Ultima 5: Warriors of Destiny Review
Total Score: 8.75
Computer (Amiga, Apple II, Atari, Commodore 64, DOS)
Origin Systems
1988

Graphics & Sound: Before anyone yells at me, let me explain: I played Ultima 5 on my girlfriends laptop, which is incredibly old. The sound card is something that I have no idea how to configure, as I am, and always have been a Mac user. The only sound that occurred was the clicking of me moving and attacking. So there really isn't any music or sound effects that I heard. But, it didn't distract form my game playing. Not once bit. So, I decided to simply omit the Sound rating, because I still enjoyed the game without any music at all. That sure does have to be a good game!
Now, the graphics are especially good in this game. Well, maybe not the best. 1988 saw the release of such games as Mega Man 2, and Phantasy Star for consoles. Much better graphics can be found on consoles, which were designed to be solely graphics based, unlike computers in that time. The computer world was given it's first AD&D came, Pool of Radiance, and Ultima 5 had better graphics than that. It may not have beaten any of the consoles, but it sure did improve upon the darker colours seen in Ultima 4. What got me was that every item in the game had a rather good sprite. And there were light houses! With animated, real-time lights! It was amazing. And the dungeons were well decorated too, for the time. I was impressed, I have to say.
Score: 8 (Graphics: 8, Sound: N/A)

Play Control: Any problem you had with Ultima 4 was improved upon in Ultima 5. Sure, there is the same problem with many key commands and such, but with a good memory, or a sheet of paper beside you, you can survive no problem. The spell mixing process has improved, bringing the Ultima series spell creation to what I think is a peak. The magic words begin to show their beautiful faces, allowing you to mix spells by name, instead of key. So, you want to heal, well, that is Mani. You want to cure poison? An Nox. So, you would type in M for Mani, or A, N for An Nox, then the proper reagents. Beautiful. And it brings you into the world much better than any other magic system in existence. You have to learn the magic language of the world. Nox is poison, An is anti, so you can essentially make logical conclusions with spells. Anything with an An in it is going to remove something. It's beautiful. The key selection is the same in all Ultimas, so you don't have to learn new command placement. If you played Ultima 4 and got used to (H)ole Up as your rest command, have no fear, so it remains. As do many of the keys, so you can focus on solving the many, many puzzles of the world. Finally, I have to say that I love this game, and think it is a pinnacle of the overhead RPG. I have not played a better crafted game so perfect than this one.
Score: 8.25 (Play Control: 8.5, Initial Feel: 8)

Challenge: The game keeps on giving. I can't get enough of it. If you felt that Ultima 4 was bland, Ultima 5 is your game. Not only do you have to save the Virtues, and learn about them, or save the populace, and King British, you have to battle the Shadowlords, and Lord Blackthorn. The game is exciting, challenging, and huge. The Underworld itself is massive, and can challenge anyone to explore it. The game is almost perfectly balanced perfection. The overworld is calm, and the underworld is massive and dangerous. It can seem daunting, really, the Underworld threatens any unweary or unprepared adventurer to the point of raving madness! And it should, really... But with some thought and preparedness you can solve the mysteries hidden below the earth. That is the great part of the game, you are given puzzles to figure out. Talking to people give you more clues, and with those clues you are able to gather the items and people you need to save Britannia.
The game is huge, and although it may not have a massively large choice in character (four classes are yours to choose from, I believe), the game is very open, and allows you to grapple the puzzles in any order you wish. There is no right or wrong order, as long as you get them done. That is the most endearing part of Ultima 5, and the entire series, it allows the player to explore the world at their own pace, and Ultima 5 has it in perfection. If you want to explore a world that is beautifully designed and very deep, play this one. It is ahead of it's time, and in my opinion still one of the only games that has ever achieved this level of detail and freedom.
Score 8.75 (Lasting Interest: 9, Difficulty: 8.5)

Theme & Fun: I have said it before, and I will say it again. Ultima 5 is the best game I have ever played. Hands down. No console RPG can touch it, and any other RPG out there still doesn't even come close. Not even the other Ultimas in the series are this good (Ultima 7 Part 1 comes close in freedom). The story is amazing, and simple. But what gives this game it's charm is the world you are playing in. It is immersive, beautiful and realistic. The NPCs have daily routines, something I don't think many games have even tried to do. You can follow people around from morning to night, seeing what they do. Guards change their posts, shopkeepers go home... everything. And this is 1988!! I played this game so much, and took so many notes that I still want to play it. In fact the only reason why I haven't replayed it is because there is no Mac version. There is no updated version, really, with the exception of the Dungeon Siege one, but I would rather play straight port.
I can't say enough good things about this game, so go play it already!!
Score: 10 (Story: 10, Overall Enjoyment: 10)