Ultima IV "Warriors of Destiny" was a little gem released way back in 1988 as a part of the classic Ultima franchise written by Richard Garriott and Origin Systems. As in each of the Ultima games, something goes afoul in Britannia and you, the Avatar, are summoned to fix things up. It seems this time Lord British has gone missing and Blackthorn has taken over. Of course, this Blackthorn chap is up to no good and it’s your job to set things right and restore the good king to his throne.
Back in the stone age when people still had running Amigas, I'm sure this games graphics sufficed. Looking back on it now, however, it all seems a bit dated and jarring upon entering the game as what can only be described as something one step above ASCII art sets up shop on a rather small portion of the upper left corning of your screen. The rest is reserved for menus mind you. It quickly becomes all too obviously that we've already seen Ultima IX come and go when trying to handle the game's interface. I'm sure you didn't come here for flash and dazzle though, you must be here for a little nostalgia and that is one thing the Ultima series can deliver in spades. In addition to the series spawning the first
commercially successful graphical massively-multiplayer online roleplaying game with Ultima Online, Richard Garriott also wrote what was arguably the first computer roleplaying game just a few years previous to Warriors of Destiny's release.
Not to mention the game also includes features that have developers have recently been trying to pass off as "innovative" such as day and night cycles and the townsfolk retreating to their beds at the appropriate time. In the end, your enjoyment of Ultima IV will ultimately be determined by whether or not the game meant something to you all those twenty years ago, or whether or not you're willing to slog through issues like poor graphics and a frustrating combat systems in order to experience some of gaming's past. The game certainly provides quite a bit of adventure and an excellent story for those retro gamers who are hardcore enough to look past the shortcomings. A word of advice however, I'd recommending digging up a map of Britannia and perhaps the original game manual somewhere on the internet before heading out on your quest. Good luck, and mind your virtues.
