History VideoGame / UltimaIII

''Ultima III'' is the first ''Franchise/{{Ultima}}'' that was published by Origin. First released in 1983, finally quests and dungeons started fitting together better and with more explanation. The game style would later inspire games such as ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' and ''VideoGame/DragonQuest''.

* BlackAndWhiteMagic: Magic Power and Will Power, respectively, which the different classes can use to various extents. Note that this is the only ''Franchise/{{Ultima}}'' game with this split.

The Stranger killed the {{Big Bad}}s of the previous two games, [[VideoGame/UltimaI Mondain]] and [[VideoGame/UltimaII Minax]]; but the waves and waves of monsters keep coming. They're organized; they're taking orders from someone or some ''thing''; but nobody knows what. A "remnant" left over from the times of Mondain and Minax has survived. Did they have a child? Did they have some kind of demon servant that was overlooked? Was something left from all of that SchizoTech from mucking around with TimeTravel? Yes.

* GameBreakingBug: The PC version has elements that run based on CPU speed instead of time (correctable with DOSBox). As such, the whirlpool will destroy pirates before they're visible to the player, and you need a ship in order to easily reach one of the islands.

''Ultima III'' is the first ''Franchise/{{Ultima}}'' that was published by Origin. First released in 1983, finally quests and dungeons' started fitting together better and with more explanation. The game style would later inspire games such as ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' and ''VideoGame/DragonQuest''.

The Stranger killed the {{Big Bad}}s of the previous two games, [[VideoGame/UltimaI Mondain]] and [[VideoGame/UltimaII Minax]]; but the waves and waves of monsters keep coming. They're organized; they're taking orders from someone or some ''thing''; but nobody knows what. A "remnant" left over from the times of Mondain and Minax has survived. Did they have a child? Did they have some kind of demon servant that was overlooked? Was something left from all of that SchizoTech from mucking around with TimeTravel? [[spoiler: [[CaptainObvious Yes.]]]]

* [[LockedInTheDungeon Dungeons]]: You actually ''have'' to enter most of them now; usually to get "Marks" which grant special abilities or get past a BrokenBridge.

* MoralDissonance: A minor case, but complaints about this inspired the next game's KarmaMeter.

* SequenceBreaking: The most powerful weapons and armor in the ''entire game'' are available as soon as you get a ship; and you know [[spoiler: that you have to special command: dig on the tiny islands just off the coast.]] They're free.

* EverythingTryingToKillYou - In Exodus' lair, ''floor panels'' actually attack you.
** Also ''[[http://spoonyexperiment.com/2010/07/23/ultima-3-exodus-breaking-news/ the grass!]]''

* PoweredByAForsakenChild: Regular resurrection spells do not work if the corpse has been reduced to ashes. The manual gives the explanation that this is because in such a case the soul moves on to be reincarnated. However, a greater spell can restore life to ashes by ''tearing the life and soul away from the baby where it moved on to''.

''VideoGame/UltimaIII'' is the first ''Franchise/{{Ultima}}'' that was published by Origin. First released in 1983, finally quests and dungeons' started fitting together better and with more explanation. The game style would later inspire games such as ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' and ''VideoGame/DragonQuest''.

* {{Dungeon}}: You actually ''have'' to enter most of them now; usually to get "Marks" which grant special abilities or get past a BrokenBridge.

The Stranger killed the {{Big Bad}}s of the previous two games, [[VideoGame/UltimaI Mondain]] and [[VideoGame/UltimaII Minax]]; but the waves and waves of monsters keep coming. They're organized; they're taking orders from someone or some ''thing''; but nobody knows what. A "remnant" left over from the times of Mondain and Minax has survived. Did they have a child? Did they have some kind of demon servant that was overlooked? Was something left from all of that SchizoTech from mucking around with TimeTravel? [[spoiler: Yes.]]

* TimeTravel: In a different way from the previous two games. You are not the one who does it, but rather the "Time Lord" (no, not [[Series/DoctorWho that one)]] gives you instructions on how to use the Cards which are revealed to be [[spoiler: {{Magic Floppy Disk}}ettes.]]
** Well, actually, [[spoiler: punch cards]], but close enough.

* ChekhovsGunman: The Great Earth Serpent becomes an important part of ''VideoGame/UltimaVIIPartII''
* CoversAlwaysLie: The [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b6/Ultima_III_Exodus_cover.jpg cover]] of ''Ultima III'' showed this demon looking thing that is presumably Exodus. The truth was a bit more complicated.

''VideoGame/UltimaIII'' is the first ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'' that was published by Origin. First released in 1983, finally quests and dungeons' started fitting together better and with more explanation. The game style would later inspire games such as ''FinalFantasy'' and ''DragonQuest''.

* AmericanKirbyIsHardcore: Inverted. The original American version uses top-down tile-based sprites with no animation and realistically-proportioned characters, while the Japan-developed NES port of this game and ''Ultima IV'' used super-deformed {{Animesque}} artwork - in fact, this went on to inspire ''DragonQuest''.

* BlackAndWhiteMagic: Magic Power and Will Power, respectively, which the different classes can use to various extents. Note that this is the only ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'' game with this split.

* ChekhovsGunman: The Great Earth Serpent becomes an important part of ''UltimaVIIPartII''

** Although via RetCon later in ''Ultima VI'' it is revealed that it was Exodus too. Just a different part of it. The expansion of ''Ultima VII'' went into even more detail.

* ChekhovsGunaman: The Great Earth Serpent becomes an important part of ''UltimaVIIPartII''

* CoversAlwaysLie: The cover of ''Ultima III'' showed this demon looking thing that is presumably Exodus. The truth was a bit more complicated.

* CardsOfPower: The card [[spoiler:that defeat Exodus.]]

* AmericanKirbyIsHardcore: Inverted. The original American version uses top-down tile-based sprites with no animation, while the Japan-developed NES port of this game and ''Ultima IV'' used super-deformed {{Animesque}} artwork - in fact, this went on to inspire ''DragonQuest''.

--> '''[[TheSpoonyExperiment Spoony]]''': ''Ultima Retrospective''

''UltimaIII'' is the first ''{{Ultima}}'' that was published by Origin. First released in 1983, finally quests and dungeons' started fitting together better and with more explanation. The game style would later inspire games such as ''FinalFantasy'' and ''DragonQuest''.

The Stranger killed the {{Big Bad}}s of the previous two games, [[UltimaI Mondain]] and [[UltimaII Minax]]; but the waves and waves of monsters keep coming. They're organized; they're taking orders from someone or some ''thing''; but nobody knows what. A "remnant" left over from the times of Mondain and Minax has survived. Did they have a child? Did they have some kind of demon servant that was overlooked? Was something left from all of that SchizoTech from mucking around with TimeTravel? [[spoiler: Yes.]]

* BlackAndWhiteMagic: Magic Power and Will Power, respectively, which the different classes can use to various extents. Note that this is the only ''{{Ultima}}'' game with this split.

--> '''Spoony''' ''Ultima Retrospective''

''UltimaIII'' is the first ''{{Ultima}}'' that was published by Origin. First released in 1983. The plot elements; quests and dungeons' started fitting together better and with more explanation. The game style would later inspire games such as ''FinalFantasy'' and ''DragonQuest''.