History VideoGame / UltimaVIII

''Pagan'' occupies an interesting place in the ''Ultima'' series. ExecutiveMeddling meant its production ended up being quite rushed, and many of the original planned elements were left out. The removal of party-based gameplay and the addition of various platform game features also got a mixed reception among fans of the previous games. Combined with the change in setting and lack of relation to the series' story arc, the gameplay changes left it with little in common with the other ''Ultima'' games. It is still, however, much more fondly remembered than the ObviousBeta that was ''VideoGame/UltimaIX'', and is quite fun when judged in its own right rather than in comparison with the rest of the series.

* NotEvilJustMisunderstood: One journal is by a troll that has woken up from a long slumber due to a magical accident to find his once advanced people have degenerated into mindless monsters now hunted by the humans they once allied with. The last entry has him about to take an injured child to humans, hoping it will clear things up a bit. A separate guard captain's journal indicates one of his recruits "bravely" chopped apart the troll as he begged for his life. And the little girl, but of course [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters "She was only a peasant however, and of no import."]]* PowerGlows: The Avatar's hands glow blue when he is casting a spell. Other characters' hands change to different colours when performing magic, such as red or orange. Enchanted weapons, armour, scrolls and other magic items have a blue glow around them.

* NotEvilJustMisunderstood: One journal is by a troll that has woken up from a long slumber due to a magical accident to find his once advanced people have degenerated into mindless monsters now hunted by the humans they once allied with. The last entry has him about to take an injured child to humans, hoping it will clear things up a bit. A separate guard captain's journal indicates one of his recruits "bravely" chopped apart the troll as he begged for his life. And the little girl, but of course [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters "She was only a peasant however, and of no import."]]
* ObviousBeta: The game features several useless areas and doors you'll never open due to being rushed out.
* PowerGlows: The Avatar's hands glow blue when he is casting a spell. Other characters' hands change to different colours when performing magic, such as red or orange. Enchanted weapons, armour, scrolls and other magic items have a blue glow around them.

* SuperDrowningSkills: Falling into even the tiniest body of water means instant death. This includes water fountains in Tenebrae. To destroy any item or character, just drop it into water. What makes this especially [[{{Narm}} hilarious]] is that the Avatar starts the game being fished out of the sea.

* RealIsBrown: Or grey, when exploring underground cavern areas. This factor is admittedly subject to some exaggeration by [[WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment Spoony]].

** The book ''Eye of the Boulder, the Runes of the Myth Drainer'' is derogatory a reference to ''VideoGame/EyeOfTheBeholder'', and the ''[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons D&D]]'' box set, ''The Ruins of Myth Drannor''.

** The book ''Eye of the Boulder, the Runes of the Myth Drainer'' is a reference to ''VideoGame/EyeOfTheBeholder'', and the ''[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons D&D]]'' box set, ''The Ruins of Myth Drannor''.

* DownerEnding: The Avatar absorbs the essence of all four Titans, becoming the [[DeityOfHumanOrigin Titan of Ether,]] and constructs his own Black Gate, using it to leave Pagan... [[YouAreTooLate Only to be greeted by an absolutely gargantuan statue of the Guardian's head looming over the hellscape that is now Britannia.]] [[ContinuitySnarl And then Ultima IX happened.]]

* DownerEnding: The Avatar absorbs the essence of all four Titans, becoming the [[DeityOfHumanOrigin Titan of Ether,]] and constructs his own Black Gate, using it to return to Britannia... [[YouAreTooLate Only to be greeted by an absolutely gargantuan statue of the Guardian's head looming over the hellscape that is now Britannia...]] [[ContinuitySnarl And then Ultima IX happened.]]

''Ultima VIII: Pagan'' (1994) is the eighth official installment in the classic ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'' series of RolePlayingGames. After [[BigBad The Guardian]] captures the Avatar, he banishes him to Pagan, a world of eternal twilight very different from the usual series setting of Britannia. Here, the Avatar is forced to find his bearings and learn in a strange new environment. [[KarmaMeter The Virtues]] of the previous games are gone, and despite being a messianic paragon in Britannia, no one knows of him here. None of his old companions appear in the game, nor does Lord British. Instead, most of the story deals with the Avatar's interactions with the four Titans, powerful demi-gods whose worshippers are capable of different forms of magic. The Avatar travels this world learning the different forms of ElementalPowers, before ultimately facing off the Titans themselves. After this, he hopes to return to Britannia to [[VideoGame/UltimaIX deal with the Guardian]].

''Ultima VIII: Pagan'' (1994) is the eighth official installment in the classic ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'' series of RolePlayingGames. After [[BigBad The Guardian]] captures the Avatar, he banishes him to Pagan, a world of eternal twilight very different from the usual series setting of Britannia. Here, the Avatar is forced to find his bearings and learn in a strange new environment. [[KarmaMeter The Virtues]] of the previous games are gone, and despite being a messianic paragon in Britannia, no one knows of him here. None of his old companions appear in the game, nor does Lord British. Instead, most of the story deals with the Avatar's interactions with the four Titans, powerful demi-gods whose worshippers are capable of different forms of magic. The Avatar travels this world learning the different forms of ElementalPowers, before ultimately facing off the Titans themselves. After this, he hopes to return to Britannia to [[UltimaIX deal with the Guardian]].

''Pagan'' occupies an interesting place in the ''Ultima'' series. ExecutiveMeddling meant its production ended up being quite rushed, and many of the original planned elements were left out. The removal of party-based gameplay and the addition of various platform game features also got a mixed reception among fans of the previous games. Combined with the change in setting and lack of relation to the series' story arc, the gameplay changes left it with little in common with the other ''Ultima'' games. It is still, however, much more fondly remembered than the ObviousBeta that was ''[[{{VideoGame/UltimaIX}} Ultima IX]]'', and is quite fun when judged in its own right rather than in comparison with the rest of the series.

* TitleDrop: In the history of the world of Pagan, conflict arose between the followers of the old Zealan gods and those who started following the Guardian and the elemental Titans, who came to be called Pagans.

* TitleDrop: In the history of the world of Pagan, conflict arose between the followers of the old Zealan gods and those who followed the newly arrived Guardian and the elemental titans, who came to be called Pagans.

* SuperDrowningSkills: Falling into even the tiniest body of water means instant death. This includes water fountains in Tenebrae. To destroy any item or character, just drop it into water.

* YourMagicsNoGoodHere: Pagan has ''five'' different magic systems, none of them compatible with Britania's.

''Ultima VIII: Pagan'' (1994) is the eighth official installment in the classic ''{{Ultima}}'' series of RolePlayingGames. After [[BigBad The Guardian]] captures the Avatar, he banishes him to Pagan, a world of eternal twilight very different from the usual series setting of Britannia. Here, the Avatar is forced to find his bearings and learn in a strange new environment. [[KarmaMeter The Virtues]] of the previous games are gone, and despite being a messianic paragon in Britannia, no one knows of him here. None of his old companions appear in the game, nor does Lord British. Instead, most of the story deals with the Avatar's interactions with the four Titans, powerful demi-gods whose worshippers are capable of different forms of magic. The Avatar travels this world learning the different forms of ElementalPowers, before ultimately facing off the Titans themselves. After this, he hopes to return to Britannia to [[UltimaIX deal with the Guardian]].

* CainAndAbel: Queen Mordea of Tenebrae ends up fighting a magic/elemental duel with her older brother Devon for the throne. [[KarmicDeath Let's say it doesn't end well for her]]. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxHGg7P-RLA view a video of the whole "Fall of Mordea" scene here, the action starts at about the 4.45 mark]].

An expansion pack called ''The Lost Vale'' was announced and apparently completed, but the release was cancelled when ''Pagan'' didn't sell as well as was hoped. A full version is confirmed to have existed, but it was not archived and the game is thus LostForever. The only information we have on it are a bunch of screenshots and whatever can be reconstructed from previews and statements by the developers. A single, completed box for ''The Lost Vale'' (without the actual game) surfaced in 2005, and was sold on eBay for $1,923.