Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
1992 first-person role-playing video game / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss is a first-person role-playing video game developed by Blue Sky Productions (later Looking Glass Studios) and published by Origin Systems. Released in March 1992, the game is set in the fantasy world of the Ultima series. It takes place inside the Great Stygian Abyss: a large cave system that contains the remnants of a failed utopian civilization. The player assumes the role of the Avatar—the Ultima series's protagonist—and attempts to find and rescue a baron's kidnapped daughter.
Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss | |
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Developer(s) | Blue Sky Productions |
Publisher(s) | Origin Systems[lower-alpha 1] |
Director(s) | Richard Garriott |
Producer(s) | Warren Spector |
Designer(s) | Paul Neurath |
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Series | Ultima |
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Genre(s) | Action role-playing, dungeon crawl |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Ultima Underworld has been cited as the first role-playing game to feature first-person action in a 2.5D environment. Its design combines simulation elements with concepts from earlier role-playing video games, including Wizardry and Dungeon Master, which led the game's designers to call it a "dungeon simulation". As such, the game is non-linear and allows for emergent gameplay.
Ultima Underworld sold nearly 500,000 units, and was placed on numerous hall of fame lists. It influenced game developers such as Bethesda Softworks and Valve, and it was an inspiration behind the games Deus Ex and BioShock. The game had a sequel, Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds (1993), and a new game in the series, Underworld Ascendant, was released in late 2018.