Yeah I agree. Although I remember playing the original Ultima Underworld and being absolutely blown away. I only remember hazy parts of actually playing the game…searching for keys especially. But at the time it was a revelation…like you were seeing the future of computer games.
Otherside also released a video about Underworld Ascendant and the Looking Glass influence, all narrated by Stephen Russell and showing off some spiffy pre-alpha footage.
This Verge preview mentions that the story is about “a human who’s drawn into the game’s underground Stygian Abyss, and must fight a mythological “primordial nightmare” called Typhon. (No relation to Prey’s enemies, which are also known as the Typhon.)” - Talk about a coincidence!
Also the final boss in Titan Quest!
Regarding the original UW, it was all about exploration, aided by the amazing in-game map. And that music! One of the best game soundtracks of all time. So evocative of tentatively exploring a dangerous unknown.
That wanderer music brought back memories. So calming and safe and then, you get attack and the music changed to some fast paced and you jumped out of your seat. Sooo good!
I also really like that when you take out your sword, the 3 drum beats like followed by an eerie and be prepared sound - those tunes totally changed the feel and pace of the moment.
That reminds me of so many Origins games. Heh, do I miss paying extra for those voice pack expansions? Well, the one for Privateer paid for itself the first time a pirate whose ship was about to explode due to my fire yelled out, “No, it can’t end this way!!!”
When I was a teen I worked at Babbages. We received a video showing off Ultimate Underworld on a VHS tape and I was blown away. I took it home and watched it dozens of times. It was the first time I had seen smooth scrolling 3D texture mapping. The game did not disappoint. So good.
To say I am excited for a new Underworld is an understatement.
Wow, that music really brings me back. I might have to reinstall my old Soundblaster card.
-Tom
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Feeling sad that Ultima Underworld fell into my Great Gaming Gap between when my Amiga became more or less irrelevant (early-to-mid 90s) and when I got my first gameworthy PC ('98).
I bought it on GoG and will properly give it a go sooner or later, but as always with me, it’s much easier to retro game when you were familiar with the game/interface back in the day.
Really excited for Underworld Ascendant. I originally pledged at $20 but upped it to get physical goodies (I’m a sucker for those). Here’s hoping it is as great at UUW1 and UUW2. Also excited that supposedly there will be some lore tie-ins with those games in UWA as well.
With a MIDI daughter card attached or don’t bother. :D
Speaking of which, whatever happen to the Tracy Hickman companion novella that was a $5 pledge during the campaign? I don’t think it’s released yet and I don’t hear much talk of it anymore.
Novella is coming along. All that kickstarter stuff is in the pipeline for production.
Just installed the pre-alpha last night, can’t wait to delve in this weekend. Between this and Shroud of the Avatar I’m basking in Ultima-esque glory!
Nice story up on Gixel:
Neurath adds that Underworld is not meant to be a nostalgic look back. Sure, things like the Silver Sapling checkpoint system are in the game, but that sort of nostalgia is only lightly used.
“It’s really trying to reimagine what an immersive sim would look like today. The same with System Shock,” he says. “We’re trying to take everything we learned from making games and show where immersive sims can go. Where can we continue to innovate and push it forward?”
The temptation to make a direct sequel is further counter-balanced by a desire to reach the largest audience possible. “Most of the audience for games today wasn’t even born when those original games (System Shock and Underworld) came out,” Spector says. "You can’t really do a direct sequel. You can tap into the essence of the game, use some elements, but knowledge of those first games isn’t necessary.”
And a direct sequel would have one other major issue, Neurath adds. “It keeps you from innovating. That holds you back. We needed to feel free to innovate where we can innovate.”
scharmers–funny that is almost exactly how I told my friends and family. Pretty cool on any level, not gonna lie.
A new dev diary’s out:
Otherside’s recently undergone a bit of change. Nate Welles, a Looking Glass and Irrational alumni who was the art director on Underworld, recently left the studio to join Arkane’s Austin studio, presumably to work on their online project. Ryan Lesser, previously the art director at Harmonix and the guy behind the Shodan key art for System Shock 2, has taken over the remaining art duties for the project.
I really like this design on Underworld’s Steam page:
Woah, you can wall-run? Awesome.