Ultima VIII: Pagan

In an effort to secure faith in the series, Garriott made a profound change for Ultima VIII: Pagan. This installment began moments after the conclusion of Serpent Isle. The Guardian threw the Avatar into the alien world of Pagan, leaving him to die. If Serpent Isle felt strange and different, Pagan was ten times removed.

The Avatar looks worriedly at the cast of Ultima VIII

The world of Pagan was as different as the game itself, and Ultima returned to its hack-and-slash roots with the Avatar fighting alone once more. Inexplicably frustrating action elements, including difficult jumping puzzles and oversimplified combat, as well as conspicuous holes in the plot, infuriated those who were already flustered by Serpent Isle. The Avatar also became male in Pagan, eliminating the choice of gender presented in all Ultimas before it. But those who put up with Ultima VIII's radically different gameplay discovered that it, too, bore the traits of its predecessors: a plot that questions the Avatar's morals - one that forces him to harm the people of Pagan by overthrowing their elemental providers.

Five sorcerers struggle in vain to quell the wrath of Pyros

In spite of its merits, no title in all of the series was frowned upon quite so much as Ultima VIII. A supplement much like Forge of Virtue and Silver Seed was planned for Ultima VIII but never released. A software patch, produced months after the game first appeared on store shelves, improved gameplay. But for many it was too little, too late.

In Garriott's Own Words: Ultima VIII: Pagan
"When you're faced with true evil, you've got to cheat in order to win..."

Take me to Ultima IX: Ascension