Ultima is a series of open world fantasy role-playing video games created by Origin Systems and developed by Richard Garriott. Electronic Arts has owned the Ultima brand since 1992. By 1997, the series had sold more than 2 million copies.

Along with Wizardry and Might and Magic, the Ultima series helped set many standards for the computer role-playing game genre. Several games in the series are considered very important to their genre. Their creative ideas, especially in the early games, were used by many other games.

The Ultima games are mostly based in the fantasy fiction genre but also include science fiction elements. The games take place in a world called Britannia. The main character who appears in many games is first called the Stranger. After completing Ultima IV, the character earns the title of Avatar and is known by that name in later games.

Games

The main Ultima series includes nine games (with the seventh game split into two parts) organized into three groups called "Ages": The Age of Darkness (Ultima I-III), The Age of Enlightenment (Ultima IV-VI), and The Age of Armageddon (Ultima VII-IX). The last group is sometimes called "The Guardian Saga" because of its main enemy. The first group takes place in a fantasy world named Sosaria, but during the events of The Age of Darkness, most of Sosaria is destroyed. What remains becomes Britannia, a land ruled by Lord British, where most later games are set. The main character in all games is a person from Earth who is called by Lord British to protect Sosaria and, later, Britannia from dangers. At first, the player is called "the Stranger," but by the end of Ultima IV, the player is known as the "Avatar."

In Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness (1981), the Stranger is called to Sosaria to stop Mondain, an evil wizard who wants to take over the world. Mondain has a Gem of Immortality that makes him invincible. The Stranger finds a time machine, travels back in time, and destroys the gem before it is completed.

In Ultima II: The Revenge of the Enchantress (1982), Mondain’s student and lover, Minax, tries to get revenge. When Minax attacks Earth, she opens doorways to different times and places, bringing monsters everywhere. The Stranger finds a special sword called the Quicksword, which can hurt Minax, and defeats her at Castle Shadowguard.

In Ultima III: Exodus (1983), it is revealed that Mondain and Minax had a child named Exodus, described as neither human nor machine. After Minax’s death, Exodus attacks Sosaria, and the Stranger is called again to destroy it. This game was the first in the series to allow players to control a group of characters, a feature used in later games.

In Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (1985), the series shifted from simple "hero vs. villain" stories to a system based on eight virtues linked to love, truth, and courage. Britannia is now peaceful under Lord British’s rule, but he worries about his people’s spiritual health. The Stranger must act in ways that align with these virtues to become the "Avatar," a symbol of Britannia’s values.

In Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny (1988), the Avatar returns to Britannia to find Lord British missing and replaced by Lord Blackthorn, who is controlled by the Shadowlords. The Avatar and his friends rescue Lord British, defeat Lord Blackthorn, and restore the true meaning of the virtues.

In Ultima VI: The False Prophet (1990), the Avatar and his friends must stop Gargoyles from invading Britannia. The game explores themes of racism and prejudice, showing the Avatar must understand and unite two different cultures.

In Ultima VII: The Black Gate (1992), the Avatar is involved in a plan by a group called the Fellowship to create a gateway for an evil being named the Guardian to enter Britannia. This game was the first where the creator, Richard Garriott, planned the story ahead of time. An expansion pack called Forge of Virtue added a volcanic island where the Avatar must destroy a piece of Exodus, a powerful artifact. This action also creates a powerful weapon called the Black Sword.

Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle (1993) was released as a second part of Ultima VII because it used the same game system. The story was shortened due to time limits, but it explains parts of Sosaria’s past and ends with the Avatar being captured by the Guardian. An expansion called Silver Seed lets the Avatar travel back in time to balance the forces on Serpent Isle, though this quest is separate from the main story.

In Ultima VIII: Pagan (1994), the Avatar is sent to a world called "Pagan" by the Guardian. Here, the Britannic virtues are unknown, and the world is ruled by powerful beings called Elemental Titans. The Avatar defeats them, becomes a demi-god, and returns to Britannia. A planned expansion called The Lost Vale was canceled because the game did not sell well.

In Ultima IX: Ascension (1999), the final game, Britannia is taken over by the Guardian, who corrupts its virtues. The Guardian is revealed to be the evil part of the Avatar himself. To stop the Guardian, the Avatar must merge with it, ending his life as a separate being. An earlier version of the story had a more dramatic ending where the Guardian and Lord British are killed, Britannia is destroyed, and the Avatar ascends to a higher level of existence.

• Ultima Trilogy (1989) – A collection of the first three Ultima games for the Apple II, Commodore 64, and DOS.
• Ultima: The Second Trilogy (1992) – A later collection of the second three Ultima games for the Commodore 64 and DOS.
• Ultima I–VI – A compilation of the first six games.

Packaging

Ultima game boxes often included special items called "feelies." For example, starting with Ultima II, each main series game came with a cloth map of the game world. Beginning with Ultima IV, small items like pendants, coins, and magic stones were added to the boxes. These items, made of metal or glass, usually represented important objects found in the game.

Richard Garriott did not like how games were sold in zip lock bags with only a few pages for instructions. He insisted that Ultima II be sold in a box with a cloth map and a manual. At that time, Sierra was the only company willing to agree to this request, so Garriott signed with them.

Copy protection measures

In the Atari 8-bit version of Ultima IV, one of the floppy disks had an unformatted track. If this floppy disk was missing, players would lose every battle. This issue was not immediately obvious as a copy protection method because players might think the problem was due to lack of experience or poor equipment. The copy protection was designed to be subtle, and the German distributor overlooked it. They sent out Atari 8-bit packages with regularly formatted floppy disks, which caused players to lose every battle because the disks did not include the necessary data.

In Ultima V, some information in the game’s booklet was used in the game. For example, characters in the game would ask questions based on details in the booklet. The game also included runic symbols and special spell names, with translations provided in the booklet. A journal about Lord British’s failed journey into the underworld was included with the game box. During the game, players would need to follow the same path as the expedition to retrieve an important item. These features were designed as copy protection methods, blending naturally into the game’s historical and fantasy themes so casual players would not notice them as copy protection.

Ultima VI used a more organized copy protection system by including in-game questions. If players answered these questions incorrectly, they could not progress further. This method continued in Ultima VII, where players had unlimited chances to answer the questions correctly. Answers could be found in the manual or cloth map included with the game. However, the manual from the Ultima Collection included all the answers to copy protection questions for every game.

In Ultima VII Part 2: Serpent Isle, the copy protection was slightly changed. Players faced questions at two points in the game. If they failed to answer after two attempts, all non-player characters (NPCs) would only say altered versions of famous quotes, and everything in the game would be labeled "Oink!" This made the game unplayable. Starting with Ultima VIII, copy protection questions were no longer used.

Common elements

Originally, the world of Ultima had four continents. These were Lord British's Realm, ruled by Lord British and the Lost King; The Lands of Danger and Despair, ruled by Lord Shamino and the King of the White Dragon; The Lands of the Dark Unknown, ruled by Lord Olympus and the King of the Black Dragon; and The Lands of the Feudal Lords, ruled by the lords of Castle Rondorin and Castle Barataria.

After Mondain was defeated and his Gem of Immortality was broken in Ultima I, a major event changed the world. Three of the four continents seemed to disappear, leaving only Lord British's Realm. This remaining land was later called "Sosaria." The Lands of Danger and Despair were later found again as Serpent Isle, which had moved to another place, suggesting the other two continents might still exist. Ultima II shows Castle Barataria on Planet X, which suggests the Lands of the Feudal Lords became this planet. Ultima Online: Samurai Empire suggests the Lands of the Feudal Lords were changed into the Tokuno Islands after the event.

After Exodus was defeated in Ultima III, Sosaria was renamed Britannia to honor Lord British. Serpent Isle stayed connected to Britannia through a gate near the poles. In Ultima VII, Batlin, the leader of the Fellowship, fled to Serpent Isle after the Black Gate was destroyed, which stopped the Guardian's first attack. Ninety percent of Serpent Isle's people were destroyed when evil Banes were released by Batlin in a failed attempt to capture them in Ultima VII Part 2.

In Ultima, the player controls the Avatar, who represents eight virtues. This idea was first introduced in Ultima IV, where the game shifted focus from traditional role-playing to one based on right and wrong. Each virtue is linked to a party member, a city in Britannia, and a planet in Britannia's solar system. Each virtue has a mantra, and each of the three principles has a word of power that the player must learn. The eight virtues are Honesty, Compassion, Valor, Justice, Sacrifice, Honor, Spirituality, and Humility. These are based on the three principles of Truth, Love, and Courage, which come from the One True Axiom—Infinity, the combination of all Truth, Love, and Courage.

The virtues were first used in Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (1985), where the goal was to practice them and become a moral example. Variations of the virtues appear in all later games. Richard Garriott created the virtue system to encourage players to think about their choices. He was inspired by ideas from Hinduism and characters from The Wizard of Oz, such as the Scarecrow (truth), the Tin Woodsman (love), and the Cowardly Lion (courage).

The virtues became a major theme in later Ultima games. In Ultima V, Lord Blackthorn turned the virtues into strict laws, which led to the opposite of what the virtues intended. In Ultima VI, the Avatar faced the idea that his actions might not seem virtuous from another perspective. In Ultima VII, a group called the Fellowship replaced the virtues with their own beliefs, causing chaos in Britannia. In Ultima IX, the virtues were changed into their opposite ideas.

The virtue system in Ultima was a new idea in game design and became a common feature in role-playing games. It influenced games like Black & White, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and the Fable series. Unlike other games, Ultima can only be won by being virtuous, not by being evil. Mark Hayse praised the system for being subtle, as it encouraged reflection without giving clear rules.

Early Ultima games called the player the "Stranger," and allowed players to complete quests through theft or violence. After Ultima III, Richard Garriott received criticism from parents and others who were concerned about the game's content. Inspired by a show about Hinduism and the idea of an Avatar, Garriott created the eight virtues for the Avatar in Ultima IV.

The Avatar first appears in Ultima IV, where his goal is to follow the virtues and retrieve the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom from the Great Stygian Abyss. In Ultima V, the Avatar ends a harsh rule in Britannia. In Ultima VI, he brings peace between humans and gargoyles. In Ultima VII and VIII, the Avatar fights the Guardian, and in Ultima IX: Ascension, both the Avatar and the Guardian are destroyed.

Except for Ultima IX: Ascension, players can choose the Avatar's name. Ultima VIII: Pagan set the Avatar's appearance as a blond-haired, blue-eyed male, while other games allowed players to choose the Avatar's race, gender, and look. Starting with Ultima IV, players used single keywords to control the Avatar's speech, but later games like Ultima VII and Ultima Underworld allowed full conversations. Ultima IX added realistic voice acting.

The Avatar was designed to be a blank slate, letting players reflect their own choices. The word "avatar" in Ultima was the first time it was used to mean a player's representation in a virtual world. Players could choose the Avatar's race and gender, making the character a reflection of themselves. Over time, the Avatar took on a more defined appearance and personality.

Lord British is the ruler of Britannia and represents the game's creator, Richard Garriott. His nickname came from friends who thought his greeting sounded "British." He added the title "Lord" when he played the dungeon master in Dungeons & Dragons.

Reception

By 1990, the first five Ultima games sold more than 470,000 copies for home computers in the United States. In Japan, Pony Canyon's versions of the Ultima series sold nearly 100,000 copies for home computers and over 300,000 copies for the Famicom (Nintendo Entertainment System) by 1990.

In 1996, Next Generation ranked the Ultima series as the 55th best game of all time. It noted that the series has remained a steady source of roleplaying excitement, even as technology and graphics changed over time. In 1999, Next Generation listed the Ultima series as number 18 on its "Top 50 Games of All Time." It stated that many PC roleplaying games focus on fighting enemies and exploring dungeons, but the Ultima series always emphasized the importance of a character's virtues, such as honesty and courage, in addition to their armor class. In 2000, Britannia was named one of the ten best game worlds by GameSpot. It was described as the oldest and one of the most historically rich game worlds.

Impact and legacy

The early Ultima games, especially Ultima III: Exodus (1983), introduced many features that became common in later role-playing games (RPGs). These included the use of tile-based graphics, battles involving a group of characters, a mix of fantasy and science-fiction themes, and the use of time travel in the story. Some of these ideas were inspired by the game Wizardry, particularly the group combat system. Exodus was also unique for using written stories to create a more detailed plot than most games at the time, which often focused mainly on combat. Other games, including Ultima I and II and Akalabeth, usually had simpler stories. In Ultima IV, Richard Garriott added a system of rules about honor and behavior. Players, called "Avatars," were tested through their choices, and their actions determined their success. This moral system was unusual because most games allowed players to act freely without consequences.

Ultima III was later released on many other platforms and influenced games like Excalibur and Dragon Quest. Many people believe it was the first modern computer RPG.

On June 30, 2020, Richard Garriott said that Electronic Arts (EA) refused to help revive or remaster the Ultima series.

Garriott’s new company, Portalarium, created an RPG/MMORPG called Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues. This game is described as a spiritual successor to the Ultima series. On March 8, 2013, Portalarium started a Kickstarter campaign to fund the game. Forsaken Virtues is the first of five planned episodes in the Shroud of the Avatar series. It was designed as a "Selective Multiplayer Game," allowing players to choose how much they want to play with others, from fully online multiplayer to single-player offline. Originally planned for release in Summer 2017, with later episodes released yearly, the first episode was finally released on March 27, 2018, and received mixed reviews. Additional episodes have not yet been released.