​How Dungeon Master, Eye of the Beholder, and Ultima Underworld Created the Immersive Sim

Before BioShock and Deus Ex, there was a brutal era of gaming where survival wasn't guaranteed.

Discover how Dungeon Master, Eye of the Beholder, and Ultima Underworld created the DNA of the Immersive Sim.
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In this deep dive, we explore the architecture of the first-person dungeon crawler and its evolution into the modern immersive sim.

We trace the lineage from the relentless resource management of Dungeon Master (1987) to the cinematic AD&D polish of Eye of the Beholder, and finally to the industry-shattering 3D revolution of Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss.

​Why do modern games feel like they’re holding your hand? We look back at a time before "yellow paint" and floating waypoints, where your only guide was a flickering torch and a hand-drawn map.

​What you’ll learn in this video:

​How Dungeon Master moved the RPG from turn-based menus to a living, breathing world.
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​The Westwood/SSI split and how it led to the creation of Lands of Lore.

​How Looking Glass Studios made the grid obsolete with Ultima Underworld.

​The connection between these retro classics and the "tough-but-fair" philosophy of Dark Souls.

​If you're a fan of System Shock, Thief, Prey, or Dishonored, this is the history of where your favorite genre began.
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#DungeonMaster #EyeOfTheBeholder #UltimaUnderworld #ImmersiveSim #RetroGaming #RPGHistory #GameDesign #BioShock #DeusEx #LookingGlassStudios #WestwoodStudios #PCGamingHistory


0:00 The Illusion of Safety in Modern Games
1:38 Dungeon Master: The Pressure Cooker
4:20 Chaos Strikes Back: No Mercy
5:57 Eye of the Beholder
7:17 Eye of the Beholder 2
8:14 Eye of the Beholder 3 and Lands of Lore
9:05 Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
10:32 Ultima Underworld 2: Labyrinth of Worlds
11:56 The Birth of the Immersive Sim