Ultima 4 Quest of Avatar

Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar - the 1985 role-playing adventure for
Commodore 64 from Origin Systems.

Seek to become the Avatar by mastering the Eight Virtues through deeds,
dialogue, and exploration rather than conquest or treasure hunting.

Core loop
- travel Britannia by land, sea, and dungeon in top-down view
- converse with townsfolk to learn virtue clues and mantras
- explore dungeons to find runes and test moral choices
- meditate at shrines and ultimately enter the Codex of Wisdom

Systems and items
- eight virtues - honesty, compassion, valor, justice, sacrifice,
honor, spirituality, humility
- party of eight - recruit one champion per virtue
- karma and reputation - moral actions affect progress
- reagents and spells - mix ingredients to cast magic manually
- moongates - portals that shift with twin lunar phases

Level design and feel
Open-world with dozens of towns, keeps, and caverns. The moral system
rewards virtue rather than violence, making exploration thoughtful and
slow-paced. The C64 version balances color and clarity with solid speed.

Why it is notable
- Richard Garriott’s landmark RPG redefining heroism in games
- introduced ethical gameplay long before morality systems were common
- part four of the legendary Ultima series, ported to most platforms

Tips
- take notes on mantras and shrine locations as clues are scattered
- always give to beggars and tell the truth to boost virtues
- meditate three times at each shrine before seeking the Codex

At a glance
Year - 1985
Developer - Origin Systems
Design and programming - Richard Garriott (Lord British)
Graphics - Denis Loubet
Music - Kenneth W. Arnold
Publisher - Origin Systems
Genre - Role-playing adventure
Players - 1
Controls - Keyboard - optional joystick in port 2 for movement