Ultima 3: Exodus
| Developer: Origin | Graphics: |
 | |
| Publisher: Origin | Sound: |
 | |
| Year: 1986 | Difficulty: |
 | |
| Genre: Role-playing game | Lastability: |
 | |
| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
7/10 | |
Ultima (created by Richard Garriott) is one of the oldest and most prolific computer role-playing game series. The first instalment debuted in 1981 on the Apple II and was later ported to a multitude of systems. Eight sequels followed through the late ’90s, along with numerous spin-offs. Our beloved Amiga had the privilege of hosting episodes 3 through 6—albeit, a few years behind schedule.
Ultima 3 marks a significant milestone in video game history, inspiring other major franchises like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, as well as most “modern” role-playing games. It was among the first to let players control a party of characters (a modest group of four with rudimentary animations) and introduced the foundations of turn-based tactical combat. This format—where warriors, spellcasters, and ranged fighters work together to defeat larger or stronger foes—would go on to become a genre standard.
The game offers a vast world to explore (and painstakingly map on paper), coupled with an impressive variety of monsters, spells, and equipment, all tied to a sense of total freedom. You’re even free to behave badly—stealing or attacking villagers, for example. It also incorporates survival elements, such as food management (a feature often overlooked) and “masks” on-screen that mimic your character’s limited field of vision when obstacles block their line of sight. Exploration and combat use a top-down view, but dungeons are unexpectedly rendered in first-person 3D—quite the surprise for the time.
Narratively, the first two episodes blended heroic fantasy and science fiction with wild abandon (time travel and spaceships, anyone?). The third entry is more traditional, yet also more refined. If you’re looking to dive into the series, Ultima 4 would be a better starting point. It introduces innovative ideas, such as your avatar’s moral development, centred around the “Code of the Eight Virtues”. Morality and religion—what fun!
Be warned: the simplistic and dated appearance of this classic RPG belies the significant time investment required. First, you’ll need to study the manual in detail (just to create a balanced party and equip them properly), and, of course, a decent grasp of English is essential.
Controls are undeniably archaic, relying on a maze of keyboard shortcuts and offering a tiny dialogue window. Combat, while fairly rudimentary, demands patience and practice due to its clunky interface.
Back in the day, Ultima 3 came at a premium price, bundled with a beautiful map and lavishly illustrated booklets detailing the story, game mechanics, spells, and monsters. You can browse through these treasures at Hall of Light.
One of the oldest MMORPGs is based on the Ultima universe: the aptly named Ultima Online (1997), which spawned a vast number of expansions.
|
