19 year-old Richard Garriott set out to cement his game design career with Ultima, a computer role-playing game unlike anything else on the market. It was a task he set himself at with all the enthusiasm of a smart young geek without a formal education in game design – simply because that didn’t exist. An early open world experiment, light on story, but incorporating everything young Garriott be cool, be it science fiction or fantasy.
I approach my analysis with a 2023 perspective but an acknowledgement of Ultima’s context at time of reveal. Is it a landmark game? Yes. Is it fun to play? Maybe. Give the video a watch, I play the game so you don’t have to.