Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar vs Ultima IX: Ascension

Ultima IV invites players to explore the newly formed kingdom of Britannia, where the ultimate goal is not to slay a final villain but to embody the Eight Virtues and become the Avatar. The game blends classic top‑down exploration with first‑person dungeon crawling, offering a rich narrative driven by moral choices and character development. With color graphics, a robust virtue system, and the ability to recruit NPCs into your party, Ultima IV set new standards for role‑playing games in 1985 and remains a benchmark for ethical gameplay and open‑world design.

As the dark half of the Avatar, the Guardian threatens all of existence. By mastering combat, magic, and the virtues, you can ascend beyond Britannia and defeat the Guardian once and for all.

• Innovative virtue system that rewards moral play
• Rich open‑world with diverse locations
• Iconic retro graphics and music
• Deep NPC interaction without character creation

• Deep lore tied to the Ultima series
• Rich open‑world environment
• Complex virtue and magic systems

• Interface can feel dated for modern players
• Limited combat variety compared to contemporary RPGs
• No official multiplayer or co‑op support

• Outdated graphics by modern standards
• Steep learning curve for new players
• Technical bugs reported on older hardware