Ultima Forever looks to bring a compelling RPG to mobile devices

I'll admit, when EA first announced that the new Ultima game would be a free-to-play mobile game, I was somewhat disappointed. And to be honest, quite worried. Not to be overly pessimistic, but mobile games don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to high profile franchise spin-offs. What would become of this beloved RPG series?

Throughout the game's development process I have remained cautiously optimistic. And with an open-mind, I watched the newly released trailer.

I can now safely say, Ultima Online: Quest for the Avatar is a game that I can't wait to see more of. Although I've yet to actually play it, Ultima Forever seems as though it has captured the feel of a classic role-playing game while offering the mechanics of a modern RPG. Ultima Forever is described as a co-op action RPG, with fighting mechanics similar to that of Diablo.

It doesn't look to have the best graphics, though it certainly good give Ultima Online a run for its money. Then again, the Ultima franchise has never been about the graphics. It's been about the adventure, and Quest for the Avatar seems rife with it. I personally can't wait to get my grubby hands on it; although, it looks like I might have to wait a while. While the game is set to release on mobile devices and PC, EA seems to be placing the majority of its support behind iOS devices.

"There have been a lot of questions regarding platform support and we would like to clarify our intentions. We had been planning a simultaneous launch on both PC/mobile and went into Alpha on both systems. Mobile scored higher in testing and so we doubled our efforts on iOS to expedite release," EA explained on the Ultima Forever Facebook page.

EA assured fans that Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar will be brought to other platforms after the iOS launch. The exact dates for Android and other platforms will be announced "later this year." As for iOS owners, lookout for Ultima Online: Quest for the Avatar on the app store soon.