Ultima II: The Revenge of the Enchantress
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| Ultima II: The Revenge of the Enchantress | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Richard Garriott |
| Publisher(s) | Sierra On-Line, Origin Systems (re-release) |
| Designer(s) | Richard Garriott |
| Platform(s) | Apple II, Atari, Commodore 64, DOS, FM Towns, Macintosh, MSX, NEC PC-9801 |
| Release date | 1982 |
| Genre(s) | RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single Player |
| Media | Floppy disk |
Ultima II: The Revenge of the Enchantress, released on August 24, 1982 (USCO# PA-317-502), is the second computer role-playing game in the Ultima series. It was also the last Ultima game published by Sierra On-Line before series creator Richard Garriott founded Origin Systems.
From the game's story, we learn that Mondain's lover, Minax, is threatening our Earth through disturbances in the space-time continuum, and the player must guide a hero through time to hunt down the evil enchantress in Castle Shadowguard and to destroy her. Also, the player must travel to other planets in the solar system in order to gain a critical item.
The game was re-released with updated graphics and improved screen layout for the Apple II only in 1989, but this re-release version was only sold as part of the Ultima Trilogy collection of the first three games, and Origin discontinued its Apple II product line soon afterwards; thus the re-release is relatively rare.[citation needed]
Controversy with Sierra over royalties for the IBM PC port of this game led Richard Garriott to start his own company, Origin Systems.[citation needed]
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[edit] Reception
Upon its initial release, Computer Gaming World gave Ultima II a glowing review, noting its vast improvements over the original, particularly in the amount of detail . CGW also praised the great scope of the work, even though little of it is necessary to complete the game; it was suggested that additional scenarios would continue to be added leading up to an "Ultimate" quest.[1]
[edit] Notes
- Ultima II was the first game in the series to include a cloth map inside the box, which would become a staple of the franchise. This map, which illustrated how the Time Doors were linked, was inspired by the one seen in the film Time Bandits. Two versions of this map were produced. The first version is of a heavier and thicker material. This map can be found in the large boxed (8"x11") Apple II and Atari 800 versions of the game. Later production runs of the game featured a much smaller box and a lighter weight map.
- It was also the first game to be officially ported to platforms other than the Apple II. Versions for the IBM PC, Commodore 64, Atari ST and Atari 800 were published. (An Atari 800 version of Ultima I was published in 1982, some considerable time after Ultima II's release.)
- The original Apple Ultima II received an audiovisual upgrade in 1989, bringing its graphics up to date with more recent games in the series much as was done with Ultima I. This "enhanced" version was only available as part of the Ultima Trilogy I-II-III box set released that year, and is considered exceptionally rare today. (The Commodore and IBM versions of the Ultima Trilogy include the original, unenhanced versions of the game for their respective platforms.)
- Many re-releases of the PC Ultima II published during the 1990s, including 1998's Ultima Collection, are missing necessary map files for other planets, rendering the game unwinnable. Modern computers also generate a divide by zero error when attempting to run the game. These issues are addressed in a series of official patches, which are available from a variety of Ultima fansites. The game is known to run without errors and at an acceptable speed in a DOSBox environment, provided the missing map files are present.
[edit] Bugs and Oddities
The game contains a number of bizarre quirks when examined in context with similar fantasy games: The game's world map is identical to real-life Earth (although far quicker to traverse); the player must visit such mundane locations as San Antonio, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom; dungeons and towers are completely irrelevant to the plot, and offer no true incentive to explore them; modern-day and futuristic weaponry is used; and completely incongruous pop-culture references and in-jokes abound, such as an NPC cleric named "Sister Sledge" who only says "We are family!"
(It should be noted that futuristic weaponry and technology was featured in the first game as well. Other anachronisms can be explained by the timing of Ultima II's original release, during a period before the computer RPG genre had clearly defined its standard conventions.[citation needed])
Additionally, the game is known to contain numerous design flaws (such as large map areas that contain no reason to visit them) and bugs, and shows general signs of being hurried onto the market before being properly finished and tested.
For these reasons, and the fact that the goal was essentially a repeat of the first game ("Find and kill the evil wizard"), Revenge of the Enchantress is considered to be the weakest Ultima game by some fans. Regardless, Ultima II still sold very well for its time.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ McPherson, James (Mar-Apr 1983), “Ultima II: A Review”, Computer Gaming World: 23, 45
[edit] External links
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