Please login to submit a screenshot

"The first above average Ultima game"

While the first few Ultima games were not very good, Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar finally broke out of the norm and put Ultima on the list of legendary RPG series. This is truly a legendary game and a classic.

Gameplay - 8/10

Like the previous games, Ultima IV runs in turns. You need food to survive, and all the previous game play elements are still in tact.

Ultima IV has a unique type of game play. So unique, that not even one other Ultima game plays like it. Your main goal is to be a virtuous person, in other words, you must raise yourself to perfection in the eight virtues: honesty, compassion, valor, justice, sacrifice, honor, spirituality, humility.

What makes Ultima IV so much better than all the previous games, you ask? My answer is the many new game play additions.

New features in Ultima IV:

- You can't just cast magic if you have enough MP. An added requirement is reagents. To cast a spell you must have the right reagents (ingredients) and mix them together to ready the spell. You can't mix reagents while in battle, and you can't cast a spell unless the reagents are mixed and ready to cast. There's a total of eight reagents, two of them are extremely rare and can't be bought from any shop. Using these reagents, there is a total of 26 spells that you can make.

- For the first time in an Ultima game, you can recruit people after starting the game. You choose your starter person at the beginning of the game. You are given a series of questions and which character you start with depends on your answers to the questions. After the game begins you can recruit any number of the other seven characters. Ultima IV marks the birth of the now legendary Ultima characters, Dupre, Shamino, Iolo, and others.

- Finally, there is much more to do in the world than just stat building. There is over two dozen required story items that you must find.

- Rough terrain slows down your movement, and makes it more difficult to avoid enemies.

Control - 8/10

As usual, you should have no trouble with the controls, although if you are moving quickly and an enemy attacks you, it's possible to sometimes accidentally run from the enemy which makes your valor score decrease (that's a bad thing).

Story - 7/10

Ultima IV has one of the most unique stories ever seen in a game. Instead of fighting some ultimate evil of some kind, the story focuses on you setting a good example for the people.

As with every Ultima game, Ultima IV picks up where the previous game left off.

After the destruction of the ''Triad of Evil'' (Mondain, Minax, and Exodus), people realize that in the coming new age of peace and prosperity, there is no longer a need for wars and territorial expansion.

Philosophers ask questions such as (from the manual):

''Is living a life of virtue an essential element of civilization, or can society survive the test of time without such principles?''

''How might we ensure the long-term continuation of our new-found peace?''

''What systems of laws and ethics will ensure the continued happiness of all our people?''

The manual also says:

''It is time for all to put aside their warlike ways and begin fighting the evil that lurks within themselves. It is far too easy to sit and espouse the path of Virtue, yet never set foot upon it.''

''To be at peace in all areas is a state only achieved by an Avatar. Is such a state attainable by any human, fallible as we all are? The true answer can only be found by those who quest forth in search of it - for who can see the end of the Path before beginning the journey?''

You have chosen to attempt to become an Avatar, so that you can set an example for others and prove that being virtuous is possible.

Audio - Original: 1/10, Patched: 4/10

Since the PC version officially has no music, and only blips and bleeps, it can't be given any real score for audio.

But, there is a downloadable patch that updates the game's graphics and adds MIDI music to it. This music isn't too good, but it's not too bad either.

Video - Original: 4/10, Patched: 5/10

Ultima IV has graphics very similar to Ultima I. They aren't half bad, but I suggest finding and downloading the patch to update the graphics. They are quite a bit better updated.

As with the previous Ultima games, the overworld and towns are drawn with tiled graphics, while dungeons are drawn in first person perspective.

Replayability - 5/10

Since there's so much to do, and a total of eight characters to use, there is significantly more replay value than all the previous Ultima games.

To buy or to rent? - This is one of the must own games on the Ultima Collection disc. I say if you are an RPG fan, then you should definitely get this game.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/10/01, Updated 10/30/02