Ultima: The False Prophet

"An RPG for the Intillect"

Hey! You wanna false prophet? Look at the price this thing can go for! Whahahah. (it's sorta pricey some places)
Thankfully it's worth every penny minus one. Not 100% satisfying but certainly worth your amazing effort.

''The False Prophet'' begins......
It's been a long time since the last episode and once again you sit around you room all day and long to return to Britannia. Dreams DO come true! You see then moongate again, the gateway to Britannia, in your precious circle of stones but it's red! What the hell?... you jump in..you're bored and a little tipsy....WHy not?
Things are not right in Britannia once again.Evil beasts are running rampant, slaghtering people,and seizing the shrines......Are they hunting humans?...or is there an even greater threat?
This is a great translation from the PC version. I might even agree thats it's better in some ways.
The graphics are mediocre but they are also refreshingly subtle. Everything has an accurate feel that corresponds with the context of this story. There could certainly be a little more added while your are sailing. Just keep a map in handy from one of the FAQ's. I liked the fact that you could tell the person's social class through their clothing, even hough there was little variety.
While I can't praise the sound effects too much since they are your basic *swish* and *bump* with the usual *bleep* and *bloop* for good measure, the music is very nice. There's not a whole lot of it, but all the compositons are very folksey which fits everything else. Even a couple of authentic, familiar tunes are put in.(Stones and Hail Britannia)
The control of t his game is good. You have a very inclusive menu where you can Talk, Look, Attack, Sleep, Cast a spell, and check on your party's items. And it is all easy to navigate through. My main grip about the control is how slow you walk. Luckily you can warp place to place w/ the moonstone.
The game play is what puts all Ultima games at the forefront of RPG development. THIS is what RPG's are about. I was amazed how enjoyable it is just talking to some of the characters. They are very well written for and you have a lot to say to almost everyone. It reminds me of the NES's ''Harvest Moon'' in the respect that it makes simplicity honestly captivating. The virtue system is something that set's it apart from any other RPG. You must not steal, lie, etc.. All these virtues are determined by all the runes you collect to free the shrines, and you must adhere to them exactly. One of the things that will turn away many people is that you can't just take an item when it belongs to someone else like you can in so many other RPG's. After playing this game, you may get pangs of guilt everytime you walk out of someones house with 200Gp's like it was your's. I am so ashamed. This is an RPG that memories are made of. You might want to play it on a rainy day because and can be time consuming.
This is one for every RPG player's SNES and is a rare treasure. You may not recall the whole thing once you finish, but there are those certain storylines that will haunt you for a long time after.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/20/01, Updated 03/20/01