Ultima is a series of open-world fantasy role-playing video games developed by Origin Systems and created by Richard Garriott. Electronic Arts has owned the 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 important in their genre. New ideas introduced in the early games were often copied by other games.

The Ultima games are mostly set in the fantasy fiction world but also include science fiction elements. Most of the games take place in a world called Britannia. The main character is first called the Stranger, but becomes known as the Avatar starting in Ultima IV.

Games

The main Ultima series includes nine games (with the seventh game split into two parts) grouped into three trilogies, or "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 trilogy is sometimes called "The Guardian Saga" because of its main villain. The first trilogy takes place in a fantasy world named Sosaria. During the events of The Age of Darkness, Sosaria is split apart, and three-quarters of it disappears. What remains becomes Britannia, a land ruled by Lord British. Most of the later games are set in Britannia. The main character in all the games is someone from Earth who is called by Lord British to protect Sosaria and, later, Britannia from dangers. At first, the character is called "the Stranger," but by the end of Ultima IV, the character is known as the Avatar.

In Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness (1981), the Stranger is summoned to Sosaria to defeat Mondain, an evil wizard who wants to take over the world. Mondain has a special gem that makes him invincible. To stop him, the Stranger uses a time machine to travel back in time, kills Mondain before he creates the gem, and destroys the incomplete gem.

In Ultima II: The Revenge of the Enchantress (1982), Mondain’s student and lover, Minax, tries to avenge him. When Minax attacks the Stranger’s home world, Earth, she opens doorways to different times and places in Earth’s history and brings monsters to those places. The Stranger finds a special sword that can harm Minax, locates her at Castle Shadowguard at the beginning of time, and defeats her.

In Ultima III: Exodus (1983), it is revealed that Mondain and Minax had a child named Exodus, described as "neither human nor machine" in later games. Exodus is shown as a computer and appears to be a self-aware, demonic artificial intelligence. 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 include a system where players could team up with other characters, a feature used in later games.

In Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (1985), the series changes focus from simple "hero vs. villain" stories to a system based on eight virtues connected to the principles of love, truth, and courage. Britannia is now peaceful under Lord British’s rule, but he worries about the spiritual health of his people. He calls the Stranger again to become a spiritual leader by example. The Stranger’s choices throughout the game determine how close he gets to this goal. If he achieves enlightenment in all virtues, he can find the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom and become the "Avatar," the embodiment of Britannia’s virtues.

In Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny (1988), the Avatar returns to Britannia and finds that Lord British has been lost in the Underworld. Lord Blackthorn, who rules in his place, has been corrupted by the Shadowlords and teaches a twisted version of the virtues. The Avatar and his companions 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 companions must fight an invasion by Gargoyles. The game explores themes of racism and prejudice, challenging the Avatar to understand and reconcile the differences between two cultures.

In Ultima VII: The Black Gate (1992), the Avatar becomes involved in a plan by a group called the Fellowship to create a gateway for an evil entity named the Guardian to enter Britannia. This was the first game in the series where the creator, Richard Garriott, planned the story for future games in advance. An expansion pack, Forge of Virtue, added a volcanic island to the game world. The Avatar was sent to investigate the island, where a piece of Exodus’s data storage unit was found. To leave the island, the Avatar had to destroy this piece of Exodus, which also created a powerful weapon called the Black Sword.

Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle (1993) was released as the second part of Ultima VII because it used the same game engine as the first part. The storyline was shortened due to time constraints, and some parts of the original plot remain in the game’s database. After defeating the Fellowship, its leader, Batlin, flees to Serpent Isle, where the Avatar and his companions follow him. Serpent Isle is revealed to be another piece of the old world of Sosaria. The game’s story explains many events from the Age of Darkness and ends with the Avatar being captured by the Guardian and taken to another world for the next game. An expansion pack, The Silver Seed, allowed the Avatar to travel back in time to plant a seed that balanced the forces on Serpent Isle. This expansion had a side quest unrelated to the main story but gave the Avatar powerful items.

In Ultima VIII: Pagan (1994), the Avatar is sent to a world called "Pagan" by the Guardian. In Pagan, the rules of Britannia are unknown, and the world is ruled by the Elemental Titans, who serve the Guardian. The Avatar defeats the Titans using their own magic, becomes a demi-god, and returns to Britannia. A planned expansion pack, The Lost Vale, was canceled due to low sales.

In Ultima IX: Ascension (1999), the final game in the series, Britannia is conquered, and its virtues are corrupted by the Guardian. The Avatar must restore the virtues. The Guardian is revealed to be the evil part of the Avatar himself, which was separated from him when he became the Avatar. To stop the Guardian, the Avatar must merge with it, ending his existence as a separate being. A version of the game’s story that was not released had a more dramatic ending, with the Guardian and Lord British dying, Britannia destroyed, and the Avatar reaching a higher level of existence.

• Ultima Trilogy (1989) – an early collection of the first three Ultima games released for the Apple II, Commodore 64, and DOS by Origin Systems.
• Ultima: The Second Trilogy (1992) – a later collection of the next three Ultima games released for the Commodore 64 and DOS by Origin Systems.
• Ultima I–VI – a compilation of the first six Ultima games.

Packaging

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

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

Copy protection measures

In the Atari 8-bit version of Ultima IV, one of the floppy disks had a track that was not properly formatted. Without this track, players would lose every battle. This issue was not immediately obvious as a copy protection method, as players might think the problem was due to lack of experience or poor equipment. The German distributor, unaware of this issue, provided regularly formatted disks in their packages. These disks caused players to lose every battle, acting like unlicensed copies.

In Ultima V, the game included a booklet with information that was needed to answer questions asked by characters in the game. The booklet also explained a special runic script and unique spell names used in the game. Additionally, a journal about Lord British’s failed journey into the underworld was included with the game box. Over time, players would need to follow the same journey to find an important item. These details were designed as subtle copy protection methods, blending naturally into the game’s historical and fantasy themes so players would not notice them as protection measures.

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

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

Common elements

The world of Ultima originally 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 destroyed 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 continent was later called "Sosaria." The Lands of Danger and Despair were later found again as Serpent Isle, which appeared to be moved to another dimension. This suggests the other two continents may still exist. Ultima II shows Castle Barataria on Planet X, which implies the Lands of the Feudal Lords became this planet. Ultima Online: Samurai Empire suggests the Lands of the Feudal Lords were transformed into the Tokuno Islands after the cataclysm.

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

In Ultima, the player controls the Avatar, who represents eight virtues. These virtues were first introduced in Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (1985). The goal of the game was to practice these virtues and become a moral example. Each virtue is linked to a party member, a city in Britannia, and one of eight planets in Britannia's solar system. Each virtue has a mantra, and each of the three principles (Truth, Love, and Courage) has a word of power the player must learn. The eight virtues are Honesty, Compassion, Valor, Justice, Sacrifice, Honor, Spirituality, and Humility. These virtues are based on the three principles, which come from the One True Axiom: Infinity.

The virtue system was inspired by Hinduism's concepts of purification and character traits, as well as characters from The Wizard of Oz. The Scarecrow represented truth, the Tin Woodsman represented love, and the Cowardly Lion represented courage.

The virtues became a major theme in later Ultima games. In Ultima V, Lord Blackthorn turned the virtues into strict laws, which unintentionally caused the opposite of the virtues to happen. In Ultima VI, the Avatar faced the idea that his actions might not seem virtuous from another perspective. In Ultima VII, the Fellowship replaced the virtues with a different belief system, causing chaos in Britannia. In Ultima IX, the virtues were turned into their opposite anti-virtues.

The virtue system in Ultima was seen as a new way to design games and became a standard 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 vicious. The system is described as a "philosophical journey" because it does not give clear rules or point values.

In early Ultima games, the player was called the Stranger, and the game allowed players to complete quests through theft or violence. After Ultima III, Richard Garriott received criticism from parents who said the games allowed immoral actions, such as stealing or killing. He also faced criticism about supposed Satanic content in Ultima III. After learning about Hinduism and the concept of the Avatar, Garriott created the eight virtues for the Avatar in Ultima IV.

The Avatar first appeared in Ultima IV, where his goal was to follow the virtues and retrieve the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom from the Great Stygian Abyss. In Ultima V, the Avatar defeated a repressive regime in Britannia. In Ultima VI, he brought peace between humans and gargoyles. In Ultima VII and VIII, the Avatar fought the Guardian, and in Ultima IX: Ascension, both the Avatar and the Guardian were destroyed.

In most Ultima games, players could choose the Avatar's name. Ultima VIII: Pagan fixed the Avatar as a blond-haired, blue-eyed male, while other games allowed players to choose the Avatar's race, gender, and appearance. Starting with Ultima IV, players used single keywords to activate the Avatar's speech, but later games like Ultima VII and Ultima Underworld allowed full conversations. Ultima IX added digitized speech to accompany the text.

The Avatar was designed to be a blank slate, allowing players to reflect their own personality. The word "avatar" in this context was the first time it represented a concept similar to modern virtual identities. The Avatar was one of the first games to let players choose the protagonist's race and gender, allowing players to think about their actions. Over time, the Avatar took on a more specific appearance and character.

Lord British is the ruler of Britannia and represents the creator of the series, Richard Garriott. His name comes from a nickname given to him by friends who said 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, the Japanese versions of the Ultima series made by Pony Canyon sold nearly 100,000 copies for home computers and more than 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, noting that "even though the graphics and gameplay style change with new technology, the series has always provided steady excitement for role-playing games." In 1999, Next Generation listed the Ultima series as number 18 on their "Top 50 Games of All Time," stating that "many PC role-playing games focus on fighting enemies and exploring dungeons, but the Ultima series has always focused on a world where a character's virtues are as important as their armor class in achieving success." In 2000, Britannia was named one of the ten best game worlds by GameSpot, described as "the oldest and one of the most historically rich gameworlds."

Impact and legacy

The early Ultimas, especially Ultima III: Exodus (1983), introduced many features that later became common in role-playing games (RPGs). These included the use of tiled graphics, party-based combat, a mix of fantasy and science fiction, and the use of time travel in the story. Some of these ideas were inspired by the game Wizardry, particularly the party-based combat system. Exodus was also unique because it used a written story to tell a larger tale, unlike most games at the time, which focused mainly on combat. Other games, such as Ultima I, Ultima II, and Akalabeth, often had simple plots. In Ultima IV, Richard Garriott introduced a system of chivalry and rules. Players, called "Avatars," were tested through their actions and judged based on their choices. This system was special because other games usually allowed players to act freely without facing consequences.

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

On June 30, 2020, Garriott said that EA refused to help revive or remaster the Ultima series.

Garriott’s new company, Portalarium, created an RPG/MMORPG that he called a spiritual successor to Ultima. On March 8, 2013, Portalarium started a Kickstarter campaign for Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues. This was the first of five planned episodes in the game. It was designed as a "Selective Multiplayer Game," allowing players to choose how much they wanted to play with others, from full multiplayer to single-player mode. The first episode was released on March 27, 2018, but received mixed reviews. Additional episodes have not yet been released.