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Wizardry Franchise Returns After 10 Years

By - Source: XSEED PR | B 27 comments

Wizardry is back, but not like you remember it... and not on the PC.

After a ten-year absence, the Wizardry franchise-- which was originally launched by publisher Sir-Tech back in 1981-- is finally making a return in Spring 2011.

The original Wizardry, now dubbed as the "Granddaddy of RPGs," made a huge impact on gaming when it launched in 1981 for the Apple II. The game was one of the first titles to use grid-based dungeon crawling gameplay. It was also reportedly the first to introduce a first-person perspective within a game although Maze War and Spasim have been noted to offer the first-person visuals prior to Wizardry. The overall series established a basic and classic command-driven battle system with still images of monsters to fight.

The last Wizardry title to appear on the market was the highly-popular Wizardry 8 back in 2001 for Microsoft Windows which actually served as the third chapter to the series' Dark Savant trilogy (which included Wizardry 6 and 7). And while the release of a new addition may be good news to long-time fans, there's a dark side to the story. In fact, long-time Wizardry fans may just want to kiss the old franchise goodbye and consider the new installment a reboot of the entire IP.

Here's why. For starters, Sir-Tech is no longer the publisher, handing the reigns over to XSEED Games. Secondly, the new Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls game isn't coming to the PC, Mac or even Linux-- it's arriving on the PlayStation Network. That's right, it's console-bound. If that wasn't disappointing enough, this version won't be like any other Wizardry title before it (although it seems to retain the old-school RPG gameplay), offering up Anime/Manga-style characters instead of the traditional designs conjured up by artists here in the States.

Yet despite the new look, the new platform and the new publisher, XSEED Games promises that the new installment (or reboot) will follow the "grand tradition" of the Wizardry series. "Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls features a deceptively simple game system complementing deep and involving dungeon designs," the company said Wednesday. "Hardcore RPG fans will find an extensive and grueling 1st-person 3D grid-based dungeon crawl experience rendered in high-definition with hand-drawn characters and sprites by famous commercial artist Yuki Hayabusa. Players will develop a party of up to six members culled from a rich mix of five races and eight classes, and prepare to encounter over 120 different monsters."

Little else is known about the new game save for that it was developed by ACQUIRE and previously released in Japan under the name Wizardry: Torawareshi Tamashii no Meikyū (Dungeon of Imprisoned Souls). XSEED Games said it will share more information about the new installment in the coming weeks. Maybe PC gamers will see the game later on in the year...? Will PC gamers even care?

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  • -1 Hide
    Anonymous , March 23, 2011 10:16 PM
    As a huge wizardy 8 fan I can say that I dont care about this game.
  • 2 Hide
    lifelesspoet , March 23, 2011 11:07 PM
    People shouldn't use the term grueling to describe a game experience, it really puts people off.
  • 1 Hide
    Anonymous , March 23, 2011 11:23 PM
    Japanese RPGs were/are heavily influenced by Wizardry so this isn't a complete surprise. I don't think the gameplay will be too different so if you an stomach the anime style it may be worth a look.
  • Display all 27 comments.
  • 1 Hide
    LORD_ORION , March 23, 2011 11:43 PM
    So it other words, some dudes made a game, and in order to increase sales pilfered the Wizardry brand.

    Like what they did with Bard's Tale.
  • -3 Hide
    someguynamedmatt , March 24, 2011 12:07 AM
    refsiusJapanese RPGs were/are heavily influenced by Wizardry so this isn't a complete surprise. I don't think the gameplay will be too different so if you an stomach the anime style it may be worth a look.

    I can't. I just can't. I can name a whole epic marathon of things I'd rather do than attempt to stomach anime... frying my own testicles is pretty high on that list...
  • 1 Hide
    hmp_goose , March 24, 2011 1:01 AM
    Cast BATU enough times and it might convert to a PC game . . .
  • 2 Hide
    jhansonxi , March 24, 2011 2:11 AM
    I played the original a long time ago. Fond memories of using ZILWAN to do 2100+ points of damage to a 4-point undead kobold and TILTOWAIT on whole herds of critters. Then there are those secret cheats like creating a bishop and identifying item #9.
  • 4 Hide
    gnookergi , March 24, 2011 2:16 AM
    someguynamedmattI can't. I just can't. I can name a whole epic marathon of things I'd rather do than attempt to stomach anime... frying my own testicles is pretty high on that list...


    Your loss either way.
  • 1 Hide
    caeden , March 24, 2011 2:16 AM
    and here I thought Castle (the old ASCII game) was the granddaddy of dungeon games...
  • 0 Hide
    sabot00 , March 24, 2011 3:11 AM
    Screw Wizardry, DUKE NUKEM!
    Hell, I'd still tap it.
  • -1 Hide
    sudeshc , March 24, 2011 3:29 AM
    W8ing eagerly for this one.....
  • -4 Hide
    schwiing , March 24, 2011 3:52 AM
    1981-2011..Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that 20 years?
  • 2 Hide
    enforcer22 , March 24, 2011 6:32 AM
    i loved 7 played it to death... i wish people would stop ruining the greats with garbage like this. anime of all things .... what a waste.
  • 1 Hide
    distanted , March 24, 2011 6:42 AM
    schwiing1981-2011..Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that 20 years?

    The last Wizardry title to appear on the market was the highly-popular Wizardry 8 back in 2001

    Consider yourself corrected.
  • 2 Hide
    martel80 , March 24, 2011 7:40 AM
    Compared to Wizardry 7, the 8 was painful because of the very slow combats and the reworked class system. There were also some quest/character bugs which ruined the gameplay even further.

    I guess the good old RPG times are not coming back anytime soon with all these dumbed-down console ports like Dragon Age 2.
  • 0 Hide
    Wish I Was Wealthy , March 24, 2011 8:36 AM
    Always something different to handle...
  • 0 Hide
    rantoc , March 24, 2011 8:52 AM
    hmp_gooseCast BATU enough times and it might convert to a PC game . . .


    Ill rather cast NoThx to this when games like Dragon Age 2 ect are around the Win PC!
  • 2 Hide
    Darkerson , March 24, 2011 9:30 AM
    The Wizardry series has been on consoles as far back as the NES. The Japanese have always took to the series way more fanatically then anywhere else, hence all the console ports of the series over the years, plus all the Gaiden (side stories) versions and such.
    The SNES had some really good ports and most of the series was released on it, but overall, The FM-Towns had some of the best ports of the games, with CD audio and completely redrawn graphics.
    Rant aside, Im still happy the series is alive in some shape or form, and am also glad that we'll finally be getting a state side release.

    On a side note, the translation for Wizardry VI on the SNES is getting close to being complete, for those that are interested.

    http://tico999.freeweb.hu/
  • 0 Hide
    gamerk316 , March 24, 2011 11:04 AM
    Such a shame that the old school RPG's [Wizardry, Ultima, etc] are long forgotten and bastardized. Not interested in this in the least.
  • 0 Hide
    Onus , March 24, 2011 11:14 AM
    Wizardry was my inspiration to write a dungeon-crawl in Turbo Pascal way back when. I almost wish I'd done more with it...
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