Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar - Review Roundup

There's a definite pay-to-win feel to Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar. You'll get further into this expansive fantasy world much faster if you invest heavily. It wouldn't be a big issue if the reminders weren't so prominent — every time you open a chest; every time you open your inventory to see the condition of your equipment.

But somewhere beneath the pile of golden keys you shouldn't buy, there's a quite good homage to a role-playing classic, waiting for you to rise to the challenge. You can enjoy Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar without paying for it. It just takes a little patience, and hey — patience is a virtue.

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Beyond the bugs and pesky purchases, Ultima Forever is actually a pretty solid touch RPG. The controls work far better than you'd expect, and there's a ton of content to explore. It's also really, really simple to jump into a dungeon or two if you have some free time and grab a few friends along the way. That setup is exactly the way mobile games should operate -- but unfortunately Ultima Forever forgoes a fair premium price in favor of greedy microtransactions.

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Outside of the rather pesky and game-capitulating key-rings, the game excels as a quick-hit hack-and-slash perfect for tablets. It’s incredibly easy to collect quests, join up with other players, and run dungeon after dungeon suited to a mobile schedule. Have 5 minutes? There are dungeons clearly labeled and ready to explore. Have 15? Look for something a little more substantial.

Tap and traverse your way through crypts, caverns, and bandit lords. There are reputation grinds and various virtues to level up. It’s nothing at all like the Ultima titles of old, but that’s okay – It succeeds admirably at what it is.

This title is particularly difficult to score because it is a truly excellent game when you take the repair element out of it. The issue with Ultima Forever, and I’m guessing many other titles we’re going to see as “mobile grows up” to take advantage of tablets, is that this element overshadows all else.

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