No game, before or since, has had such an objective. All others have been concerned with making you a better warrior or spell-slinger, concentrating entirely on developing physical or magical prowess. Combat is the means to this, and it is easy to see why other CRPGs have so much. It's the main way to get ahead; in some cases, the only way.

You certainly have fighting in Ultima IV. It's how you prove your Valour – but Valour is only one virtue. Developing those other seven depends upon how you react to and treat other people.

There's no backsliding here either. Each “eighth” (enlightenment in a virtue) is hard to earn and not permanent. The game watches every move you make. Start acting the wrong way, and you'll be losing those eighths. Only a true Avatar can finish this game.

There's also Ultima IV's open design. You can go almost anywhere you want, any time you want; the game is very much not linear. There are many things to do, and quite a few objects to gather, but, for the most part, these can be done in any order. Eventually, of course, everything narrows down to the end game. Until that time, the player has a lot of discretion as to where to go and what to do.

While combat isn't the main focus of the game, there is plenty of it, and it's turn-based. Opponents are carefully controlled, so you won't, especially at the start, be overwhelmed. You can explore without worrying that a horde of orcs will show up and wipe you out. Also, enemies will sometimes run away if they take too many casualties.

You aren't alone, either. Over time, you gather in seven members to your party. They represent the other seven virtues, and you will need every one of those people. Further, levelling is not a big item; eight is the maximum level you can reach.