Viridian Games’ recent anniversary stream offered a broad look at the current state of Ultima VII: Revisited, but one feature in particular stood out: a fully navigable first-person viewing mode layered atop the project’s already impressive 3D reconstruction of Britannia.​

A Year of “Ultima VII: Revisited”

The video marks the one-year anniversary of Anthony Salter’s regular development streams for Ultima VII: Revisited, his replacement engine that presents Ultima VII: The Black Gate in a modern 3D environment while striving to preserve the look and feel of the original game. Over the course of the stream, Salter walks through recent work on areas such as Trinsic, demonstrates improvements to conversations and camera behaviour, and reflects on the project’s overall progress and goals for the coming year.​

First-Person Mode

The highlight of the stream is the showcase of a new first-person mode, implemented by a community contributor from Salter’s Discord server. With a keypress, the camera shifts from the usual elevated perspective down to the Avatar’s eye level, allowing the player to move through Britannia’s streets, interiors, and dungeons as if inhabiting the world directly. Salter notes that this mode functions both as an atmospheric way to experience familiar locations — such as the tightly built spaces of Trinsic — and as a powerful inspection tool for level geometry, object placement, and 3D conversions of classic sprites.​

A Tool for Both Players and Development

Although first-person exploration is presented as something of an extra rather than the project’s primary viewpoint, Salter emphasizes that it has practical value beyond novelty. The mode makes it easier to spot misaligned objects, collision issues, or awkward transitions where 2D art has been translated into three dimensions, which in turn helps refine the overall presentation of the game world. At the same time, it offers players an alternative way to appreciate Ultima VII’s dense environments, highlighting just how much detail Origin Systems packed into towns, interiors, and wilderness areas that were originally seen only from an isometric vantage point.

Continuing the Revisit of Britannia

Beyond the first-person mode, the anniversary stream reinforces the broader aims of Ultima VII: Revisited: to present Britannia in 3D, smooth out some of the original game’s rough edges, and help modern players understand why Ultima VII remains so well regarded. As development continues, features like the new camera options—and especially the first-person view—serve as reminders that Salter’s engine is not merely recreating an old favourite, but also providing new lenses through which to experience it.