Opinions
Ultima 1 was the first ultima I finished, although it wasn't the first I played. Starting with IV and V on the ST, I managed to find the 1,2,3 and 4,5,6 packs in a thrift store, so decided to begin at the beginning.
@DarkBlueMonkey, 24th May 2022 at 03:39
Well, compared to the large parties, music and colourfulness of V, and the complexity of IV, the PC port of I was quite a shock. It ran really well, though, and despite the ageing interface it drew me right in. Before I knew it, I was ploughing through the game at a great rate. I loved roaming around, although having no companions suddenly felt very exposing.
The battles were tough and the plot took me all over, but through studious note taking I found myself finishing the game far quicker than I expected. The size also seemed far less than IV or V.
However, it was a brilliant little RPG, and even a good few years after release it was still head and shoulders above some of the other RPG releases at the time. What it sacrificed in bling, it more than made up for in every other aspect.
Modern gamers would struggle, I think. It doesn't hold your hand or give you long tutorials. And I think it enhances the sense of accomplishment when you defeat it.
Excellent game, and a valued part of gaming history.
There is actually quite a lot I have to say about this game despite how it can be seen as quite simple nowadays. This was the second ''Ultima'' game I played, if I remember correctly, with ''Akalabeth'' being the first I played and finished. I had a fascination with old-school RPGs at the time, and I decided to give this one a shot, so I purchased and downloaded it from GOG.com, and started playing. Due to the older nature of the game, it took me a while to get into, but soon I started to have a lot of fun. It was a little simple to me, but I loved it and I still do to this day, even if the games after are far superior.
TigerBlazer, 28th September 2021 at 18:14
This game is a super enjoyable mix of fantasy and sci-fi that doesn't take itself too seriously. Still perfectly playable today and not too difficult or convoluted. A game well deserving of a re-vist & certainly of being played
MS-DOS Project, 16th May 2020 at 22:33
I liked stealing food over and over and over with guards who failed to catch me as they couldn't figure out their way around a corner.
Tony B, 13th March 2014 at 23:53
Ultima 1 is a major classic in the series. I Love It!
Raamo, 13th March 2014 at 23:52
I played Ultima I as part of the I-III box set after having played III, IV, and possibly V. Even so, I found it charming and certainly years ahead of its time. It neatly combined three gameplay modes: town, overworld, and 3D dungeons. Though it was the first in the series, it still contained revolutionary gameplay elements like being able to attack "friendlies" with appropriate consequences. Well done, Lord British.
Kevin Fishburne, 13th March 2014 at 16:22
A Classic!! My first Ultima experience was U3 Exodus back in the mid 80's and it was only recently thanks to GOG that I was able to revisit this great game. What makes these early titles so special to me is that Richard Garriot created them from start to finish. No publishers or programmers involved. Just Lord British himself. He created a genre that has grown in popularity to becoming one of the biggest in the gaming industry today. I really enjoyed taking a step back to the beginning of this beloved series with my stack of graph paper and pencil in hand and mapped my way into RPG history.
Tony Simmons , 12th March 2014 at 10:15