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Ultima IX: Ascension
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Ultima IX: Ascension

199950/100
PuzzleRole-playing (RPG)Adventure

Branching Story · Fantasy · Open World · Stealth

The final entry in the main Ultima series is a fascinating, if flawed, attempt to bring the franchise into the 3D era. Ascension's ambition is clear, from its fully explorable Britannia to its detailed character interactions, offering a level of immersive simulation rarely seen at the time. Despite its technical issues and controversial story, the game's commitment to player freedom and its rich world, ripe for exploration, still captivates those willing to look past its blemishes.

About Ultima IX: Ascension

Details
In the beginning of Ultima IX, the Avatar had somehow returned to Earth for an unspecified amount of time before getting back to Britannia. The game starts just after the end of Ultima VIII, in which the Avatar is transported to a Guardian-controlled Britannia. He arrives in Britannia on a mountain overlooking the Guardian's keep in Terfin. The Avatar is transported to Stonegate by Hawkwind the Seer (from Ultima IV), who informs him that great columns have appeared throughout the land, and their malignant influence has caused plagues, famine, and other natural disasters. Under their power, the people of Britannia have twisted the Virtues into mockeries of their true meaning. The Guardian is helped by Lord Blackthorn, who leads the Wyrmguards and forces the people to obey the Guardian. As the quest progresses, the Avatar learns that the Guardian has stolen the Runes of the Virtues and twisted them into the glyphs that form the heart of each of the columns. Most of the game consists of traveling through the dungeons to recover the glyphs and visiting the Shrines of the Virtues to meditate and cleanse them. Eventually, it is revealed that the Guardian is nothing other than the dark half of the Avatar himself, and the only way to save Britannia is for the Avatar to ascend to a higher plane, taking the Guardian with him. The player is able to accomplish this via an Armageddon spell cast behind a Barrier of Life, which takes the Avatar and the Guardian to a higher plane out of Britannia.

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Like Ultima IX, Dishonored blends open-world exploration with a strong narrative, but trades swords for supernatural powers and a steampunk setting. Explore a city on the brink of collapse, solve environmental puzzles, and make choices that shape the story.

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Breath of the Wild offers a vast open world ripe for exploration and discovery, much like Ultima IX, but with a focus on environmental puzzles and a more action-oriented combat system.

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  • Criteria — Adventure is central, as players are encouraged to explore a vast open world, uncover secrets, and solve environmental puzzles
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Silent Hill 2 provides a strong narrative with a focus on psychological horror, like Ultima IX's exploration of themes of loss and guilt. Players explore a town filled with puzzles and unsettling imagery.

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  • Criteria — Strong Story driven by the protagonist's search for his deceased wife
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