Battlefield Developer's Unreleased Game From 1994, Ultracore, Is Out Now

Ultracore is now available, marking the end of a journey that has been stalled since 1994. The game, previously known as Hardcore, was cancelled by Psygnosis when it was most of the way complete. It was due to release for the Amiga, Sega Genesis, and Sega CD, but the near-finished game was cancelled by its publisher due to the impending launch of the PlayStation, and the assumption that a game that wasn't 32-bit would not sell.

Hardcore was to be one of the earliest releases of Digital Illusions, now known as DICE, the developer of the Battlefield franchise. Now, 26 years later, the game has finally debuted for two modern systems.

We've played through the game's first stage for some quick impressions, and it's fair to say that the game is an unapologetically old-school experience. Don't expect a modern remake or update--this is very much the game as it was intended to be released in the early 90s. That's not to say that it has aged poorly, though, as the game's run-and-gun action is very enjoyable. Having to enter codes to level select is slightly less of a pain on a console with a screenshot function, too.

Ultracore is out now on PS4 and Switch, with a PlayStation Vita version planned to release at a later date. The game, which is a run-and-gun platformer with five stages, will cost $23, and is being published by ININ Games, which recently released the Darius Arcade and Console Collections. It's being released with an updated soundtrack, featuring 20 tunes from various synthwave and electronic artists.

In a statement included in the press release, DICE co-founder Fredrik Lilijegren expressed his excitement at the game's impending release. "I know the care, love, sweat and hard work that went into creating Hardcore in the first place by all involved parties," he said. "Thus, I think it is fantastic that this product finally gets to see the light of day and for people to be able to play it."

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In Japan, the game already received a release last year for the Mega Sg, an aftermarket console compatible with various old Sega console games.

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