Introduction

Yep, it's time to play this fine game:

About the game:
Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds (released in 1992) is the second part of a short-lived 3D dungeon crawler spin-off series set in the Ultima universe. Some of you probably know that the game was produced by Warren Spector, who also worked on Deus Ex and its controversial sequel. Apparently, he's currently working on a Steampunk Mickey Mouse game or whatever the hell it is.

Ultima Underworld II is a dungeon crawler in full 3D with a mouse-driven interface. Movement works by moving the mouse pointer over the 3D window and holding the left mouse button. You will then walk in the direction the mouse pointer points into. The closer it is to the top of the 3d window, the faster you'll move. This is actually not that uncomfortable, but I still prefer the keyboard controls the programmers included as a bonus. Too bad they're not customizable.

Looks just like on the box, don't it?

Some more interesting tidbits about the game:

Looking Glass Studios actually managed to come up with a pretty sophisticated 3d engine before the guys who made Doom -- too bad their games weren't as popular.

In a couple of ways, the 3D engine used in the game is actually more advanced than Doom's -- unlike Doom, the player can look up and down and there's some pretty cool geometry to be seen.

The game is actually pretty complex, NPCs can have four moods (Friendly, Peaceful, Upset, Hostile) and are angered if you steal from them. You can also get hungry and tired in the game, if you get too hungry, refilling health by sleeping won't work any more. Avoid sleeping for too long and you'll start losing health. You can carry a bedroll which allows you to sleep pretty much anywhere, provided there's no enemies around.

Melee combat works by entering combat mode, holding the right mouse button and releasing it while performing swinging/stabbing mouse gestures. It's actually pretty intuitive.

Magic works by punching in combinations of up to 3 out of 24 rune stones. There's over 70 different spells in the game.

No, there's no party action this time around, although your old comrades Iolo and Dupre appear in the game. All they will do is talk to you, train you and give you the occasional clue. Due to this, critics at the time weren't really sure if the game really classifies an an RPG, even though your character has stats and gains levels.

About this Let's Play:
I'll be using screenshots for the boring parts of the game (i. e. talking to people in Lord British's castle which you'll be returning to lots of times) and subtitled video for the fun parts of the game (exploring dozens of sprawling dungeons, grabbing loot and bashing in monster skulls).

The beginning of the game is sort of inbetween the two -- I recorded it as a video, but included a "Special Compressed Director's Cut" because I was told watching me stumble through the castle and pick up some basic equipment was not all too exciting. Sorry for not letting you vote on a character class, but there will be other kinds of audience participation.

About me:
Yeah, I really like this game and played through it countless times as a kid. Got a problem with that?

NPCs in Lord British's castle

Yep, the second picture really shows what they look like in the game world. The only way to tell some of them apart is using the examine command on their sprites.

Lord British

Ruler of Britannia and goofy self-insertion courtesy of Richard Gariott. You can ask him to heal you but he'll discover that his healing magic won't work any more. Blame the plot and the fact that the humongous blackrock gem the Guardian summoned around the castle messes with the magical ability of those trapped inside.

THE AVATAR'S COMPANIONS

Dupre

One of the Avatar's best buds and everyone's favorite drunkard who likes dem wimmins. He can train you in Axe and Mace.

Iolo

Probably the best bard who ever lived. He and his busty wife Gwenno are responsible for a musical masterpiece called Stones.
He trains you in Appraise, Missile and -- Swimming. I assume he's just that good so not having any water around doesn't stop him from making an extraordinary swimmer out of you.

Julia

Apparently, she's been one of the Avatar's companions since Ultima IV. She's a tinker and will train you in Traps, Picklock and Repair. According to the Internet, she's based on a girl Richard Garriott used to date.

REJECTS FROM OTHER ULTIMA GAMES

Feridwyn

He was the leader of the Homeless Shelter in Paws in Ultima 7. I don't feel like writing anything else about him.

Geoffrey

Lord British's bodyguard and the captain of the guards. Like the Avatar, he's also a native of Earth, apparently. He can train you in Attack and Defense.

Lady Tory

According to the Internet, she's an "an empath, who can feel and react on the feelings of the people around her" who worked as some kind of counselor in Serpent's Hold in Ultima 7. Training with her will boost your Charisma stat. She's also the owner of a pretty cool red dress.

Miranda

A member of the Great Council, some kind of Britannian governing body which means Britannia is a representative democracy or something.

Nystul

Lord British's royal magician. He'll train you in Mana and Casting. We'll be visiting him lots.

Nelson

A scholar in Moonglow who works in the fabled Lycaeum, with a terrible fashion sense. I'm sorry but that curry-colored robe totally isn't his color type, how about something from the red color family instead? He will train you in Lore and Search.

Patterson

The Mayor of Britain in Ultima VII. Training with him will improve your Charisma skill. He certainly looks it, must be that awesome moustache of his. Looks like someone has taken a hint from everyone's favorite plumber!

Syria

A skilled fighter from Jhelom, which is somewhere in Britannia -- that's all I managed to find out about her. She'll help you improve your Sword and Unarmed skills.

~~SLA~~.. er, SERVANTS

Charles

A servant (duh), even though he has something like a monk haircut going on. He also appeared in Ultima 7.

Nanna

The castle's child maid. Some people have told me not to get on her bad side, but I don't really see why. I mean, does she look like she could be any trouble whatsoever?

Nell

The room maid.

GUARDS

Guard (Female)

Guard (Male)

There are a couple of those patrolling the castle. They don't really have anything to say and I assume they must be bored out of their minds. I mean, what could possibly happen now that there's no way to get either inside or outside?

Now have some videos to watch:

Things introductory:
1.) Intro and Character Generation (Dailymotion) (Viddler)
2.) Opening Gameplay - Special Compressed Director's Cut (Dailymotion) (Viddler)
2b.) Opening Gameplay - Full version (Dailymotion) (Viddler)

The Let's Play Archive

Ultima Underworld II

by fixelbrumpf

Introduction

Table of Contents