Worlds of Ultima: Martian Dreams

Worlds of Ultima: Martian Dreams is the second and final installment of the spin-off series that uses the Ultima VI engine for unconventional stories outside Britannia, this time with a trip into the past instead of an exotic jungle. Using an experimental machine built by Professor Nikola Tesla, the player ends up on Mars at the end of the 19th century, where a group of historical figures - among them Tesla himself, Mark Twain, and Sigmund Freud - landed during an ill-fated attempt to travel to the Moon that went wrong and catapulted them much farther than expected. The game thus combines a Victorian sci-fi aesthetic inspired by the literature of the period with an adventure on a strange, seemingly uninhabited planet and the rescue of surviving settlers who had to build their own colony on Mars. Gradually, the player discovers that the planet once hosted an advanced civilization, which left behind mysterious machines and ruins whose control is the key to survival and to returning home.

Like Savage Empire, this is a standalone story on a shared engine with its own world, characters, and theme, this time inspired by the literature of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells and the period's fascination with the possibility of life on Mars. The gameplay is built around exploring the Martian landscape full of remnants of an ancient civilization, solving puzzles using technology and mysticism, and conversing with real historical figures placed in a fantastical context, where they must cooperate despite differing natures and beliefs. This sets the game apart from the classic fantasy direction of the main Ultima series and from the previous spin-off set in prehistoric times. Also notable is the unconventional take on magic - it doesn't work on Mars the way it does in Britannia, so the player must replace spells with improvised technology and cooperation with historical companions, each of whom has their own skills and personality.

Why play: Martian Dreams will delight players looking for an original steampunk sci-fi adventure featuring real historical figures, built on the tried-and-tested Ultima engine.