Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar

Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar, first released in 1985 for the Apple II, is the fourth in the series of Ultima role-playing video games. It is the first in the "Age of Enlightenment" trilogy, shifting the series from the hack and slash, dungeon crawl gameplay of its "Age of Darkness" predecessors towards an ethically-nuanced, story-driven approach. Ultima IV has a much larger game world than its predecessors, with an overworld map sixteen times the size of Ultima III and puzzle-filled dungeon rooms to explore. Ultima IV further advances the franchise with dialog improvements, new means of travel and exploration, and world interactivity.

Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar
Cover art by Denis Loubet
Developer(s)Origin Systems
Publisher(s)
Origin Systems
Designer(s)Richard Garriott
Artist(s)Denis Loubet
Patricia Hunter
Marsha Meuse
Writer(s)Richard Garriott
Roe Adams
Composer(s)Kenneth W. Arnold
SeriesUltima
Platform(s)Amiga, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, FM Towns, FM-7, MSX2, Master System, NES, PC-88, PC-98, X1, X68000
Release
November 1985
  • Apple II
    • NA: November 1985
    Commodore 64
    • NA: December 1985
    • EU: 1986
    Atari 8-bit
    • NA: February 1986
    FM-7, PC-88, PC-98
    • JP: July 1987
    MSX2, Sharp X1
    DOS
    • NA: October 1987
    • EU: 1987
    Atari ST
    Amiga
    Sharp X68000
    • JP: December 21, 1988
    Famicom/NES
    • JP: September 20, 1989
    • NA: December 1990
    Master System
    FM Towns
    • JP: April 1992
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

In 1996 Computer Gaming World named Ultima IV as #2 on its Best Games of All Time list on the PC. Designer Richard Garriott considers this game to be among his favorites from the Ultima series.

Ultima IV was followed by the release of Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny in 1988.

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