Developer: Contingent99
Publisher: Contingent99
Reviewed on: PC
Purchased.
If you enjoy pixel art, dungeon crawling, ability spamming, and dying (a lot!) then Wizard of Legend should be right up your alley. Feeling very much like a classic roguelike, Wizard of Legend places you into procedurally generated dungeons filled with hordes of enemies to defeat, and little in the way of assistance. It is an unforgiving, yet very satisfying, game to delve into.
The game doesn’t give you much in the way of explanation upon entering the first dungeon, instead relying on the player’s wits and exploration. While I was slightly confused at first, it only took a moment to realize everything the game was offering before venturing into the dungeon. After buying up some new abilities, I found the entrance portal and took the first of many journeys into the dungeon. And then I almost immediately died.
Combat is the name of the game in Wizard of Legend and it delivers with a brutal, fast paced Diablo-style spam-fest amongst hordes of enemies. Added into the already difficult challenge of slaying rooms full of monsters that hit harder than a truck, you won’t find survivability through checkpoints, and potions few and far between. Your saving grace is the ability to change your loadout after each death, and finding a suitable set up for your play style. With six different aracana attack slots, six different element types, and multiple different spells for each element, not too mention relics that boost certain abilities, Wizard of Legend delivers a play style that is sure to fit almost anyone.
Progression through the dungeon is definitely difficult, but also rewarding. Different vendors pop up in each floor of a dungeon that allow you to spend coins to attain more power ups, heal, or change your loadout on the fly. This option alone makes each crawl feel different enough to be fresh. Each floor of the dungeon is a sprawling maze that constantly keeps you on your toes, but luckily a mini map shows where you have been. Not only are enemies randomly spawned in the map from the beginning, but different areas of the map will also “lock down” and spawn enemies, making each corner you turn just as suspenseful as the last.
The art style of Wizard of Legend fits great with the combat style and general feel of the game. It’s reminiscent of classic arcade style games like Gauntlet or Ultima, and the soundtrack is also very well done. The action and fighting are bolstered by powerful anthems, and the calms of the player base are accompanied by cheerful melodies.
All in all, even though Wizard of Legend is simplistic in its idea; kill creatures until you die, rinse and repeat, the delivery is great. The difficulty along with the customization of skills makes for a great game to pick up and see how far you can make it. Whether you are new to roguelikes or a seasoned veteran of the genre, I think you could agree when I say, there is definitely something quaint and charming about Wizard of Legend, even after it spits in your face for the 200th time.
