Ultima Underworld II Retrospective | Thinking Bigger, Digging Deeper

In early 1992, texture-mapped 3D graphics were seen as an industry experiment. With Ultima Underworld's sales figures still uncertain, Origin Systems agreed to greenlight a sequel - but only if Looking Glass Technologies could have it on store shelves in less than a year. This would have been a challenge even for a traditional 2D CRPG, but the people at Looking Glass were nothing if not ambitious.

The result was Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds, a game frequently written off by onlookers as derivative, sloppy, and overly difficult. But the reality of Underworld II is far more complex. Did the pressure of ambition and ruthless time crunch create another diamond? Or a lump of coal?

Thanks to Lazarus De Lis for creating the art for the thumbnail. You can find Lazarus here:
https://x.com/LazarusDeLis

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This is the 10th video in my Ultima Retrospective series. Watching earlier parts isn't necessary to enjoy this video, but it is recommended. Here's a series playlist:
   • Ultima Retrospective  

Music used in this video (with timestamps):
https://pastebin.com/vCJ9GfTK

Running list of sources used in the Ultima Retrospective:
https://pastebin.com/Nri8p0jy

00:00 - Underworld in the Industry
2:52 - Pushing a Sequel Out
7:02 - Inside the Box
9:32 - Returning to the Underworld
15:10 - Sewers & Headless
22:28 - The Prison Tower & Player Choice
26:52 - Castle Britannia & Skills
37:11 - Killorn Keep & Subterfuge
42:45 - Ice Caves & Magic
59:12 - Talorus & Presentation
1:11:13 - Drama & Quest Structure
1:16:35 - Scintillus Academy & Storytelling Methods
1:24:43 - The Pits of Carnage & Authorial Choice
1:30:03 - The Tomb of Praecor Loth & Dungeon Crawling
1:37:03 - The Ethereal Void & Getting Weird
1:42:20 - Saving Britannia (AGAIN)
1:45:08 - Conclusion: A Fragmented Game
1:50:01 - The End of Ultima Underworld
1:53:33 - Credits