Ultima III: Exodus

Ultima III: Exodus
Developer(s)	Richard Garriott
Publisher(s)	Origin Systems
Designer(s)	Richard Garriott
Engine	Ultima III engine
Platform(s)	Amiga, Apple II, Atari 800, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, FM-7, Macintosh, MSX, NES
Release date(s)	August 23, 1983
Genre(s)	Role-playing video game
Mode(s)	Single player
Media/distribution	Floppy disk / Cartridge

Ultima III: Exodus is the third game in the Ultima series. Exodus is also the name of the game's principal antagonist. Released in 1983, it was the first Ultima game published by Origin Systems.

Gameplay

A battle with pirates. (NES version shown)

Exploring the countryside near Lord British's castle. A town is nearby, along with various enemies. (NES version)

Exodus features revolutionary graphics for its time, being the first computer RPG 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. Players now battle groups of enemies on a separate battle screen, where the player has to understand weapons and magic systems and employ rudimentary tactics in order to overcome each opponent, as opposed to the system in the previous two games, in which the player is simply depicted as trading blows with one opponent on the main map until either is defeated.

Unlike the two previous Ultima games, which had wire-frame first-person dungeons, Exodus' dungeons are solid-3D in appearance and integrated into the game's plot. Most of the futuristic aspects of the game seen in the previous installments are gone, including flying vehicles, time machines, and spaceships.

By denying the player the ability to see what's behind mountain peaks, forests, and walls, the maps can now contain many small surprises such as hidden treasure, secret paths, and out-of-the-way informants. The look of the game is no longer based on certain characteristics of the Apple II hardware; it is rather a carefully designed screen layout.

Plot

After Ultima II: The Revenge of the Enchantress was set on Earth, the story of Exodus centers on a quest back in Sosaria, the world of Ultima. The player's mission is to destroy the final remnant of the evil Mondain and Minax. 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, Exodus appears on the cover of the game as a Demonic figure, it is not encountered at the game's end as such, and is never exactly clear what it is.

At the beginning of the game, Exodus is terrorizing the land of Sosaria from his stronghold on the Isle of Fire (known as Fire Island in Ultima Online). The player character 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.

The game ends immediately upon Exodus' defeat; but unlike many games in the genre, Exodus cannot simply be killed in battle by a strong party of adventurers, but only through clever puzzle-solving and by paying attention to the many clues given throughout the game. At the end of the game, players were instructed to "REPORT THY VICTORY!" to Origin. Those who did so received a certificate of completion autographed by Richard Garriott.

Although this is the last game in the series to take place in Old Sosaria, places in the game such as Ambrosia and the Isle of Fire make cameo appearances in later games, namely Ultima VII.

Reception

Exodus is credited as a game that laid the foundation for the role-playing video game genre, influencing games such as Dragon Warrior 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. Exodus was voted into Computer Gaming World magazine's Hall of Fame by its readers, and over 120,000 copies were sold. It also won the "Adventure Game of the Year" prize in Computer Gaming World'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."

The demon figure that appeared on the front of the box caused fundamental religious extremists 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 is now famous for.

Other versions

Numerous ports of Ultima III appeared on many different systems. Below is a complete list of the various systems Ultima III: Exodus has appeared on along with some differences between them.

System	Release date	Publisher	Notes
Apple II	1983	Origin Systems	Original version. Complete soundtrack is included; requires the optional Mockingboard expansion card.
Atari 800	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	Designed for use with a composite color monitor; will not display correctly on CGA/EGA/VGA RGB-based monitors, nor in most emulators. 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	Origin Systems/Starcraft*	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	Origin Systems Inc./Starcraft*	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	Origin Systems/Starcraft*	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	1988	Origin Systems/FCI/Pony Canyon	Modified graphics and a new soundtrack. Considerable alterations to gameplay. Significantly expanded dialogue. Only a small instruction booklet rather than the map and manuals. Added endgame sequence after defeating Exodus.
MSX 2 - Cartridge	1988	Origin Systems/Pony Canyon	It was packaged in a VHS like box with only the game cartridge and 40 page manual.
MSX 2 - 3.5" Disk	1989	Origin Systems/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.

^*The publisher Starcraft has no relation to the popular PC game StarCraft and went out of business in 1996.

External links

• Ultima III on the Ultima Wiki
• Ultima III: Exodus guide at StrategyWiki
• Ultima III: Exodus at MobyGames