User Rating: 8.2 | Ultima I PC
Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness is the game that launches one of the most influential game series of all time. Though already creating Akalabeth, Richard Garriot who is known as Lord British in game brings us for the first time into a world that is torn by war between the city states and the evil wizard Mondain. This land, Sosaria, needs someone to come to it's aid.. and that hero is you. Gameplay: 10/10 The gameplay easy to manage and navigate. And the complexity of the game make this one a total winner. You start in character creation where you chose between races and classes for your hero. Each race and class comes with certain bonuses. Chosing well in the beginning can make the first stages of the game much easier. There are quite a few stats to watch for a game of this era. Like most RPGs, hit points are a measure of your health... experience is gained as you fight and kill enemies... experience adds up to help you advance levels making you stronger and more powerful. An interesting addition is food. Many people don't realize how fast they go through food, which is necessary for each move you make. A really unique element to this game is that there is a spaceship you can use to travel in. One might think that this fits no where in a Medivial style fantasy environment. And though this game does not explain it well.. it has its place in Ultima history if you understand it's origins. Your space ship relies on fuel to keep going. The fighting is very straight forward, chosing the direction you want to attack with your weapon. Graphics: 8/10 Hey, for 1986 these graphics were top notch, touting 16 colors! The movement is choppy and there is very little in the way of animation. But in this day what stands out is that individual pieces on the game grid can move independantly from each other. The turn based nature of this game helps the graphics seem more believable. The dungeon graphics are a bit weak, as they are basically the same as in Akalabeth, Garriot's first game. But the over ground and in city views are excellent for it's time. Sound: 4/10 Not much in the way of sound. There are some 'computer speaker' type sound effects. But otherwise there is not a lot of sound to depend on. Nothing regal and epic like you might expect from the the game. Reviewer's Tilt: 8/10 As a big fan of the entire series, this is a big winner. Despite the lack of any praiseworthy sounds or music. this is a very fun game. For those who have played later Ultima games, playing the first can provide a helpful understanding of the world's timeline.