Ultima: Worlds of Adventure 2 - Martian Dreams

Moby ID: 1625
DOS Specs

Description official descriptions

Following the events depicted in The Savage Empire, the Avatar and his friend Dr. Spector receive a book that contains the knowledge of time traveling. They are taken to the year 1893, witnessing Percival Lowell prepare a space cannon not unlike the one described in Jules Verne's works, with the intention of sending humans to Mars. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, the cannon is fired during the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, with several famous people of the time on board. The Avatar and his companions follow, only to be transferred into the mysterious and dangerous world of the Martian civilization.

The second entry in the Worlds of Ultima series is very similar to its predecessor visually and gameplay-wise. Like the first game, it utilizes the Ultima VI engine, and is a top-down role-playing game set in a seamless graphical environment and featuring turn-based party combat. Conversations with characters, interaction with the game world, and acquiring crucial items occupy a significant portion of the gameplay. Many supporting characters are famous real-world figures from the depicted time period, such as Marie Curie, Sigmund Freud, Nikola Tesla, and others.

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (DOS version)

35 People · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 78% (based on 9 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.9 out of 5 (based on 33 ratings with 6 reviews)

One of the best (and most overlooked) games in the ultima series

The Good
One of the most important parts of an RPG is the plot and this game has one of the most original and well constructed of any game I've ever played. It develops well as you get further into the game and you even get the re-appearance of some your old adversaries from Ultima V.

The dialog is well written and all of the characters in the game have lots to say. You type in conversation topics rather than just selecting from a list and this gives you more of a feeling of control than later ultimas.

Although there are plenty of creatures to fight, the emphasis of the game is on exploring and adventuring rather than hacking and slashing.

The Bad
There isn't much to dislike about this game. The biggest criticism I'd have was that some of the distances you had to walk early on in the game were a bit too much. Various shortcuts open up after a while but until then you may find yourself doing a LOT of walking from one end of the planet to the other.

The Bottom Line
This is definitely one of my favorite games in the Ultima series and a welcome change from wizards, orcs etc... Unfortunately, at the time it was released the Ultima 6 engine it used was too old to attract new fans and the plot too far off the mainstream ultmas to attract many of the old ones. It has never been rereleased and its not exactly easy to get a copy of. If you do find one though I would recommend you pick it up immediately as this is one of the finest examples of adventure/role playing ever made.

DOS · by Pix (1172) · 2000

An imaginitive, fun, and highly underrated game.

The Good
The plot is terrific! You are stranded with the most famous people of the 19th century...on mars! You must solve the mysteries of the red planet to escape. The plot also involves aliens, dream worlds, robots, the canal system of mars, and more. Although it has rpg elements, it feels more like an adventure game. The funnest part of the game involves advancing the plot, not simply beefing up your characters' statistics like many rpgs.

The Bad
The only thing I could complain about would be the text interface used to communicate with the characters in the game. The player types in words or phrases and the character responds. I would have better liked a multiple choice communication system.

The Bottom Line
This game has all the good role-playing-game elements of the ultima series combined with the best elements of great adventure games.

DOS · by Ben Sokal (15) · 2000

One of my favorite games of all out of the Ultima series

The Good
The graphics were small, but very well done. The music was original. It was very evocative of the 1800's. Even a friend of mine who dislikes computer games couldn't help commenting on the music and how great it sounded. The storyline was imaginative and interesting, and the Martian civilization was original to me. I also liked the idea of the Dream Machines. The fact that you could talk to many different people from that era was wonderful--it was a bit of a dream come true. I know many people did not seem to like this game when it first came out, but I loved it. It was the first Ultima game I ever played, and it still remains my most favorite. They even had the Face on Mars there! This was a very clean-running program.

The Bad
Not much. The endless walking around could get annoying, but eventually you'd do less of it as the game progresses. The Dream Worlds tended not to be as interesting as the rest of the game itself. I thought this was a refreshing break from Britannia.

The Bottom Line
Though it isn't set in Britannia, this is a wonderful game nonetheless. Give the game a try, and you won't be disappointed.

DOS · by OceansDaughter (106) · 2002

[ View all 6 player reviews ]

Trivia

The Worlds of Ultima (or Worlds of Adventure) series was originally intended have more games than just two. Some planned settings for the games were King Arthur's Britain and ancient Greece complete with the local gods.

Analytics

MobyPro Early Access

Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings!

Related Games

Martian
Released 2001 on Windows
Martian
Released 1979 on Exidy Sorcerer
Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds
Released 1993 on DOS, 1995 on PC-98, Windows
Worlds of Ultima: The Savage Empire
Released 1990 on DOS, 2012 on Macintosh, Windows...
Martian Potato
Released 2020 on Windows
Martian Patrol
Released 1982 on TRS-80
Martian Panic
Released 2010 on Wii, 2022 on Nintendo Switch
Martian Memorandum
Released 1991 on DOS, Linux, 2014 on Windows
Martian Threat
Released 2008 on Odyssey 2

Related Sites +

  • Crapshoot
    A humorous review of the game
  • Nuvie
    If you have an original copy of "Ultima: Worlds of Adventure 2: Martian Dreams", you can use Nuvie to run it on modern systems.

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 1625
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Old man gamer.

Windows added by Picard. Macintosh added by Sciere.

Additional contributors: Timo Takalo, Apogee IV, Patrick Bregger.

Game added June 16, 2000. Last modified March 28, 2024.