Great moments in PC gaming: The Guardian speaks in Ultima 7

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In 1992, Ultima's Guardian having a voice made him a uniquely compelling villain.

Great moments in PC gaming are bite-sized celebrations of some of our favorite gaming memories.

Ultima 7

Developer: Origin
Year: 1992

What made Ultima 7 so incredible? Read this article comparing Ultima 7 to the much more recent Divinity: Original Sin 2 for an idea.

“AVATAR! Know that Britannia has entered into a new age of enlightenment. Know that the time has finally come for the one true Lord of Britannia to take His place at the head of His people! Under my guidance, Britannia will flourish. And all the people shall rejoice and pay homage to their new... Guardian! Know that you, too, shall kneel before me, Avatar. You too will soon acknowledge my authority. For I shall be your companion. Your… provider. And your master!"

Games didn’t usually talk in 1992. Certainly not floppy disk ones. Villains certainly didn’t literally try to stick their head through your screen to shout at you. But the Guardian of Ultima VII was no ordinary villain. Simply sitting in the last level and waiting for an ass-whooping? Not for him.

He was a constant presence in your adventure, initially pretending (albeit not very convincingly) to be your friend, and later screaming in your ear as you slowly dismantled his scheme. The result, in this usually voiceless time, was an enemy that you could believe was watching you play, chortling as he made you jump with his regular interruptions. An enemy against whom you were playing a glorified chess match. A worthy foe for an Avatar who had saved the world at least six times.

Bit of a pity that in retrospect, he does look a bit like a Muppet. Even Origin admitted it in this Easter Egg version of the sequel’s intro.

Still a Muppet worth fearing though. Like an angry God-Kermit.