In Ultima VIII - Pagan, the Guardian banishes the Avatar to the world of Pagan. This world is controlled by the Guardian himself, the malicious god-like entity figuring as the villain in the previous chapters of the series, Ultima VII - The Black Gate and Serpent Isle. The goal here is to escape and get back to your own world.

The moment you start playing you are placed in a world that is very different from what you normally see in the Ultima games. This is practically the opposite of Britannia. The atmosphere is intense, dark and hostile, where the Britannia is light, open and happy in comparison. Enourmous work has gone into fleshing out the enviroment, everything being dark, gnarled and forboding. Growths of all kinds adorn the landscape, and it makes for a darkly beautiful world.

The NPCs in the world are fewer than in the previous Ultima games, and there are even fewer that just serve to add to the atmosphere. Most are directly linked to the main quest, and some might not even talk to you until you've spoken to some other specific person or until you've performed some specific task. The part about NPCs not talking to you can be justified a bit by the general way of the world, though, as it reeks of oppression. The main city (and only big) city in the game is run by a malicious dictator (as opposed to the oh so benevolent and just Lord British), that'll take any chance she gets to punish the general populace. But all in all, it is a little disappointing with the lack of NPC interaction compared to, for instance, Ultima VII, where you spend much time talking to NPCs about everything between heaven and earth. Also, it seems they've mangled the night/day schedule a bit. The NPCs seem less alive than in Ultima VII.

The storyline itself is nice enough, but it's very linear. You don't really get any choices as to what you want to do. It's generally just "do this, then do that, then that". From one point to the next, without much to do in between. There are definately some interesting bits, and some very cool encounters, but going from a series of non-linear games, to this almost completely linear was a bad choice.

Luckily, as with earlier Ultimas, it's possible to find all kinds of background material on Pagan. NPCs will give you interesting and valuable information, and there are many books lying around for you to read.

A huge change from the earlier Ultimas is the lack Avatar-type behavior. Usually, you strive to help others and be virtuous. The savior of the people and the world and all that. In Pagan, it's virtually just a matter of escaping, no matter the cost. When you steal, though, watch out that you don't get caught. Befitting the dark world, the consequenses of getting caught are very heavy. Basically, the world is a mirror image of what we're used to in the other Ultimas. Nicely implemented in most cases. Still annoying with the complete lack of Avatar personality. Nothing left of the behavior you'd expect.

As soon as you start getting away from the main city, you won't really get to any bigger city- or town-like sites. There are a few locations with more than a few NPCs, but most of the game will be spent in dungeons. They are beautifully crafted, but it does get tedious quickly.

One very interesting part in Pagan is the magic system. There are several forms of magic, all of which the Avatar will need to learn along the way through the game. You'll find necromancy, theurgy and sorcery, all cast with different rituals and reagents. Some seem pretty much like the previous games' systems, with reagents. But with sorcery, for instance, the magic is cast as rituals using a pentagram. Visually very cool, and closely tied to the plot. Actually one of the things in the game that works very nicely.

Another big change from the previous games in the series is that you can now jump and climb. This makes the enviroment a lot more interesting in some places, as there are more "levels" to explore. Some places you need to jump and run and climb fast to survive... which leads me to another problem: the interface is VERY clumsy. The Avatar is clumsy. Maneauvering, climbing and jumping can take several tries to get it right, and in the meantime you might just jump into some water and drown.

The clumsy interface is also a problem in combat. Sure, it looks good, but maneauvering around and between opponents can be hard enough that you might lose half your hitpoints before even getting a hit in. On top of that there's an overaboundance of zombies, trolls and ghosts. Gets boring quickly.

Then there are companions. Or the lack thereof. We've gotten used to having several loyal followers and friends with us on the quests. Iolo, Shamino, Dupre and others. None of that here. The avatar is completely alone. This also adds to the world feeling a bit more empty, along with the lack of extra NPCs. It's clear that the companions from earlier games couldn't follow, but I think it would've been nice with some new blood in the new world.

As you might have gathered farther up, the graphics are incredible. Everything just fits in the landscape, and it's all in the same dark theme. Just great. The character animation is great; just too bad it's mangled by the poor controls. Animation doesn't look that great when you desperately switch around trying to find spot where you actually hit a creature, and not empty air. The music and sound effects are good, adding nicely to the general atmosphere. Actually, I'd say the music is some of the best. Perfect for the dark theme. It's a good thing you can switch of the sound of the Avatar's footsteps, though, as features like these annoy me.

It's hard to decide wether this game is great, or just good. Comparing it to the other Ultimas I've played, I have to say it's just good. As a game in and of itself, it's actually quite an experience, though. On the other hand, without the other games as guide, you wouldn't really notice all the nuances and changes; the changed behavior, the contrast between the worlds. A few really good points: the magic system, and the general atmosphere, where the dark theme is served up very well.

Bottom line: It's different, and not entirely up to what I would deem Ultima Standards, but it's still a good game.