URG PRESS KIT
Game: URG
Developer: Jani Penttinen
Contact: jani@utoposgames.com / +1.408.499.1321
Game install: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1195140/URG/
There is a free demo available. Review keys for the full version are available on request.
Release schedule:
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Demember 2020 for Atari VCS (as Guntech)
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February 1st, 2021 on Steam (PC and Mac)
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An early version of the game has also been in soft launch on iOS, but there are currently no firm plans for releasing the full version for mobile.
Price: $19.99 on Steam, $24.99 on Atari VCS
Website: www.utoposgames.com/urg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GuntechGame/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/UtoposGames
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JaniPenttinen
History
URG is a remake of an Atari ST game called Utopos from 1993, so by the nature of it, URG is a retro game. The original Utopos game was the first published game ever made by Utopos Games founder Mr. Jani Penttinen.
Jani has chronicled his history as a game developer, and how he helped shape the entire game industry in Finland, in a post here: https://www.janipenttinen.com/post/who-is-jani-penttinen-the-game-developer
The birth story of URG is really unique. Jani had already left the game industry behind years earlier when his young children found out that their dad had been a game developer long before they were born.
The kids were really excited that their dad had this cool past, instead of the boring businessman he had been through their lives. Like a veteran musician dusting his guitar, Jani installed Unity, which didn't even exist when he last worked on games and started learning how to make games again. After three years, and with a lot of cheering from his kids, Jani is now a full-time game developer once again, ready to release his first game in over 10 years.
What is also special is that Jani has returned to the early days of game development, where one developer built the entire game. He designed and programmed everything using Unity, and with help from the Unity Asset Store, took care of the art direction as well.
The project was called URG during early development, but it ended up being released as Guntech as an early release game on Steam in January 2020. This was a very early version with just 3 levels, none of which made it to the final version. Guntech was also ported to iOS, and a version of it was soft launched in August 2020.
The first full release of Guntech came in December 2020 as a launch title for a new console, Atari VCS. Guntech was the best-selling and most talked about game at the console launch. After the VCS version, it was decided that going forward, the branding will be URG, just as originally envisioned. The name Guntech ended up being difficult as searching for it on YouTube or Twitter or almost any other platform resulted mostly videos of gun enthusiasts and it was difficult to find our game among all the other content.
URG for PC and Mac was released on February 1, 2021.
We don't yet have reviews of the Atari and PC launches, but based on the soft launch on mobile, it seems that the magic is still there: App Store review score average is 4.9 out of 5, with gamers praising the playability and smooth controls, beautiful graphics, and of course the music, which deserves a special mention.
Music was composed by Frank Klepacki, a true game industry legend best known for his work at Westwood Studios, where he worked together with Jani on the Command & Conquer games.
WHAT IS URG?
URG is a retro-style arcade shooter. You, as a player, will take the controls of a rocket ship. The game takes place on the Asteroid Belt, in a region between Mars and Jupiter, in the distant future. You have escaped Earth in hopes for a better life, but instead, you find yourself fighting for survival, smuggling goods, and plundering old mines.
As the game progresses, you fight your way up. You acquire better ships, more powerful weapons, equip your ship with gadgets and in turn receive more challenging missions.
URG is a side-scrolling shoot'em up with detailed 3D environments. The game is a retro game to the heart, taking classic game play elements from the 80s and 90s and bringing them to modern touch screens and game controllers. Unlike many other retro games, URG is sporting state-of-the-art graphics with big explosions and colorful particle effects to take the most out each platform is runs on - from game consoles like Atari VCS to the latest gaming PCs.
URG's levels are split into "Worlds" that each have their own characteristics. These worlds are placed around various asteroids located in the Asteroid Belt. Examples of worlds to explore include "The Dark Worlds", an old defunt mining colony where the player has to descent deep into dark caves to find lost treasures, and "The Space Jungle", a green world with lush vegeration and weird mutated animals, a result of an agricultural experiment that got out of hand.
Image Gallery
Logos
App Store Reviews
We don't have reviews from Atari VCS or Steam yet, but here's what players have said after trying the early version on iOS. After two weeks in soft launch, Guntech has a 4.9 / 5.0 review score globally and 5.0 / 5.0 in the US. The gamers are praising playability and controls, graphics and the music.
