Ultima IV (NES)

Ultima IV is one of the three Ultima games for which a NES version exists. While the versions for the various computer systems are more or less identical, differing only in media according to the possibilities of the respective platforms, the NES version had several differences in gameplay, only partly due to the lack of a keyboard:

• Graphics are nearly identical to the early Final Fantasy games, with sprites with walking directions, which has an impact on the interface.
• Due to the lack of a keyboard, the interface is mainly menu-driven.
• While enemies still leave you a treasure chest after you defeat them, these chests are never trapped.
• If you get poisoned, you lose hitpoints only on the world map, not in town. An improvement. In the PC version, you usually die between the town gate and the healer.
• You do not have to mix herbs beforehand to cast spells. You only need to know the recipe and have the herbs in your inventory.
• You do not have to eat.
• Geoffrey had his name shortened to Geoff, and Julia became a man (Julius).

On the whole, I found the NES version more enjoyable to play than the PC version, though it certainly lacks in depth.