After a bit of struggles with a really bad bug (for the sake of Britannia, keep an eye on Judy!), I have finally finished
<span class="bold">Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss</span>.
My first thought? What-a-game!
Ultima Underworld is a classic among the classics, a real timeless masterpiece permanently changed the way we see videogames.
There is no denying it:
many among the shiny videogames you play today have been directly inspired by the very first first-person-3d-action-RPG. Many among my favourite games of all times have that heir in common (System Shock, Thief, Deus Ex... notice a pattern?), and a vast number of critically acclaimed studios took their inspiration from there (sometimes even blatantly so, and I'm
not talking about decalred spiritual sequels like
Arx Fatalis... yes, I'm looking at you and you Elder Scrolls, Bethesda).
Let me start with its single (relatively) weak point: due to the obvious technological limitations of one of the first engines of that kind, the graphic compartment is the only aspect of UU that does not hold up today, consisting in very few different textures and basic sprites for characters. Considering the game was released in 1992, though, it must have been nothing short of impressive for the time!
Putting this aside, the game shows its astonishingly greatness in mechanics and design:
-the maps are compelx, large, full of secrets and even if you can navigate them with no limitations of any kind, only while freely exploring and talking to people you can find clues about how to complete your objectives;
-each level of the Abyss has a certain peculiar theme, and you should excpect plenty of riddles that, despite being relatively easy, will put your intelligence to the test (this game was made back when developers had respect for the intellective capabilities of the players, thankfully);
-you can interact with characters from many diferent races and factions, each one having a certain kind of relation with the others. All of them will define a part of the underlying plot, which progress using the canonic (and imo, unsurpassable in terms of narrative choice in the media due to its full grasping of the meaning of "interactivity") Looking Glass method, a.k.a. "show everything under the player's personal perspective and leave the conclusions to him/her, never tell a tale. That is for books and movies".
Also, everyone can react to your choices and will remember both your heroic acts and your misdeeds.
-the combat and magic systems work perfectly, both being very intuitive and deep enough to satisfy an avid RPG player; my only complaint is that the difficulty is not very high, so spending a few points in "key" abilities can grant your survival very early in the game. Having a good attack and defense score, along with some basic defensive spells (heal, resist blows and cure poison) can sustain you from the first level to the last.
Another small criticism I have to move is that a few talents are completely useless, especially considering that several spells can achieve the same results in a much more efficient (and less expensive) way. For example... why spending ability points on swimming while you can water-walk almost immediately or learning how to pick locks when you can simply smash the doors?
-About the music: Ultima Underworld utilizes dynamic tunes, constantly changing by following your actions! Right now it may seem normal, but it certainly wasn't back then!
To conclude: Ultima Underworld is not simply a game that aged well, but a beacon of real quality that has been rarely surpassed in the whole history of gaming; not only it is still perfectly playable even considering modern standards, but it is also far more complex, deep, immersive and enjoyable than the majority of current titles.
That game was so far ahead of its time that I'm not sure if the industry has caught up the distance, yet.
If UU was remeade in a modern graphic engine with the exact same content, nobody would notice its age and it would be probably considered "revolutionary" by many new players. I'm serious about that.
I can do nothing else but warmly recommend it, as it is one of the best games I have ever had the pleasure to play.
Enebias' Official Seal of Approval! XD
Now stop wasting time reading and go to play it!
P.S. If you are interested, you can check the upcoming Kickstarter project from some among Ultima Underworld's creators,
Underworld Ascendant!
