Graffiti_Games and was released on September 13, 2023. It received positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

Face your mirrored self.

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94%Audience ScoreBased on 237 reviews
story89 positive mentions
grinding7 negative mentions

  • Innovative mirror mechanic that is creatively expanded throughout the game, providing engaging and clever puzzles.
  • Beautiful hand-drawn art style, detailed animations, and a moody, immersive soundtrack that complement the dark and compelling story.
  • Deep and mature narrative told through subtle environmental storytelling and non-verbal cues, creating a memorable and thought-provoking experience.
  • Difficulty spikes in the second half with more precision-based platforming and punishing fail states, leading to frustration for some players.
  • Some puzzles and boss fights can be disproportionately challenging and may require excessive retries.
  • Lack of quality-of-life features such as checkpoints or quicker resets can make replaying difficult sections tedious.
  • story

    192 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story is a dark, mature, and emotionally gripping narrative told primarily through environmental storytelling, non-linear memories, and visual motifs without dialogue. It effectively blends with the game's atmospheric art and music, creating an immersive experience that challenges players to piece together the plot. While some find the true ending somewhat definitive and the story occasionally confusing, overall it is praised for its unique, haunting, and thought-provoking presentation.

    • “The story is immediately engaging, told wordlessly through rich, lush, immensely detailed and unique environments and flashback moments.”
    • “The entire time there is a feeling of a creepy unease, and the surprisingly deep and moving story is told without a single word.”
    • “Love all the little details in the background; this game truly puts an emphasis on environmental storytelling.”
    • “The story in this story game is gatekept way too hard.”
    • “The story is a bit hidden but when you go and find it.”
    • “The only blemish in the story for me was that the true ending kind of takes some of the interpretation out of the story and gives you more 'definitive' answers for things.”
  • gameplay

    143 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay centers around a unique and innovative mirror mechanic that is simple to grasp but offers depth and variety through clever puzzle design and gradual introduction of new mechanics. While the puzzles are challenging and rewarding, some find parts frustrating due to finicky controls or sudden complexity spikes. Overall, the game masterfully integrates its mechanics with the story, providing an engaging, thought-provoking, and visually striking puzzle-platforming experience.

    • “The mechanics were superb, sometimes frustrating but worth the hassle in the end, 10/10 game.”
    • “It features a simple mechanic that is creatively expanded to have multiple use cases, leading to delightfully fun puzzles.”
    • “The mirror mechanic is clever and satisfying, and the way each level builds on it keeps the gameplay fresh and challenging.”
    • “Instead of offering a pleasant challenge, there are now too many frustrating elements that severely disrupt the gameplay.”
    • “Puzzles that could have been clever are turned into tedious exercises due to unnecessary complexity and unfair mechanics.”
    • “The in-game balancing with certain puzzles and bosses are all out of whack; the mechanics for the flame boss and gem boss are super frustrating and overall it's just not worth it.”
  • music

    55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its haunting, somber, and immersive qualities, perfectly complementing the dark, emotional atmosphere and storytelling. Many players highlight the soundtrack as memorable and beautifully produced, often wishing for its release. However, a few note that certain musical arrangements can feel uninspiring or repetitive, slightly detracting from the overall experience.

    • “The art style is haunting, the ambient music perfectly complements the tone, and the subtle storytelling adds emotional weight without overexplaining anything.”
    • “Music and sound design is stupendous (best part of the game) and cannot recommend this game enough for people who love challenging puzzles and unique ways to use the core mechanic of the game.”
    • “I knew from the very first introduction of the tense, discordant strings into the otherwise ethereally tinkling piano of the game's opening song that the soundtrack was going to be a banger.”
    • “The excellent art direction and the way its narrative unfolds are very memorable; however, the occasional unintuitive level design and bland musical arrangement really take away from the otherwise engaging experience.”
    • “Bad stuff: certain parts are unintuitive in their design, which can be downright frustrating. The musical arrangement is done in such a way that large portions of the game feel uninspiring and boring.”
    • “All the energy and beauty of the game's earlier music can sometimes give way to a cacophony of dying gasps and growled insults.”
  • graphics

    53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's graphics are widely praised for their beautifully detailed, haunting, and unique art style that perfectly complements its dark, mature narrative. The animations—especially of bosses—are exceptional, adding depth and atmosphere to the immersive environments rich with intricate visuals. Overall, the stunning hand-drawn aesthetic and thoughtful level design elevate the storytelling and puzzle experience.

    • “The game features a stunning art style, detailed animations, and plenty of interactable elements, bringing this dark fairytale to life.”
    • “As I mentioned before, the art style and animations are simply gorgeous, with a lot of detail to take in from the environment that helps with the storytelling.”
    • “The art style and attention to detail is stunning where I often found myself stopping for a moment just to take in the environment and all the intricate details on display.”
    • “The visuals are grisly, and the atmosphere is extremely dark and somehow gloomier than ever.”
    • “The visuals are largely presented through the tarot card cutscenes, which look great, and the things that the prince does are absolutely vile.”
    • “But a game can't rely solely on aesthetics; it needs to deliver in terms of gameplay as well, and "ugly" certainly does not disappoint.”
  • atmosphere

    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features a dark, surreal, and somber atmosphere that deeply immerses players in its emotionally intense and psychological horror story. Complemented by fitting, evocative music and striking hand-drawn art, the atmosphere effectively enhances the storytelling and gameplay, creating a unique, haunting, and memorable experience.

    • “If you enjoy atmosphere and storytelling without being squeamish about harsh topics, this is a game for you; I have had moments where I needed to collect myself because of what I have witnessed.”
    • “The developers have managed to create a unique, almost surreal atmosphere that is nothing short of an artistic masterpiece.”
    • “The visuals are grisly, and the atmosphere is extremely dark and somehow gloomier than ever.”
    • “The dark, surreal atmosphere is where the game really shines.”
    • “A puzzle game that's both hypnotic and devastating, with super fun boss fights (on the easy side of Cuphead), a touching and sad story and tons and tons of atmosphere and little details.”
  • emotional

    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game delivers a haunting and emotionally powerful experience through its atmospheric art, music, and subtle storytelling, evoking deep feelings ranging from sorrow to psychological tension. Its heart-wrenching narrative is complemented by challenging puzzles and memorable boss fights, creating a mesmerizing yet intense emotional journey. However, players should be mindful of its potentially overwhelming emotional impact.

    • “The art style is haunting, the ambient music perfectly complements the tone, and the subtle storytelling adds emotional weight without overexplaining anything.”
    • “Ugly is a surreal and heartfelt story with a mechanic that I find both challenging and refreshing.”
    • “A puzzle game that's both hypnotic and devastating, with super fun boss fights (on the easy side of Cuphead), a touching and sad story, and tons of atmosphere and little details.”
  • grinding

    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding is generally seen as tedious and frustrating, often due to unnecessary complexity and unfair mechanics, which detracts from the otherwise clever puzzles and immersive storytelling. While some find it purposeful in conveying certain themes, many feel the tediousness is avoidable and undermines the overall experience.

    • “Puzzles that could have been clever are turned into tedious exercises due to unnecessary complexity and unfair mechanics.”
    • “A beautifully crafted puzzle game with incredible art and intriguing story unfortunately let down by frustrating and tedious puzzles in the later half of the game.”
    • “It's just really tedious that way, and it didn't have to be.”
  • character development

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features meticulously hand-drawn characters and environments, showcasing a deep passion and attention to detail. This careful design enriches storytelling and character development, enhancing the immersive and unique world without relying on shock value.

    • “It's all hand-drawn, and there's clearly so much passion pumped into the game, from the character design to the background design, and... well, all of it!”
    • “Thankfully, it's there for storytelling and character development purposes and not for shock value”
    • “The attention to detail in every environment and character design is simply mind-blowing, and it's evident that a tremendous amount of care went into crafting this beautiful, bizarre world.”
  • replayability

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers high replayability by requiring players to revisit and solve puzzles multiple times, maintaining challenge and engagement even on repeat attempts within a short timeframe.

  • humor

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users note that while the game is visually impressive and almost flawless, it lacks the depth of personality and sense of humor found in similar titles like Portal. The humor aspect is considered less developed compared to the game's other strengths.

  • stability

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    User experiences with stability are mixed, with some reporting smooth gameplay without glitches, while others mention occasional bugs and issues. Overall, stability may vary depending on the version or platform.

    • “First of all, this game is kinda buggy sometimes.”
  • optimization

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization delivers smooth overall performance with minimal issues, ensuring a stable and enjoyable experience. Users generally find the game well-tuned to run efficiently across supported hardware.

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7h Median play time
7h Average play time
7-7h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Ugly is a platformer game with horror and mystery themes.

Ugly is available on Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, iPhone, Windows and others.

On average players spend around 7 hours playing Ugly.

Ugly was released on September 13, 2023.

Ugly was developed by Graffiti_Games.

Ugly has received positive reviews from players and positive reviews from critics. Most players liked Ugly for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Ugly is a single player game.

Similar games include ANIMAL WELL, MO:Astray, The Pedestrian, COCOON, Braid and others.