Ultima VIII: Pagan isn’t perhaps the most universally celebrated entries in the long-running fantasy RPG series, but it is the game that’s currently free on Origin as part of EA’s On The House initiative.
In Pagan you’ve been banished to the titular planet (Yes, there are different planets in this universe. Ultima’s always been oddly… sci-fi happy), where the populace are dominated by a race of godlike beings called Titans. To get back home, you need to become a Titan yourself.
Ultima VIII added some not-entirely-successful action/platforming elements to the franchise, and introduced a system by which you could improve your skills by actively using them – something the Elder Scrolls series later took inspiration from and ran with.
Those changes were welcomed about as warmly as a dead owl through the letterbox by the Ultima fan-base. I’m not hugely familiar with the franchise, so if you want to learn more about its often baffling history, may I recommend Noah Antwiler’s entertaining retrospectives on Youtube.
EA never reveals exactly how long you have to snap up On The House offers, so if you’re interested in picking Ultima VIII up, do so soon. You will of course need an Origin account.
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