Ultima series

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Ultima

History of Ultima

Ultima is a series of nine single player, role-playing games, created by Richard Garriott of Origin Systems Inc. There is a somewhat consistent story arc binding these games together, but each can also be played on its own. After the release of the first three games, Richard Garriott decided to brand three of each games a Trilogy with a certain focus.

Contents 1 Ultima Trilogies 2 The Ultima Series Games 3 Worlds of Ultima games 4 Ultima Underworld Series 5 Other Spin-off Games

Ultima Trilogies

• Ultima I - III are part of the "Age of Darkness" trilogy and focus much on hack'n'slash gameplay.
• Ultima IV - VI are part of the "Age of Enlightenment" trilogy shifting the gameplay towards an ethically-nuanced, story-driven approach dealing with the Virtues.
• Ultima VII - IX are part of the "Guardian Saga".

The Ultima Series Games

• Akalabeth - World of Doom (1980) — hack'n'slash predecessor, similar to Ultima I, but not considered part of the Ultima Series.
• Ultima I (1981) — the Stranger saves Britannia by killing Mondain.
• Ultima II - The Revenge of the Enchantress (1982) — the Stranger saves Britannia again by killing Mondain's apprentice Minax.
• Ultima III - Exodus (1983) — the Stranger saves Britannia yet again by killing Mondain's and Minax's offspring, the machine entity Exodus.
• Ultima IV - Quest of the Avatar (1985) — the Stranger becomes the Avatar, who is the living embodiment of the Virtues and their prophet.
• Ultima V - Warriors of Destiny (1988) — Lord Blackthorn, corrupted by the Shadowlords ursurps Britannia while Lord British is lost exploring Britannia's Underworld.
• Ultima VI - The False Prophet (1990) — Gargoyles threaten Britannia.
• Ultima VII - The Black Gate (1992) — The Fellowship, a religious sect, is gaining popularity in Brtiannia. Upon investigating the Avatar learns that the Fellowship is about to open a black gate to another dimension which would allow the "Guardian" to conquer Britannia.
• Ultima VII Part II - The Serpent Isle (1993) — the Avatar chases the head of the Fellowship, Batlin, to the Serpent Isle.
• Ultima VIII - Pagan (1994) — the Avatar gets banished to the world of Pagan which is ruled by the "Guardian"
• Ultima IX - Ascension (1999) — Back in Britannia the Avatar must restore the Runes of Virtue, cleanse the shrines of the Guardian's taint.

Worlds of Ultima games

A set of two spin-off games which are loosely based on the Ultima universe and contain some subtle references. Both games are based on the engine used in Ultima VI.

• Savage Empire (1990) — After the events in Ultima VI, the Avatar is transported by a friend's failed experiment with Blackrock to the otherwordly Valley of Eodon, a large jungle-like world filled with various tribes. The Avatar must unite the tribes against the insect like Myrmidex.
• Martian Dreams (1991) — The game takes the Avatar back in time to the Victorian Era where he gets shot to Mars by accident with Percival Lowell's Space Cannon.

Ultima Underworld Series

These games are spin-offs based on the Ultima universe, taking part in Britannia. However the events that take place in these games are not connected, and have no influence on the main Ultima Series.

• Ultima Underworld I - The Stygian Abyss (1992) — After witnessing the kidnapping of a baron's daughter by a wizard, the Avatar is found guilty of the crime and banished to the Great Stygian Abyss to either rescue her or perish within.
• Ultima Underworld II - Labyrinth of Worlds (1992) — One year after the Black Gate incident, the Avatar is invited to a feast at Lord British's castle to celebrate a year of rebuilding in Britannia. In the early morning afterwards, a great dome of blackrock crystal forms over the castle and everyone within, including the Avatar, is trapped.

Other Spin-off Games

• Ultima: Runes of Virtue I & II (Game Boy) — Action based gameplay and puzzle solving. The antagonist is called the "Black Knight". The game has simple dialogue and seems to be made for younger kids
• Escape from Mount Drash (1983) - a VIC20 game made in 1983 by Keith Zabalaoui, who was a good friend of Richard Garriott. It was only 20 years later, on 11th June 2003, that Kasper Fauerby, also known as Telemachos, ported it to the PC. It has been thought lost for a long time, and in fact became known as the "holy grail of classic game collecting" because of its rarity.
• Ultima Online (1997) — UO is the only game that can be played online which takes place in the Ultima universe. It's story is very loosely based on the Ultima-series, however familiar concepts and people, like the Virtues, Lord British, Minax and Dupre make an appearance. Ultima Online features Britannia, but no other locations known from the Ultima series games.

The primary story line is driven by OSI through ingame events which occur on all of UO's (shards). Additionally to that each shard has its own history, shaped by local OSI sponsored events or events made up by players.