Ultima 8: Pagan featured yet another isometric engine and, for the first time, advanced motion control features for the Avatar such as dedicated running and jumping. While this was certainly an advancement in many respects, it was also received with mixed reviews, and several jumping puzzles in particular caused more than a little frustration amongst players. What was truly novel about the game was the way it continually put the Avatar into morally dubious situations, in which sometimes the only way through was to commit acts that would be considered as evil by most players.

Captured by the Guardian, the Avatar is dumped on a strange world called Pagan. Far away from allies and familiar equipment, the Avatar must struggle to understand an oppressive and foreign place long dominated by the Guardian. Ultimately, to escape, the Avatar must defeat the four Titans of the Elements and take on the mantle of the Titan of Ether.