Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny - Review / Retrospective

[@finntrovert]

The entire Ultima review series playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PL6ySdS-taQCLCyXvRRoHCYgBDo2h8bUle

[@nicolanobili2113]

When I played this game back in the day, I stumbled upon a hilarious detail (which was unexpected, given the gloomy atmosphere of the setting). If you go to an inn you may leave a character there (incidentally, that can be a good way to fully heal a character: you leave him/her there, then you immediately retrieve him/her). If you select a dead character, the innkeeper will react vehemently and say something like: "What the hell do you think this place is, a morgue?"

[@christophers.8553]

I had forgotten about that! I've not played Ultima IV since 1989 or so.

[@benrositas8068]

Or, if you ride a horse into a shop and speak to the shopkeeper, they'll respond: "GET THAT HORSE OUT OF HERE!"

[@Motavian]

I got to play this game for the first time in 20 years a couple of years back during the pandemic. I resolved to not use the internet and to figure out everything for myself, draw my own maps and write my own notes and after a week of playing I finally managed to beat it. It was one of the best gaming experiences of my life and would heartily recommend it to everyone!

[@KingofCrusher]

I wish I had that kind of discipline anymore, ha.

[@fortvalor]

Beat it when I was 8 with my father and big brother. I drew the maps and knew how to read the runes so they didn’t have to.

[@fortvalor]

@@KingofCrushergets hard as you get older huh!

[@halwakka504]

My best friend and I were obsessed with this game when it came out, we were about 14 or 15. I remember how thrilled we were when we found out we could attack and break the mirrors in the game... it was obviously a totally trivial part of the game but the fact that you could do things like this made the game so much more real in our imaginations.

[@olafkonrad7168]

So nice to see Britannia again! It was over 30 years ago, and I still remember that night when 16-year-old me went through that horrible dungeon at the end, only to find out that the sandal box was missing. But I was determined to save Lord British, so I went to get it. It took me the whole night, and after finally watching the end credits, I went straight to school. Nice to learn that I was not the only one who overlooked it.

[@mansansmorals1471]

These are done so well - you deserve a much larger audience.

[@finntrovert]

Thank you!

[@ChadQuick270W]

The best Ultima, in my opinion. The story was very long and complicated and there was so much to explore. That Underworld was a major pain though.

[@dawnfire82]

I loved this game. It colored my views on all RPGs I played going forward, on game development (which I now do part time), and even on personal ethics. The way the NPCs followed schedules (which was not repeated by another franchise for years and years, and is still uncommon) and spoke with you, plus the totally open world with little guidance, made it one of the most immersive fantasy worlds ever. The reason Elder Scrolls games have become so popular is because they incorporated those elements. Masterpiece.

[@CYI3ERPUNK]

this was my first ultima game , and in so many ways it has become a formative part of who i am today ; i would later play ultima4 but i would say that nothing has left a more lasting impact on my life than ultima5/6 , truly masterpieces

[@phoneuse4962]

Me too

[@Bubba524dtm]

Fantastic work. Ultima has always held a special place with me growing up and i appreciate your content.

[@finntrovert]

Thank you! After playing the Ultima games, I finally understood why I kept hearing about them so much when I was a kid.

[@willgibson8534]

@@finntrovert but you didn’t play them as a kid? Then you are no man to speak of Lord British and the Avatar

[@mercster]

The best Ultima. Thanks for the video.

[@SilverSilence002]

Is there any recent remade?

[@kirk1968]

Ultima III was the first computer game I ever bought, for my Atari 800XL in 1984. It was amazing to see the gameplay progression in IV and V, especially since by then I had an Atari ST that had much better graphics and sound. Cloth maps, booklets, and metal trinkets in each box. What a great time that was for early computer gaming!

[@kulturkriget]

I loved this game back in the day. I don't think anything made same impact since.

[@finntrovert]

Not surprising. I only played these for the first time a few years ago, and this one had a massive impact on me even now.

[@skuzzbunny]

still prob my favorite RPG video game to this day, the depth and breadth and detail are absolutely insane, quite a bummer modern gamers are likely to never give it a try just because of the early simplicity of the graphics and interface, despite them being quite admirable and very well executed for the day and technical restrictions.....!!/ rather baffles me that 4 and 6 still get a lot of praise, when 5 i feel absolutely perfected everything in 4, and 6 departed from practically everything i appreciated about the previous, but languishes relatively forgotten..... could def use a modern remake, though i don't know how you'd get the balance right.....!!o

[@RIlianP]

I am still convinced Lord British is the one of the most evil entities in these games, culling the land of all other races by basically throwing them in the Stygian abyss, the way he acquired the codex and created his basically false religion, all this is gradually revealed in the games establishing one of the most morally complex RPG series up to this day.

[@dawnfire82]

The lesson of forcing people to adhere to an ethical code being tyranny was reasonably subtle and deep. If you're forced to do it, it loses all meaning.

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

This was one of the best games ever made. The U5: Lazarus project was a worthy homage and reverent reboot of Garriott's incredible work. And obviously, the music by Kenneth Arnold (I think that was his name) was absolutely gorgeous.

[@Xerardo84V]

Ultima 5 is one of my all time favorite games. It was published when I was 4 years old and I loved it from the moment I saw my older brothers playing it. It was an important part of my childhood, introducing me into fantasy and RPGs. Great review btw.

[@samirsinha1135]

Great video series. For Ultima V spot on. On the technical front, something you missed was the first-person dungeon artwork was some of the best I've seen up to that point in any 8-bit game. It was even better visually than the Bards Tale series.

[@SergioLeRoux]

You can use Escape key (or F1 in the C64 version) to exit a combat after you have defeated all enemies, no need to walk to the edge. Doesn't work in custom dungeon rooms.

[@PerilsAbound]

This may well be the finest game made in the 80s. It is absolutely brilliant!

[@linneystaff933]

my brother was in love with this game and beat it when i was young, I was amazed to be honest. I remember his favorite moment was finding the carpet.

[@BearfootBob]

Really nice 16-color graphics with dithering. This game was great on the Tandy 1000.

[@dawnfire82]

Exactly the model I had.

[@zenithquasar9623]

4 and 5 is a brilliant sequel I think. Seeing a direct aftermath and exploring the flipside of the things presented in 4.

[@finntrovert]

Very much agree. It's one of the major reasons why V is one of my favorites.

[@shanara99]

You find a video, a video, a video, a video, a video, and a video.

[@finntrovert]

Spoiler alert! That's for U6 ;)

[@Lance-Urbanian-MNB]

This was the first and only Ultima that I played and I loved it. Sadly I could not finish the game due to the loss of the program. Still it had a huge impact on what I enjoyed later on in PC games. Thanks for these well made reviews.

[@Chaosherold]

May this series never end! (Well, it will someday, but this day isn't near yet.)

[@finntrovert]

I hope so too! Mostly because I have no idea what I am going to do when this series is over.

[@Chaosherold]

My suggestion still would be: A review series about the Legacy of Kain games.

[@Retrofun69]

​@@finntrovertCan you do a video on a game called WAXWORKS by horrorsoft?

[@finntrovert]

@@Retrofun69 Ooh! I remember seeing that in the magazines! Thank you for reminding me of its existence. Added to my "stream/video" list.

[@billcox8870]

That portal was referred to as a Moongate. Brittanya had two moons. The phase of the first one I think determined where the Moongate would appear and the phase of the second one would determine where you would come out if you entered the Moongate. At least that's what I think. It's been many years since I played one through seven.

[@skuzzbunny]

something i think many miss, i sure did for many years, if you search the spot of the moongates, you find their moonstone, and can then just pick them up and move them around wherever you want, customizable fast-travel...!! 🤯

[@billcox8870]

@@skuzzbunny I completely forgot about that

[@Retrofun69]

Never did I think someone could do Ultima in a way comparable to spoony. And here you are. Bravo dude.

[@finntrovert]

Thank you! The reaction to these videos has definitely motivated me to keep going, even if I my process means each video takes quite a bit of time to do.

[@Retrofun69]

​@finntrovert Take your time. Quality is there. Please continue talking about old school PC games.

[@atmaweapon2803]

The love you have for these games mirrors my love for them. IV through VIII are my favorites, although the first one I ever played was LairWare's port of Ultima III for the Macintosh, which I still consider one of the best versions of the game, although now there is competition: the very authentic homebrew Game Boy Color port, and the almost unbelievably good remaster of the NES port by FoxCunning. My only regret, being a generation removed from experiencing these games sans internet, and being such a huge fan and consuming as much content as I can, learning about the history of the games, I've inadvertently spoiled major parts of the games for myself before beating them. The good news is that the games are so good, that spoiling aspects of them don't ruin them. Experiencing the games from the beginning, getting enveloped into their worlds in the way it was intended...it's like picking up an old novel and finding comfort in the familiarity.

[@yayhoo8848]

Thank you for these wonderful reviews and retrospectives. I never played Ultima V when it came out as I stopped at IV because I moved and never had time to play again. I remember seeing the box and yearning to dive back into the adventure.

[@finntrovert]

Thank you for watching! I am just happy that these videos have resonated with people, bringing memories and introducing people to this fantastic series.

[@yayhoo8848]

@finntrovert it truly was a magical experience for me to have played these games when I was 14 to 16 years old. Computer games have never recaptured that Era of wonder and sense of adventure.

[@yayhoo8848]

@finntrovert I first played Ultima II on an Apple IIe in 1985, when I was 14. Then I went on to play Ultima 3 and 4 over the next couple of years, while even going back to playing Ultima I at some point.

[@johncarpenter701]

I remember when you find a Kilrathi space fighter crashed in a farmers field, then you talk to the farmer who killed and served the giant cat to his family for dinner, all the creature would say was it wanted to "kill rathy" so we killed it first, still don't know who rathy is or why he wanted him dead, a great easter egg among origin titles

[@ovalteen4404]

I found the box by misinterpreting Landon's clue. He said Blackthorne had an item hidden in his room atop his castle. I assumed he was talking about Britain since I expected Blackthorne to take possession of Castle Britian, so I took an expedition to the king's room and sure enough found a secret room. Didn't know what to do with the box at the time, but I kept it on me throughout the game.

[@SaxcatGamingCorner]

These are fantastic retrospectives.

[@finntrovert]

Thanks! Very much appreciated!

[@TheCathesia]

No kidding this combat style is ridiculous better , I always prefer tile based sprites than stunning sprites full of details , they fitr better for a classical RPG and give a better sense of space...

[@SageofStars]

A fascinating look at this one, which WAS actually unique in how it handles things, as the Shadow Lords are kind of like Resident Evil Tyrants. They can't be killed, and they hit way too hard, and the game will randomly send them at you sometimes just for funsies, so it can mess with you as a player. Beyond that, I agree with The Spoony One, it's interesting to see Heroic Virtues that have been twisted, simply by making them mandatory at all times. They're good virtues, and in fact, we can mostly say we'd like to see a society that lives by them, but at the same time, the sheer disproportionate enforcement of them is just staggering. Of course, some of that is because they aren't being enforced equally on everyone. Liars and Thieves still exist, greed is celebrated in the halls of Lord Blackthorne himself, and Pride? He has that in abundance, especially in his little speeches to you, extoling just how much better you and he are than the baser men, something kind of true, but at the same time, something the Avatar would never say, as it's not a competition. Heck, over the course of the game, you see Blackthrone's 'Chosen Men' violating all of the Virtues, and he is not ignorant of their flaws, he choses to use them regardless simply because he feels he can use the Devil's Arms against the Devil's Works, as the old saying goes. All that is to say, I think the idea of the Virtues being the law of the land could work, but in the way they're being enforced only on those beneath the 'ruling class' is what's causing the issues, similar to the Church of Baa in Might and Magic...except there the church was being led by devils from space created by the 'Anti-Gods' of the setting to kill the gods...without realizing their weapons would kill them first. M&M was more my series growing up.

[@chess_and_tech]

Exceptional reviews!

[@finntrovert]

Thank you!

[@punydag9843]

Kiitos! Probably aside from Defender of the Crown and Faery Tale, Ultima V was _the game_ for me... 35 years ago. I do think Lord British is the true king.

[@finntrovert]

Kiitos sinulle! Now I can finally understand why Ultima V means so much to people, it was honestly an amazing experience, especially following from IV. And Defender? It's another I tried as a kid, but didn't understand well due to the language barrier. Think I need to give it a whirl at some point.

[@capkanada]

Awesome work! Can't wait for U6, first one I played.

[@finntrovert]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. I'm trying to get the time to do the rest of the footage recording next week.

[@zenithquasar9623]

Great video. This had great information, presented in a great followable way!

[@6XENO9]

Wariors of destiny is first game of all series I've ever played and most loved one. Also it's worth noting that it (and U VI) had brilliant remake using Dungeon Siege engine, which with exception of some technical issues and limitations of the engine bings it up to even higher level both in terms of playability and storytelling.

[@actionvestadventure]

LB's crown was ridiculously OP... negating the casting of all enemy magic. With the speed of the flying carpet you can more or less b-line to Blackthrone's castle and nab the crown. Afterwards, leveling is just a matter of finding a dragon behind a wall and thwack it with a halberd until dead; rinse and repeat. Dammit... all these Ultima reviews of yours are making me want to revisit Britannia myself! Which is not a terrible thing...

[@skuzzbunny]

those magic axes are pretty OP too, considering you can just get them for everyone!!!D

[@actionvestadventure]

@skuzzbunny No kidding. Grab those skull keys in Minoc and raid LB's cellar until you have all the magic axes one could want. Fix karma later heh.

[@dawnfire82]

@@actionvestadventure That was actually the recommended course of action in the official walkthrough they provided in their 'Old Ultima Games' bundle in the early 2000s, except you get the keys from Paws.

[@AVB512]

I have a very vivid memory of accidentally getting Gorn sliced in half. I can't remember who Gorn was, though.

[@finntrovert]

Half accurate vivid memories are interesting. I have a recollection of a movie with ninjas, and being made fun of because of how I said the name of the movie, but there is no movie even close to that name.

[@TheGrimGary]

The Sandlewood Box made made me quite confused back in the day, and then later kind of annoyed to learn that there is no mention of it ever in the game until you get to British himself....and then it's too late.

[@LiViro1]

Well, if you talked with Saduj ... Or the royal composer.

[@thorarinn77]

This incredible game is a true masterpiece, with a superb story and plotline.

[@lightball1414]

The dialogue with the NPC’s were the infancy of chatGTP.

[@Francois424]

Too bad they did away with dual wielding weapons in any and all future Ultimas, Including Ultima Online (Just too bad that in U5 you cant equip 2 of the same weapon, minor gripe of mine) The mechanics and battle balance of Ultima5 is the best of the series IMHO, even better than Ultima3. The conversation parser and day/night cycles is an amazing way to give time a weight in a game, something that's been mostly discarded in modem games. If the moongates appeared/disappeared like Ultima 4, but with passage of time in Ultima5 it would have been even better for world travel, as each towns would've had the moongate for 3 nights, and each successive night would've brought you to a different destination, then disappeared for a long time. The looting system was a stroke of genius IMHO, much much better than the single chest of U3/U4, and agreed with equipment/accessories. It was such a good game, hard to think it came out in 1988 or something. Party management is something that's sorely lacking in modern games, except the Baldur's Gate clones and some other rare games. Although you lose 2 party member slot this time (which is a darned shame!) it's still large enough to be interesting and create some interesting strategies. I've got to replay this soon. Thanks for the review !

[@Grazfather]

Unfortunately the NES version of Ultima V is basically unplayable. Much, much worse than Ultima IV.

[@skuzzbunny]

it looks VERY bad.....!!!P

[@computercrazies]

Did you guys know almost every version of ultima online has a fan game community with free multiplayer games up? The old classic UO is called EUO Online and the new one is like Ultima Worlds or something basically an ultima online emulator where tons of people have their own version of Ultima Online the MMO running from their personal computer.

[@mysteriousfox88]

i miss ultima

[@adamking6645]

I thought it was the "Stranger" who killed Mondain in the first Ultima, and that the Avatar didn't exist until the previous entry. Unfortunately this is where you start to see some ret-conning with the series lore.

[@dawnfire82]

Inevitable. There was no clue that Akalabeth was going to be the foundation of a successful and influential fantasy series.

[@billcox8870]

Make sure you have the sandalwood box before you go into the final dungeon or you are completely screwed

[@ovalteen4404]

Weird... my save game from IV transferred without problem.

[@theproanimator8447]

but on what platform was Ultima 5 first released on?

[@CrossOni-ju1hh]

What are the advantages tontransferring a character from 4?

[@finntrovert]

@@CrossOni-ju1hh Slight level boost at the start, lessening grind a bit.

[@CrossOni-ju1hh]

@@finntrovert oh cool, thanks.

[@finntrovert]

@@CrossOni-ju1hh No problem. Glad to clarify when I can.

[@elasmojones]

g.o.a.t. game

[@MP-dl5xm]

do you know a game called EUO?

[@finntrovert]

No I had not, but now I have. Added to my "remember to check" list.

[@MP-dl5xm]

@@finntrovert kzbin.info/www/bejne/fafNpI2njJV2o9E

[@gradclvz3501]

When I played this game, I found the fight was too difficult for low level character with limited equipments. Ended up getting revived often, so my character was always at Lvl 1 forever. After playing several days I gave up and abandoned the game. I think the penalty for new players are to harsh for this game.

[@dawnfire82]

You have to learn when to run away early. Difficulty is not curbed. Those ettins will kick your ass. Got to stick to orcs, gremlins, and maybe pirates for a while. Even those stupid sea horses are trouble early on.

[@gradclvz3501]

@@dawnfire82 Thanks. I tried to escape from Ettins, but it kept chasing me through half the continent. The deadliest are the snakes. They came in many and they spitted poison from long range, instantly killing the entire party before even had chance to escape.

[@Xerardo84V]

Is it you, Kikoskia?

[@finntrovert]

Sorry to disappoint you, but no. Never heard of that person.

[@Xerardo84V]

@finntrovert Oh, ok. Kikoskia is a KZbin channel, who also made some Ultima Let's Plays. I find your voice sounds somewhat similar.

[@finntrovert]

@@Xerardo84V Ooh! More Ultima content! I'll bookmark them for when I'm done with this series.

[@wiggbuggie863]

I love the lore and ideas behind the ultima games, but they are a pain to play sadly

[@daviddestin1990]

The last of the great Ultimas- Trying to go "3D" was too ambitious, the 2D template is much better

[@dawnfire82]

VII was pretty cool, but yeah, I think the series peaked with V.

[@TheCheeseMovesSideways]

VI had a great story and concept, i consider it the "bridge" between both eras in the series. You can clearly see the influence that it has for VII and yet how similar it is to the older ones like turn based combat, typing certain words for dialogue, an expansive world etc. It's not perfect by any means but it has a special place in my heart because of how unique it is in terms of what it did to the series

[@TheCheeseMovesSideways]

I don't really see the fame surrounding VII, i find it to be an "odd" entry to the series and its execution is quite bland. The story was good but not something groundbreaking as some people would like you to believe and the weird realtime combat system is more often jarring than anything remotely smooth, graphics took a bit of time to get used to especially the weird angle but the worst offender is how small the world is compare to the older ones, it kills the sense of exploration that Ultima gives you and is a big part of why i consider it to be odd. The game overall felt more like an experiment to me, it would be interesting to see where they would take the series from then on but unfortunately we all know how that ended up, in any case it's still a great entry just not the peak that people say it is