Ultima clones
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John Carmack made two games inspired by Ultima 2-3, and then Doom (above), that was inspired by Paul Neurath's Ultima Underworld.
Over the years, a large number of video game developers based their work on the Ultima series. The resulting video games are colloquially known as "Ultima clones". The list on this page tries to show how influential was the Ultima series.
In the tables below, three ratings are listed, from three different websites:
- R/100: rating on a 1-100 scale from the Computer Role-Playing Games Addict (topped by Ultima V at 69);
- R/10: rating on a 1-10 scale from MobyGames;
- R/5: rating on a 1-5 stars scale from GameFAQs.
Based on Ultima 1-2[edit]
The video games in this category have the following three characteristics:
- Top-down graphics
- Turn-based combat
- Single hero (unlike the party system from Ultima 3 onwards).
| Title | Series | System(s) | Year | Notes | R/100 | R/10 | R/5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultima 1 | Ultima | APL2, DOS,… | 1981 | 34 | 7,1 | 3 | |
| Ultima 2 | Ultima | APL2, C64,… | 1982 | 21 | 7,6 | 3 | |
| Taskmaker | Taskmaker | Mac | 1993 | 45 | - | 3,5 | |
| Tomb of the Taskmaker | Taskmaker | Mac | 1997 | - | 3 | ||
| Questron 1 | Questron | C64, APL2,… | 1984 | 32 | 7,5 | 4 | |
| Questron 2 | Questron | C64, APL2,… | 1988 | 26 | 7,4 | 4 | |
| Legacy of the Ancients | Questron | C64, APL2,… | 1987 | 38 | 7,5 | 4,5 | |
| Legend of Blacksilver | Questron | C64, APL2 | 1988 | 36 | 7,3 | 4 | |
| Dungeons of Kairn | Aethra Chronicles | DOS | 1989 | 33 | - | - | |
| The Aethra Chronicles: Celystra's Bane | Aethra Chronicles | DOS | 1994 | - | - | ||
| The Kingdom of Syree 1 | Syree | DOS | 1992 | Dialogue trees as in Ultima 5. It anticipates part of the Ultima 8 magic system and a plot point in Ultima 9 |
30 | - | - |
| The Kingdom of Syree 2: Black Magic | Syree | DOS | 1994 | Dialogue trees as in Ultima 5. It anticipates part of the Ultima 8 magic system. |
- | - | |
| The Kingdom of Syree 3: the Depths of Hell | Syree | DOS | 1998 | Dialogue trees as in Ultima 5. It anticipates part of the Ultima 8 magic system. |
- | - | |
| Ultizurk 1: the Grandmaster's Quest | Ultizurk | DOS | 1992 | 19 | - | - | |
| Ultizurk 2: the Shadow Master | Ultizurk | DOS | 1992 | 17 | - | - | |
| The Great Ultizurkian Underland | Ultizurk | DOS | 1993 | Plot and setting similar to "Underworld: the Stygian Abyss" | 28 | - | - |
| Ultizurk 3.1: the Guildmaster's Quest | Ultizurk | DOS | 1994 | - | - | ||
| Ultizurk 3.2: the Mobius Mind | Ultizurk | DOS | 1994 | - | - | ||
| Wraith | Ultizurk | DOS | 1995 | - | - | ||
| Madman | Ultizurk | DOS | 1997 | - | - | ||
| Shadowforge | Dark Designs | APL2 | 1989 | By the author of Wolfenstein 3D and Doom | 20 | - | 3 |
| Wraith: the Devil's Demise | Dark Designs | APL2 | 1990 | By the author of Wolfenstein 3D and Doom | 24 | - | - |
| The Ormus Saga 1 | Ormus Saga | C64 | 1991 | Joystick-only controls | 21 | - | - |
| The Ormus Saga 2: Guild of Death | Ormus Saga | C64 | 1993 | Joystick-only controls | 27 | - | - |
| The Ormus Saga 3: the Final Chapter | Ormus Saga | C64 | 1994 | - | - | ||
| The Stone of Telnyr | Telnyr | C64 | 1990 | 15 | - | 4 | |
| Telnyr 2: the Golden Chalice | Telnyr | C64 | 1992 | 17 | - | - | |
| Telnyr 3: the Four Runes | Telnyr | C64 | 1994 | - | - | ||
| Dragon Quest 1 | Dragon Quest | NES | 1986 | A crossover of Ultima 2 and Wizardry 1 | 29 | 6,5 | 3,5 |
| Excelsior, phase 1: Lysandia | Excelsior | DOS, Win | 1993 | - | 4,0 | ||
| Excelsior, phase 2: Errondor | Excelsior | Win | 2000 | - | - | - | |
| Lowlander 1 | Lowlander | Win, mobile | 2023 | - | - | 4,0 | |
| Lowlander 2: Lowerlander | Lowlander | Win, mobile | 2025 | - | - | - | |
| Ring of Darkness | x | ZX-Spectrum | 1982 | A copy of Ultima 1 | 25 | - | - |
| Mythos | Amber | C64 | 1985 | German language | 17 | - | - |
| Wrath of Denethenor | x | APL2, C64 | 1986 | 31 | - | 3,5 | |
| Orb Quest | x | Mac | 1986 | 24 | - | - | |
| Hera: the Sword of Rhin | x | APL2, DOS | 1987 | It anticipates the cold/heat mechanics in Ultima 7.2 | 29 | - | 3,5 |
| Skariten | x | C64 | 1988 | 13 | - | - | |
| Ranadinn | x | DOS | 1988 | 22 | - | - | |
| Die Dunkle Dimension (The Dark Dimension) |
x | C64 | 1989 | German language | 36 | - | - |
| Vampyr: Talisman of Invocation | x | DOS | 1989 | 28 | - | - | |
| Paladin's Legacy | x | CoCo | 1989 | 31 | - | - | |
| Zerg | x | Amiga | 1989 | 18 | - | - | |
| Antepenult | x | Amiga | 1989 | 33 | - | - | |
| Legend of Lothian | x | Amiga | 1991 | 23 | - | - | |
| Shadow Keep | x | Mac | 1991 | 36 | - | - | |
| Minima | x | Win, Lin, Mac | 2018 | - | - | - | |
| Moonring | x | Win, Lin, Mac | 2023 | - | - | - |
Based on Ultima 3[edit]
The video games in this category have the following characteristics:
- Top-down graphics
- Turn-based combat
- Party system (unlike the single hero as in Ultima 1-2)
- Characters answer with a single line, without dialogue trees (unlike Ultima 4 onwards)
| Title | Series | System(s) | Year | Notes | R/100 | R/10 | R/5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultima 3 | Ultima | APL2, Amiga,… | 1983 | 51 | 7,5 | 3,5 | |
| Dragon Quest 2 | Dragon Quest | NES | 1987 | A crossover of Ultima 3 and Wizardry 1 | 6,4 | 3,5 | |
| Dragon Quest 3 | Dragon Quest | NES | 1988 | A crossover of Ultima 3 and Wizardry 1 | 7,5 | 4 | |
| Final Fantasy 1 | Final Fantasy | NES | 1987 | A crossover of Ultima 3 and D&D Dragonlance | 48 | 7,4 | 4 |
| Dragonflight | Amber | AMI, DOS, AST | 1990 | DOS and Atari ports have bugs that prevent winning. | 36 | 7,0 | 3,0 |
| Xyphus | x | APL2, C64 | 1984 | 23 | - | 3,5 | |
| Deathlord | x | APL2, C64 | 1987 | A crossover of Ultima 3 and Wizardry 1 | 40 | - | 3,5 |
| Gates of Delirium | x | CoCo | 1988 | A copy of Ultima 3 | 25 | - | - |
| The Rescue of Lorri in Lorrinitron | x | DOS | 1991 | 17 | - | - | |
| Secret of Bharas | x | APLgs | 1991 | 29 | - | - | |
| WarWizard | x | DOS, Amiga | 1993 | By the authors of EverQuest | 38 | - | - |
| Ultima 3: Extra Quest | Ultima | GBC | 2001 | Unreleased port of Ultima 3, with a second quest unlocked after defeating Exodus. Archived here |
- | - | - |
Based on Ultima 4[edit]
The video games in this category have the following three characteristics:
- Top-down graphics
- Turn-based combat
- Party system
- A deep philosophical system that invites the player to meditate in real life (IRL)
| Title | Series | System(s) | Year | Notes | R/100 | R/10 | R/5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultima 4, part 2: Dude, Where's My Avatar? | Ultima | DOS, Win | 2009 | Parody. The three principles are: sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll. | ?? | - | - |
Based on Ultima 5[edit]
The video games in this category have the following three characteristics:
- Top-down graphics
- Turn-based combat
- Party system
- Non-player characters with complex dialogue trees (unlike the single sentences as in Ultima 2-3)
| Title | Series | System(s) | Year | Notes | R/100 | R/10 | R/5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultima 5 | Ultima | APL2, Atari ST,… | 1988 | 69 | 8,3 | 4 | |
| Enchantasy: Quest for the Eternal Grimoire | x | DOS | 1993 | 35 | - | - | |
| Infinite Fantasy Adventures: the Fantasy Worlds of Tamrak | x | DOS | 1993 | - | - | ||
| Exile 1: Escape from the Pit | Exile | Win, Mac | 1995 | 7,2 | 3,0 | ||
| Exile 2: Crystal Souls | Exile | Win, Mac | 1995 | - | 4,0 | ||
| Exile 3: Ruined World | Exile | Win, Mac | 1996 | 7,7 | 4,5 | ||
| Nox Archaist | Nox Archaist | Win, APL2, Mac | 2020 | - | - | - | |
| Nox Archaist: Lord of Storms | Nox Archaist | Win, APL2, Mac | 2023 | - | - | - |
Based on Ultima Underworld[edit]
The video games in this category have the following characteristics:
- First-person view
- Smooth, continuous movement
Before Paul Neurath's game, first-person games featured a tile-based movement.
| Title | Series | System(s) | Year | Notes | R/100 | R/10 | R/5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Underworld: the Stygian Abyss | Underworld | DOS, PS1 | 1992 | By Paul Neurath | 62 | 8,3 | 4 |
| Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds | Underworld | DOS | 1993 | True crossover between Ultima and Underworld | 63 | 8,0 | 4 |
| Wolfenstein 3D | Wolfenstein | DOS,… | 1992 | Not a role-playing game | - | 7,9 | 4 |
| Doom | Doom | DOS | 1993 | Not a role-playing game | - | 7,7 | 4,5 |
| D&D Slayer | Dungeons & Dragons | 3DO | 1995 | Graphical roguelike. Crossover between Underworld and D&D Dungeon Hack | 7 | - | |
| Arx Fatalis | x | Win | 2002 | It wanted to be Ultima Underworld 3 | 7,6 | 3,5 | |
| Barony | x | Win, Lin, Mac, NSw | 2015 | - | - | 3,5 | |
| Underworld Ascendant | Underworld | Win,... | 2018 | By Paul Neurath | 4,7 | 2,5 |
Based on Ultima Runes of Virtue[edit]
The video games in this category have the following three characteristics:
- Action-adventure games (instead of role-playing games);
- Top-down view;
- Assign any two items to the two hands.
| Title | Series | System(s) | Year | Notes | R/100 | R/10 | R/5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultima: Runes of Virtue | Runes of Virtue | GameBoy | 1991 | - | 6.3 | 3.5 | |
| Ultima: the Black Gate | Runes of Virtue | SNES | 1994 | A remake of Ultima 7 in the style of Runes of Virtue | - | 5.5 | 3 |
| The 4th Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening | Legend of Zelda | GameBoy | 1993 | Inventory/controls system identical to Runes of Virtue | - | 8.5 | 4.5 |
Based on later Ultima games[edit]
Ultima 6 was the first true sandbox game.
Ultima 7 was the first role-playing game with a sensible implementation of the mouse.
The last three games in the Ultima series (7.2, 8, 9) were developed under E.A. (Electronic Arts, or Elizabeth & Abraham) and Trip Hawkins. Therefore, they were far from successful and influential masterpieces.