Ultima 9: Original Isometric 3D Screenshots

Those of you familiar with Hacki Dragon’s website or Auric’s Ultima Moongates will recognize most of the images below; they are not anything that has not been seen before. But based on a cursory survey of both sites, I think it might be safe to say that they have not been seen at this level of quality before.

As you might expect, these images come from the deep trove of treasure known as the Mythic Archives; they were found on a CD image containing a large promotional poster (visible below), and were likely included with it as possible source material. The one exception is the image of the Avatar in a dungeon; that was unearthed by Bandit LOAF of the Wing Commander CIC, and was passed along to the Codex by Sergorn Dragon.

Actual in-game screenshots make up a large portion of the collection:

However, three images show us the game’s editing suite — which I believe was called Ankh — in action. The building depicted here is, I think, Mariah’s home in Moonglow.

A few images of rendered scenes and 3D models were also included in the mix:

And here is the advertising banner that these screenshots were evidently being considered for use in:

U9POST

As always, enjoy! Pore over these images, and note both the similarities (e.g. the textures) and differences between Ultima 9 in its isometric 3D state and Ultima 9 as it was released in 1999. The collection is not complete; it is known that other screenshots exist, and any additional screenshots that come to light will be added here. For now, however, here is what there is to show.

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6 Responses

  1. Nick Jones says:

    Wow.. that advertising banner is ghastly

  2. Sslaxx says:

    Wish there was a high-res version of the stained glass Ultima logo somewhere…

  3. Sanctimonia says:

    Since we’re wishing, I wish Ultima IX had been isometric. (opens eyes) FUCK :/

    Those screenshots, while obviously unpolished, showed a lot of promise.

  4. cor2879 says:

    *cries over what might have been*

  1. August 9, 2013

    […] celebrate the 9th anniversary of this website and its predecessor, Ultima Aiera, we’ve added a new collection to the Origin Gallery: screenshots from the original, isometric 3D version of Ultima […]

  2. September 29, 2023

    […] At the back of the magazine it is advertised the next issue and I found there a photo of what Ultima 9 looked like before it went into 3rd person, initially it was an 3D isometric title, and while the screenshots are still rough, I would have loved to play this version of Ultima 9, too. More screenshots here: https://gallery.ultimacodex.com/ultima-9-original-isometric-3d-screenshots/ […]

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