Japanese Ultima gamebooks
As the Ultima series became popular in Japan during the late eighties and early nineties, a number of gamebooks were published in relation to the series.
This is not to be confused with the also published Japanese Ultima novels, which are something different.
Futabasha[edit]
Ultima: The Lost Runes[edit]
- Title: ウルティマ 失われたルーン (Urutima Ushinawareta Ruun)
- Publisher: Futabasha
- Author: 犬飼 わたる (Wataru Inukai)
- Published: Dec. 26, 1991
- Length: 286 pages
- Original List Price: ¥450
- ISBN-10: 4575761788
- ISBN-13: 978-4575761788
Synopsis: A crisis of apocalyptic proportions threatens the beautiful and mysterious land of Britannia. The dark cavalier Black Knight has stolen the legendary Eight Runes; what are his plans for them? Now, a moongate opens before one courageous and righteous adventurer. The one who will challenge the Black Knight in his underground labyrinth – you![1]
Note: This is a gamebook based on the Runes of Virtue games for the Nintendo Game Boy.
Ultima: The Cabal of Zole the Mage[edit]
- Title: ウルティマ ~ 魔道士ゾールの陰謀 (Urutima ~ Madoushi Zooru no Inbou)
- Publisher: Futabasha
- Author: 樋口 明雄 (Akio Higuchi)
- Published: Jan. 21, 1988
- Length: 286 pages
- Original List Price: ¥420
- ISBN-10: 4575932795
- ISBN-13: 978-4575932799
Synopsis: The black hand of the herald of darkness reaches out for a peaceful kingdom! The dark mage Zole plots to revive the fearful power of Exodus. At this rate, Sosaria will fall into his hands! I can't let that happen! Together with the wizard Howard, the thief Phillips, and the female warrior Cindy, I answer Lord British's call and set out on a search for Exodus. The time for battle is at hand. And the one who will protect Sosaria from the hands of evil – and take Exodus back from Zole! – is YOU![2]
Ultima Vol.2: Quest of the Avatar[edit]
- Title: ウルティマ Vol 2 ~ 聖者への道 (Urutima Vol. 2 ~ Seija e no Michi)
- Publisher: Futabasha
- Author: 樋口 明雄 (Akio Higuchi)
- Published: Mar. 12, 1990
- Length: 285 pages
- Original List Price: ¥420
- ISBN-10: 4575761400
- ISBN-13: 978-4575761405
Synopsis: My old friend the Help Wanted section in hand, I enter a mysterious office – and am shoved into an interdimensional transport device! Once again, I'm sucked into another dimension – and when I wake up, I'm in Britannia: the sword-and-sorcery world of the Ultima series. Its people await the coming of the "Avatar" – the one who will lead them down the path of virtue and fill this kingdom infested with evil with the light of peace. –Together with my companions Jaana and Geoffrey, my adventure begins![3]
JICC[edit]
Adventure Novels: Ultima I[edit]
- Title: アドベンチャーノベルス: ウルティマ1 (Adobenchaa Noberusu: Urutima 1)
- Publisher: JICC.
- Author: 山本邦一 (Kunikazu Yamamoto)
- Published: Oct. 1, 1986
- Length: 257 pages
- Original List Price: ¥680
- ISBN-10: 4880636053
- ISBN-13: 978-4880636054
Synopsis: "My name is Roto. I'm sick and tired of life in my simple village. I want to grow stronger...and ever since I stumbled upon this sword, I've been an adventurer. My first mission: to come face to face with the greatest person in our entire world. In order to accomplish it, though, I'd need to train to become part of some kind of profession (cult)."
–But, when he finally does meet this person at the end of his long journey, it is then that Roto's adventure truly begins: a new journey, to unravel the mysteries of the world and defeat the evil god Mondain, master of the Darkside. "Fiction + Gameplay" – that's Adventure Novels![4]
Adventure Novels: Ultima II[edit]
- Title: アドベンチャーノベルス: ウルティマ2 (Adobenchaa Noberusu: Urutima 2)
- Publisher: JICC.
- Author: 本橋 信宏 (Nobuhiro Motohashi)
- Published: Nov. 1, 1986
- Length: 257 pages
- Original List Price: ¥680
- ISBN-10: 4880632201
- ISBN-13: 978-4880632209
Synopsis: "The world's gone nuts these days. I was supposed to be in New York City – but I've slipped through time to a bizarre world: crazy stuff going on all around me, monsters coming after me... Eventually, I learn that the one responsible for plunging the Earth into chaos is Minax – apprentice to the great warlock Mondain who was destroyed a thousand years ago – and so, I set off across time to bring her down. But I was unprepared for the unexpected end that awaited me – the end that surely must have made Minax delirious with joy...".[5]
Adventure Novels: Ultima III[edit]
- Title: アドベンチャーノベルス: ウルティマ3 (Adobenchaa Noberusu: Urutima 3)
- Publisher: JICC.
- Author: 山本邦一 (Kunikazu Yamamoto)
- Published: Dec. 1, 1986
- Length: 285 pages
- Original List Price: ¥680
- ISBN-10: 488063221X
- ISBN-13: 978-4880632216
Synopsis: The dark warlock Mondain and his apprentice Minax have fallen, and Britannia is visited by a brief moment of peace. But the wizards' dark legacy of Exodus stirs in secret, and the Great Earth Serpent rises again. Unbeknownst to all, the end approaches – all but Lord British, who calls forth four heroes from across space and time. The only way the heroes can save the world is to discover the power hidden within themselves...[6]
Note: A review on Amazon Japan claiming to be by the author asserts that the novel's heroes include Joan of Arc, Genghis Khan, and Japanese Christian martyr and rebellion leader Shirou Amakusa.[7]
Adventure Novels: Ultima IV[edit]
- Title: アドベンチャーノベルス: ウルティマ4 (Adobenchaa Noberusu: Urutima 4)
- Publisher: JICC.
- Author: 本橋 信宏 (Nobuhiro Motohashi)
- Published: Jan. 1, 1987
- Length: 269 pages
- Original List Price: ¥680
- ISBN-10: 4880632228
- ISBN-13: 978-4880632223
Synopsis: "Gauta, it is your destiny to be a warrior and wander the world."
So said an old crone whose words carried an eerie resonance... And so the scoundrel Gauta, resident of a once-again peaceful Britannia, sets out on a journey for reasons unknown even to himself. He wanders the land's towns and villages...and if he does not there learn the Eight Virtues, it is said, he will never be able to find his way home again. Each time he obtains a stone inscribed with a Rune, Gauta experiences a gradual change from within...[8]
Keibunsha[edit]
Ultima: Crisis in the Kingdom of Britannia[edit]
- Title: ウルティマ―ブリタニア王国の危機 (Urutima – Buritania Oukoku no Kiki)
- Publisher: Keibunsha
- Author: 菊島 恵三 (Keizo Kikuchi), Ryoko Sekishima
- Published: Oct. 10, 1987
- Length: 215 pages
- Original List Price: ¥580
- ISBN-10: 4766906314
- ISBN-13: 978-4766906318
Synopsis: You yourself are the hero in this gamebook. The stage is the wide world of Sosaria, where you'll have to solve many mysteries in wandering about its castles, caverns, high seas, and many other sights and landmarks. In the meantime, you'll need to fight many monsters to gain experience and raise your level. This gamebook also includes a system where you can visit the same place multiple times. Since there are many people who'll have something different to say each time you meet them, you can't just visit them once![9]
External Links[edit]
- KtJ Dragon – a listing of Japanese Ultima novels and gamebooks
- Ultima 2 Gamebook – article about the novelization of Ultima II
- Ultima Vol 1 – Cabal of Zole the Mage – on Pix’s Origin Adventures
References[edit]
- ↑ BOOK Database via Amazon Japan. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
- ↑ BOOK Database via Amazon Japan. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
- ↑ BOOK Database via Amazon Japan. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
- ↑ BOOK Database via Amazon Japan. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
- ↑ 『ウルティマ(Ultima)』四部作. Retrieved 2011-09-07.
- ↑ BOOK Database via Amazon Japan. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
- ↑ "4人の戦士が時空の旅に出る," from ウルティマ〈3〉 (アドベンチャーノベルス) [新書 entry on Amazon Japan]. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
- ↑ BOOK Database via Amazon Japan. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
- ↑ BOOK Database via Amazon Japan. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
| Ultima Novels | |
|---|---|
| Ultima Saga | The Forge of Virtue ☥ The Temper of Wisdom |
| Technocrat War | Book One: Machinations ☥ Book Two: Masquerade ☥ Book Three: Maelstrom |
| Other | Japanese Ultima gamebooks ☥ Japanese Ultima novels |