Diablo 4 is one of the most anticipated games of 2023. Many fans are looking forward to playing the hack & slash soon, but do you actually know how the genre began? We take you back to a time full of pixels and a lot of imagination that a player had to bring.
What was the first hack & slash? The first known hack & slash, which also defined the genre, was the fantasy game “Ultima” from 1981. It is a game for the platforms Apple II, Atari 8 Bit Systems, Commodore 64, DOS, FM Towns, and MSX. The title was the first professionally developed game by game designer Richard Garriott, who was also the lead producer of Tabula Rasa.
The graphics are very ancient compared to today’s games, yet Ultima managed to captivate many players with its gameplay and setting. We now take you into the world of Sosaria and show you what Ultima had to offer.
Ancient graphics, new genre, and a quirky world
What is Ultima about? Ultima takes place in a medieval fantasy setting. Richard Garriott was inspired by well-known fantasy universes such as Dungeons & Dragons and The Lord of the Rings. You find yourself in the mystical world of Sosaria, needing to stop the evil wizard Mondain, who has made himself invincible with his crystal of invulnerability.
Your task is to find four special crystals in different continents of Sosaria to activate a time machine. With this time machine, you can then travel to a timeline where Mondain is not immortal in order to kill him.
As a stranger, you also have the option to choose one of four classes at the start: the warrior, cleric, rogue, or wizard.
In addition, there are even four races to choose from: human, elf, dwarf, or “Bobbit”. And even though it was hard to tell the difference with the rustic graphics, each class had its own strengths.
Is there an open world? The world of Ultima is completely open-world and can be explored by you. There are not only different kingdoms waiting to be discovered but also dungeons to loot or steal from.
What was the combat system like? The battles were turn-based. If you did not meet the time limit, your opponent had the chance to hit you. This was not only the case in dungeons; even in the open world, random opponents could attack you without warning. The world of Ultima was therefore very alive.
What made Ultima so special? The interesting thing about Ultima is mainly the world and how it evolves through your progression. You start with ancient weapons like bows and swords, and before you know it, you can acquire guns and lightsabers and even fight T-Fighters with spaceships.
The contrast and especially how the world transforms through your actions and becomes sci-fi makes Ultima quirky, as nobody expected such changes in a game from 1981.
Essentially, the fantasy game of that time offered many cool things and was ahead of its time compared to many games. For this reason, Richard Garriott’s game also paved the way for the hack & slash genre.
What do you think of Ultima? Do you know the title and have you even played the first part of this fantasy game series? Let us know in the comments!
The first commercially successful game is already 50 years old – Do you know it?
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