Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny

Garriott refined gameplay considerably with the fifth installment of the series. Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny pushed the graphic capabilities of the Apple II to the limit and added much more depth to all aspects of the game. Enhanced combat and character interaction made Ultima V immediately appealing. Even so, its greatest achievements emerged only when compared it to its predecessors.

A country road marks a path to the keep

The blacks and whites of the Ultima IV universe were blended to produce an area of gray. While the game contained good and bad guys, these characters could, at times, be unpredictable or even change. This is not to say all of Ultima V was subtle and morally difficult to navigate - a trio of new villains was introduced in the form of the towering Shadowlords. The principles of the Shadowlords were the antithesis of the Avatar's - falsehood, hatred, and cowardice. They imprisoned Lord British deep within the underworld and possessed a nobleman called Blackthorn to assume a totalitarian control over Britannia. The Avatar's objective was to defeat the Shadowlords and restore Lord British to power, lest Blackthorn crush Britannia with his iron grip.

The Avatar considers a meal at the mess hall

In Garriott's Own Words: Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny
"We created a much better 'told' story for Ultima V than in previous Ultima games..."

Take me to Ultima VI: The False Prophet