Ultima VII: The Black Gate

Ultima VII: The Black Gate
DeveloperOrigin Systems
Publishers
Origin Systems
  • SNES
DesignerRichard Garriott
ProgrammerKen Demarest
ArtistJeff Dee
WriterRaymond Benson
ComposersDana Karl Glover
Kirk Winterrowd
Herman Miller
SeriesUltima
PlatformsDOS, Super NES
ReleaseDOS
  • NA: 17 April 1992
Super NES
  • JP: 18 November 1994
  • NA: November 1994
GenreRole-playing
ModeSingle player

Ultima VII: The Black Gate is the seventh installment of the Ultima series of role-playing video games, released in April 1992. In it, the player returns as The Avatar, a would-be paragon of moral virtue who faces down many dangers and deceptions in order to cleanse the medieval fantasy world of Britannia of assorted plots and schemes, monster infestations, and the undermining of crown authority.

The Black Gate was critically acclaimed and commercially successful, being widely lauded as a high point in the series and is also regarded as one of the best video games ever created. In an interview with GameSpot, Richard Garriott stated that Ultima VII "was the most masterfully executed of the Ultima series". He has also often stated that the game was, along with Ultima IV, his own favorite installment overall.