Key to the Black Gate
| Key to the Black Gate | ||||||||||||
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Paperback - USA - 1st edition. |
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The Key to the Black Gate: Ultima VII - Clue Book is a strategy guide for Ultima VII: The Black Gate. It was published by Origin Systems and released in April of 1992. A translated version was released in Taiwan.
Personal
| Own? | Paperback. |
|---|---|
| Read? | Paperback. |
| Finished | 2000s. |
Around 1993, my friend Kevin who owned Ultima VII bought this clue book to help him get through the game, and we occasionally read sections when we were lost in the game. When he sold me his boxed copy of the game, he also sold me this book, and I read through it several times. Origin always made amazing game materials, and this hint book doesn't fail to impress. Unlike most hint books, it didn't just list a bunch of facts and maps, but it was written as an actual book that existed in the game world, written by one of the in-game characters, as a reference material for the Avatar himself; I remember thinking even then how clever an idea it was. Because of this, it has become my favorite strategy guide.
Review
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Overall: |
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Good
- Making the book an in-game document was a great idea.
- The illustrations, including the new art, the maps, and the hand-drawn portraits which match the in-game graphics, are great.
- The maps are extremely useful.
- The dialogue between the various in-game characters add a lot of flavor to the book.
- I like how most of the spoilers are relegated to the end of the book and there are both cryptic and explicit answers to them all.
Bad
- Although the book does chart out things like seller's wares and prices, I would have liked to see a few more data tables like how much damage various weapons do.
Ugly
- Nothing.
Media
Cover for ISBN: 092937309X. A very nice intricate key painting. I prefer this over the original game box.
Hint Book.
This is the original graphic proof for the cover art. The blue glow was cut away pretty bad in the final print.
Credits
| Role | Staff |
|---|---|
| Author | Andrew Morris |
| Editor | David Ladyman |
| Cover Art | Richard Mather |
| Interior Art | Glen Johnson, Whitney Ayres |
| Maps | Terry Manderfeld, Terrell Powell |
| Art Director | Craig Miller |
| Graphic Designer | Jennifer Davis |
| Additional Support | Bruce Adams, Mike Chenault, Tim Hardy, Scott Hazle, Mark Vittek, John Watson |
Links
- wiki.ultimacodex.com/wiki/Ultima_VII_Clue_Book - Ultima Codex.
