Ultima III: Exodus (originally released as Exodus: Ultima III) is the third game in the series of Ultima role-playing video games. Exodus is also the name of the game's principal antagonist. It is the final installment in the "Age of Darkness" trilogy. Released in 1983, it was the first Ultima game published by Origin Systems. Originally developed for the Apple II, Exodus was eventually ported to 13 other platforms, including a NES/Famicom remake.
Ultima III revolves around Exodus, the spawn of Mondain and Minax (from Ultima I and Ultima II, respectively), threatening the world of Sosaria. The player character travels to Sosaria to defeat Exodus and restore the world to peace. Ultima III hosts further advances in graphics, particularly in animation, adds a musical score, and increases the player's options in gameplay with a larger party and more interactivity with the game world.
Ultima III was followed by Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar in 1985.
Gameplay
Exodus featured revolutionary graphics for its time, as one of the first computer RPGs to display animated characters. Also, Exodus differs from previous games in that players now direct the actions of a party of four characters rather than just one. During regular play the characters are represented as a single player icon and move as one. However, in battle mode, each character is represented separately on a tactical battle screen, and the player alternates commands between each character in order, followed by each enemy character having a turn. This differs from the two previous games in the Ultima series in which the player is simply depicted as trading blows with one opponent on the main map until either is defeated. Enemies on the overworld map can be seen and at least temporarily avoided, while enemies in dungeons appear randomly without any forewarning.
The party of four that a player uses can be chosen at the beginning of the game. There is a choice between 11 classes: Fighter, Paladin, Cleric, Wizard, Ranger, Thief, Barbarian, Lark, Illusionist, Druid, and Alchemist. The player also chooses from among five races: Human, Elf, Dwarf, Bobbit, or Fuzzy. Players then assign points to their statistics: Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Wisdom. The races determine limitations on maximum stat growth, and thus (in the case of Intelligence and Wisdom) maximum spellcasting ability. the story of Exodus returns the player to Sosaria, the world of Ultima I. The game is named for its chief villain, Exodus, a creation of Minax and Mondain that the series later describes as neither human nor machine. Although a demonic figure appears on the cover of the game, Exodus turns out to be something like a computer (possibly an artificial intelligence) and to defeat him the player has to acquire four magic (punch)cards and insert them into the mainframe in a specific order.
thumb|left|The overhead view of Ultima III, showing Castle Death and the Great Earth Serpent (PC version). The improved graphics come from the Ultima 3 Upgrade Patch, found on The Exodus Project website.
At the beginning of the game, Exodus is terrorizing the land of Sosaria from his stronghold on the Isle of Fire. The player is summoned by Lord British to defeat Exodus, and embarks on a quest that takes him to the lost land of Ambrosia, to the depths of the dungeons of Sosaria to receive powerful magical branding marks and to find the mysterious Time Lord, and finally to the Isle of Fire itself to confront Exodus in his lair. Ports appeared on many different systems.
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!System
!Release date
!Publisher
!Notes
|-
|Apple II
|1983
|Origin Systems
|
- Original version.
- Complete soundtrack is included; requires the optional Mockingboard expansion card.
|-
|Atari 8-bit
|1983
|Origin Systems
|
- Complete soundtrack is included.
- Most of the code is identical to the original Apple version, as both systems are 6502-based.
|-
|Commodore 64
|1983
|Origin Systems
|
- Complete soundtrack is included.
- Most of the code is identical to the original Apple version, as both systems are 6502-based.
- Unlike the original, dungeons are shown in black-and-white.
|-
|IBM PC
|1983
|Origin Systems
|
- Does not contain music.
- Designed for a 4.77 MHz processor; requires slowdown measures on faster systems to remain playable.
|-
|Amiga
| 1986
| Origin Systems
|
- More colorful graphics than the original.
- Mouse support is present.
- Complete soundtrack is included.
|-
|Atari ST
|1986
|Origin Systems
|
- More colorful graphics than the original.
- Mouse support is present.
- Complete soundtrack is included.
|-
|Macintosh
|1986
|Origin Systems
|
- The game is restricted to black and white. Sound effects are supported only on very early Mac models.
- Mouse support is present
|-
|PC-8801
|1986
|Starcraft<sup>*</sup>
|
- Came in a small box just large enough to fit the 5.25" disk and the translated maps.
- Rather than a cloth map, it included a jigsaw puzzle that formed the map.
|-
|PC-9801
|1986
|Starcraft<sup>*</sup>
|
- Came in a small box just large enough to fit the 5.25" disk and the translated maps.
- Rather than a cloth map, it included a jigsaw puzzle that formed the map.
|-
|FM-7
|1986
|Starcraft<sup>*</sup>
|
- Came in a small box just large enough to fit the 5.25" disk and the translated maps.
- Rather than a cloth map, it included a jigsaw puzzle that formed the map.
|-
|NES/Famicom
|1987
|FCI/Pony Canyon
|
- Modified graphics and a new soundtrack.
- Considerable alterations to gameplay.
- Significantly expanded dialogue.
- New menu interface.
- Only a small instruction booklet rather than the map and manuals.
- Added endgame sequence after defeating Exodus.
|-
|MSX2 - Cartridge
|1988
|Pony Canyon
|
- It was packaged in a VHS like box with only the game cartridge and 40 page manual.
|-
|MSX2 - 3.5" Disk
|1989
|Pony Canyon
|
- While still in a VHS like box it contains the manuals and map, both translated. Although the map is very different from the original.
|-
|Macintosh
|1993
|LairWare
|
- LairWare licensed Ultima III and created a remake for the Macintosh. Unlike the original Mac version from Origin Systems, the LairWare version is in full color. LairWare continues to sell Ultima III for Mac OS X and Mac OS Classic today, as a direct download from the LairWare web site.
|}
:<sup>*</sup>The publisher Starcraft has no relation to the video game StarCraft and went out of business in 1996.
Reception and legacy
Ultima III sold over 100,000 copies by August 1986, and over 120,000 copies by 1990. Video magazine listed the game seventh on its list of best selling video games in March 1985 with II Computing listing it fifth on the magazine's list of top Apple II games as of late 1985, based on sales and market-share data.
Exodus is credited as a game that laid the foundation for the role-playing video game genre, influencing games such as Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. In turn, Exodus was itself influenced by Wizardry, which Richard Garriot credited as the inspiration behind the party-based combat in his game. Computer Gaming World stated in February 1994 that Exodus "was the game that became known as Ultima to hundreds of thousands of cartridge gamers".
Softline stated that Ultima III "far surpasses" its predecessors, praising the "masterfully unified" plot and individual tactical combat. The magazine concluded that the game "upgrades the market; in several ways it sets new standards for the fantasy gaming state of the art. Happily, it also shows us a maturing artistic discipline on the part of its imaginative author". Computer Gaming Worlds Scorpia in 1983 called Ultima III "unquestionably the best in the series so far ... many hours of enjoyment (and frustration!)", although she criticized the ending as anticlimactic. The magazine's Patricia Fitzgibbons in 1985 reviewed the Macintosh version. She complimented its graphics but criticized the audio, and stated that the game did not adequately use the computer's user interface, describing using the mouse as "aggravating". Fitzgibbons concluded "Even though the Mac conversion is far from ideal, Ultima III is a very enjoyable game, and well worth its hefty price". In 1993 Scorpia stated that Ultima III was the best of the first trilogy, and that its "surprisingly quiet and nonviolent" defeat of the villain presaged the later games' "resolutions that are less combative in spirit". The magazine stated in February 1994 that Exodus "was really the first [Ultima] to have a coherent plot beyond the typical dungeon romp".
Compute! in 1984 stated that Ultima III "ushers in an exciting new era of fantasy role-playing. The combination of superb graphics, music, and excellent playability makes Exodus a modern-day masterpiece". It noted the cloth map and the extensive documentation, the "thrilling" 3-D dungeons, the game's use of time, and the spell system. The magazine concluded, "Lord British has outdone himself with his latest work of art ... a delight to play". INFO stated that "Lord British's latest offering is also his best ... Many wonderful hours will be spent unravelling its secrets". The magazine gave the Amiga version four stars compared to five stars for the 64 version, stating that "the graphics and user interface could have been better Amiga-tized". The Chicago Tribune called Ultima III "one of the best" computer games, providing "an epic adventure which can last for months". Famitsu reviewed the 1987 Famicom remake and scored it 32 out of 40.
Mark Pokrzywnicki reviewed Exodus: Ultima III for Fantasy Gamer magazine and stated that "Problems with the game have to do with the hodge-podge of classes, races, creatures, and the generic dungeons; it's FRP of ten years ago. Still, it is state-of-the-art computer role-playing and very enjoyable. Don't let the high price scare you; I recommend this game heartily. If you want monsters, magic, and mayhem on your monitor, buy Exodus: Ultima III."
In 1984 Softline readers named the game the third most-popular Apple and eighth most-popular Atari program of 1983. It won the Adventure Game of the Year prize in Computer Gaming World<nowiki>'</nowiki>s 1985 reader poll, about which the editors wrote "Although Ultima III has been out well over a year, we feel that it is still the best game of its kind." With a score of 7.55 out of 10, in 1988 Ultima III was among the first members of the Computer Gaming World Hall of Fame, honoring those games rated highly over time by readers. In 1996, the magazine ranked it as the 144th best game of all time, featuring "one of the nastiest villains to grace a computer screen".
The demon figure that appeared on the front of the box caused some religious fundamentalists to protest. They made accusations that the game was corrupting the youth of America and encouraging Satan worshiping. This, along with other factors, led Richard Garriott to develop his next game (Ultima IV) based on the virtues the Ultima series became famous for.
Reviews
- Casus Belli (Issue 18 - Dec 1983)
- Casus Belli #26 (June 1985)