Ultima™ Underworld 1+2

Released in 1992, before even Wolfenstein 3D, this was one of the first games using a 3D environment, a real landmark in gaming and certainly RPGs. Plays very nicely on Steam Deck via Heroic launcher after some button remapping. Game controls are fairly horrible, inventory management painful, graphics &sound very dated (monsters and npcs are sprites!). Gameplay... classic 90s style maze like maps, find items, traps, fight monsters, lots of repetition & backtracking through levels. You definitely need to use walkthroughs as the levels are huge and often important items/locations/info virtually impossible to locate. And it goes on way, way too long. However it is still a good game with lots of charm, and you can tell the devs had a blast making it.

I wasn't prepared for how engrossing this game is. 30+ years on and it is still more than capable of evoking a keen sense of mystery and wonder that kept me coming back. It will take a bit to get into for someone who is more used to modern control schemes, but don't consider it archaic: there are benefits to the way this game plays. Managing items and casting spells can be done while moving through the environment, which can alleviate potential frustrations with backtracking. Aside from that, the mouse-centric movement is still novel and fun, even if the execution is a tad finicky. Combat, navigation, and platforming are all more than possible to get good at, and it's satisfying to deftly navigate the depths, so I'd say a stellar job was done considering the pioneering nature of this game. I really appreciated the way the writing tied different floors, factions, and items together in a way that felt believable. Coupled with the thoughtful placement of key (and inconsequential) items, the Stygian Abyss feels more like a real place than I expected. A heavy dose of secrets and hard-to-find clues (some of which are required to finish the game) give the impression that the game world is more far-reaching and mysterious than it probably is. Thorough exploration and use of the map's note feature (and a handy notepad) are all you really need to get through the game, but the manual and hint book are invaluable if you're stuck. Just go into it with an open mind and a willingness to learn and play around, and you'll have just as great a time as I did. This is my first time playing this game and, as someone who is not overly familiar with traditional dungeon crawlers, this has quickly become one of the most memorable gaming experiences I've had in years. I can't imagine what this was like in 1993 - but if it's anything like what it feels like to play now, I can see why this game was so influential. A true masterpiece.

The firs thing that should strike you about these games is how well they have aged. The interface is friendly (there is no better automap out there), the graphics are colorful and charming, and the soundtracks are very evocative. The game are addictive like all great games are- you want to keep playing just to explore that one last piece missing on your map, but doing so leads to another area and before you know it hours have passed. Don't let the age of these games fool you!

If anything ever comes out that manages to match the UUW games for immersiveness, depth, and atmosphere, it will never leave my drive. Come to think of it, with very few gaps I've had Ultima Underworld in one form or another on my computer for literally the last 20 years -- that should tell you something.

I know the graphics aren't anything like the cgi in games now...but THIS was groundbreaking when it was released! I played it almost nonstop the first playthrough. Then went back and found so much I'd missed on the first round! For years I have bemoaned the fact that I couldn't play it on current computers.