Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar/Gameplay

Introduction

In Ultima 4: Quest of the Avatar you control a hero and a team of eight adventurers in a quest across the fantasy world of Britannia. During the game, the party members can progressively acquire several weapons and armors, but also many other items and a wide array of spells.

Ultima 4 is a role-playing video game. Specifically, it belongs to the sub-genre of American-style RPVGs.

Three aspects that can define the genre of RPGs are listed here, and they apply to Ultima 4 as well:

1. Text is an essential part of the game, and the characters have to talk and interact with non-evil characters to proceed in the adventure;
2. There are permanent upgrades, in the form of enhancements of the various attributes of the characters (attack, strength, magic etc.);
3. There is freedom of exploration, all the areas are connected by an "overworld", and areas that have been previously cleared can usually be re-visited; in other words, the game is non-linear.

Japanese-style RPVGs focus more on the plot, while American-style RPVGs like Ultima 5 focus more on exploration and "body-building" of the characters. Nevertheless, all three aspects are present in every RPG.

Notable ports

Ultima 4 was ported on different systems and consolles.

• The Sega Master System port was a faithful port with enchanced graphics, except for the dungeons, where the first-person was replaced by an overhead view.
• The NES port featured even more enhanced graphics (in Japanese style), and first-person view in the dungeons, but the dialogue system was simplified and the text strongly shortened.

Similar games

• Ultima 5 and Ultima 6, that together with Ultima 5 constitute the Age of Enlightment trilogy;
• Ultima 3, Ultima 7 and Ultima 7 Part 2, where the player still controls a team of heroes.