There are few RPG franchises that are both as venerated and little known to the wider gaming audience than the Ultima Underworld series. Despite it's now relative anonymity, the Ultima Underworld series has greatly influenced the RPG genre for the past two decades. Can the proposed successor do the same?
The Kickstarter already at the time of writing has over $182,000 pledged, and is hoping to accumulate at least $600,000 by March 2nd, a task that seems inevitable at this point.
The developers of this title are OtherSide Entertainment, a group that has some of the original “… developers for the original Underworld games with Looking Glass Studios.” Their goal is quite simple, as the studio wants Underworld Ascendant to 'revolutionize' the RPG genre, just as its predecessors did back in the early 90’s.
The game itself will offer a ‘dynamic plot’, with different factions fighting for “… dominance in struggles that ebb and flow across The Stygian Abyss.” Continuing, the Kickstarter states that the title will offer a ‘realized underworld’, an ‘improvisational engine’, and a ‘hero to call your own’.
More interestingly, the game has a stretch goal at $1.2 million for co-op with a friend. For a game that calls those that it influenced as Thief, Deus Ex, BioShock, Skyrim, and Dragon Age, this is an interesting inclusion and is definitely something to keep an eye on.
Other stretch goals for Underworld Ascendant include new areas, companion creatures, new races, a 'builder toolkit,' and deeper lore and customization for your character or 'avatar', as the Ultima series called the playable hero.
Although the claims that this Kickstarter have made are not entirely original, the pedigree of both the series and development team make this Kickstarter deserving of a look at the very least, for fans of Looking Glass and for RPG's in general.
For more information, stay tuned to TechRaptor.
