Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle

Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle

Company type	Video game
Industry	Video games
Predecessor	Ultima VII: The Black Gate
Founded	1993 (1993)
Founder	Richard Garriott (creator of Ultima series)
Successor	Ultima VIII: Pagan
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Richard Garriott (creator)
Products	Role-playing video game
Owner	Electronic Arts
Parent	Origin Systems

Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle is a 1993 role-playing installment in the core Ultima franchise, continuing the narrative eighteen months following the events of Ultima VII: The Black Gate. The Avatar tracks Batlin to Serpent Isle, where three city-states established by Britannian exiles and ancient ruins from a vanished civilization are uncovered.

This title marks the first main Ultima game set entirely beyond Britannia since Ultima III: Exodus. It features a more structured and linear progression than its predecessors, enabling a focused storyline but reducing player freedom. Optional side quests are minimal, with nearly all tasks directly tied to advancing the central plot.

Background

Initially known as "The Lands of Danger and Despair" in Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness, this territory became Serpent Isle after breaking away from Sosaria—the world before Britannia's formation. The Ophidians, original inhabitants, built their society around serpents and divided into Order and Chaos factions. Their conflict devastated their civilization, leaving only ruins behind. Order triumphed by annihilating the Chaos Serpent but upset the cosmic balance, resulting in universal instability. Notably, the "Great Earth Serpent" from Ultima III: Exodus was actually the Balance Serpent; its destruction triggered this turmoil.

Later, humans settled on Serpent Isle—some by choice, others as exiles—calling it "New Sosaria." Many refugees escaping Lord British’s rule in Britannia made their home there. Unlike Britannia’s eight cities founded on virtues, Serpent Isle contains three city-states embodying distorted interpretations of Truth, Love, and Courage:

• Moonshade is governed by mages who consider non-magic users inferior and prioritize power over truth.
• Fawn esteems beauty more highly than love.
• Monitor’s warrior society claims courage but is rife with internal conflicts and scheming.

The geography closely resembles that of the former Lands of Danger and Despair. East and West Montor combined into Monitor; Bulldozer village transformed into the Sleeping Bull Inn; Gorlab village vanished beneath Gorlab Swamp; Ophidian ruins Skullcrusher and Spinebreaker occupy locations formerly used as dungeons.

Game narrative

Set eighteen months after the Black Gate's destruction in Ultima VII: The Black Gate, and six months following the Guardian’s attempt to imprison the Avatar and Castle Britannia within a blackrock sphere in Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds, it is revealed that the Guardian dispatched his agent Batlin to pursue Iolo’s wife Gwenno, who traveled to Serpent Isle. Lord British sends the Avatar along with three allies—Sir Dupre, Shamino, and Iolo—to track Batlin. Their voyage begins by passing through twin serpent pillars in an arctic region, which teleport their vessel to Serpent Isle.

Upon arrival, magical storms strand their ship ashore and cause their equipment to be randomly exchanged for other items—for instance, a magical helmet replaced by a fur cap. These swapped objects act as hints for retrieving lost gear necessary to solve puzzles and complete subquests. An example includes a penguin egg leading to equipment concealed among penguins in the frozen north.

The game centers on two principal story arcs: recovering essential lost equipment required for advancement and investigating Serpent Isle’s past to comprehend the intensifying magical storms threatening its existence. The Avatar and companions explore ancient Ophidian cities, witness the extinction of the gentle Gwani species, and uncover Gwenno’s fate—initially deceased but later resurrected. They also visit Lord Shamino’s ruined fortress, revealing his sorrowful history.

The plot unfolds across three distinct segments.

Pursuing Batlin

During their pursuit of Batlin and Gwenno on Serpent Isle, the expedition uncovers that intensifying magical tempests indicate a world in disarray. When a teleportation storm swaps a lighthouse on Serpent Isle with Britannia's Royal Mint, it becomes evident that this catastrophe extends beyond Serpent Isle, threatening Britannia and potentially all existence. The Avatar ventures into a mystical dream realm where Lord British confirms similar storms are devastating Britannia.

Batlin seeks to seize three Ophidian demigods known as the Banes to attain divine power by betraying the Guardian. His plan fails as the Banes escape, slay Batlin, and then possess the Avatar’s allies. Under their control, these companions wreak havoc across three cities, annihilating most of their populations.

Combating the Banes

The Avatar must traverse the devastated Serpent Isle to locate and defeat the trio of Banes—Anarchy, Wantonness, and Insanity—and liberate his companions from their influence. Throughout this mission, Gwenno is brought back to life.

While initially designed for the Banes to conquer each settlement and enforce tyrannical rule, in the final version they instead destroy the inhabitants before retreating to a fortress where the Avatar confronts them.

Reestablishing equilibrium

Following the defeat of the Banes and the rescue of his companions, the Avatar harnesses ancient Ophidian knowledge to ascend as Hierophant of Balance by exploring ruins and conducting sacred rituals. This act restores the vanished Chaos Serpent, rebalancing Order and Chaos. A living soul must be offered in sacrifice; Sir Dupre volunteers out of remorse and gives his life.

In the closing events, the Avatar encounters the Serpents who affirm that order has been reinstated before being taken away by the Guardian’s hand, setting the stage for Ultima VIII: Pagan.

Deleted storyline

Several narrative components, primarily those following Batlin's demise, were removed due to Electronic Arts' production deadlines. Some of this excised content remains embedded within game files and fragments found in the final release.

Gameplay

Unlike earlier Ultima installments, companions in Serpent Isle do not object to theft or murder unless observed by others. The game places less emphasis on virtues compared to Britannia; guards may demand bribes if crimes are detected—a mechanic last seen in Ultima III: Exodus.

Development

Significant reuse of code from The Black Gate led to dropping the Ultima VIII designation. Richard Garriott had previously stated that no two Ultima games would share source code, influencing this decision.

A hint guide titled Balancing the Scales was released. In 2012, the game was reissued on GOG.com with support for Windows and macOS via DOSBox emulation.

The Silver Seed expansion

The Silver Seed expansion introduces a storyline set during the ancient Ophidian war on Serpent Isle. The Avatar obtains an amulet from Xenkan Monks residing on Monk Isle; activating it at a Serpent Gate initiates this side quest.

This expansion adds potent magical artifacts such as a keyring, a ring granting unlimited reagent use, a magic axe, and an enchanted belt found throughout Serpent Isle and adjacent dungeons. Subsequent editions bundled this expansion with the base game under The Complete Ultima VII title.

Due to time constraints imposed by Electronic Arts, this expansion was left incomplete; its narrative does not fully resolve nor strongly tie into Serpent Isle's main storyline beyond introductory elements. The plot centers on planting a magical silver seed intended to preserve Serpent Isle's balance.

Addressing population loss following the Banes' destruction, if played afterward, Karnax informs the Avatar that those killed will be resurrected once Balance is restored.

Included items

Consistent with other Ultima titles, both Serpent Isle and its expansion originally came with cloth maps and in-world manuals but no physical trinkets. The 1993 release of Ultima VII: Complete Edition included all such materials; however, the 1994 The Complete Ultima VII CD replaced cloth maps with paper versions. Most later compilations omitted physical extras and provided digital documentation instead.

• Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle: Cloth map depicting Serpent Isle; booklet titled Beyond the Serpent Pillars
• Ultima VII Part Two: The Silver Seed: Pamphlet named "Silver Seed Play Guide"

The game was launched in both English and Spanish versions.

Critical response

In 1993, Scorpia from Computer Gaming World observed that Serpent Isle featured greater complexity than The Black Gate, but criticized its inventory system, character hunger mechanics, slow disk access times, and puzzle design flaws—summarizing it as "a good story gone wrong" due to poor implementation and illogical challenges. Conversely, Cnet regarded it as potentially the finest Ultima installment ever made, praising its expansive quests and compelling characters. The Free Lance-Star highlighted advancements in technology, visuals, and narrative depth. Meanwhile, PC Magazine called it "the best Ultima yet," noting improvements in audio quality and performance speed.

Scorpia recommended Silver Seed only for players revisiting Serpent Isle, citing its weak storyline that seemed disconnected from the main plotline. She acknowledged gameplay enhancements such as the keyring and improved item management but warned about new bugs—ultimately considering it an overall positive addition despite imperfections.

In 1994, PC Gamer US ranked Serpent Isle as the 13th greatest computer game ever released, describing it as essential for PC gamers. That same year, combining it with The Black Gate, PC Gamer UK placed it 39th among top computer games ever made, lauding its vast scope and intricate subplots as fulfilling Garriott’s vision of a comprehensive fantasy world.

External links

• Ultima VII Part Two archived on Origin/EA's Ultima Web Archive via Internet Archive
• Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle featured on MobyGames
• Ultima VII Part Two: The Silver Seed listed at MobyGames
• Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle available on the Codex of Ultima Wisdom wiki