Life of a Wizard
- March 17, 2017
- Hosted Games
Get on Steam
Get on Apple Store"Life of a Wizard" is an interactive 130,000-word fiction game where you play as an archmage, shaping your character's gender, morality, and career path. Your choices determine whether you bring peace or take over the kingdom, and whether you find love or remain alone. With various possibilities, including becoming a grand bishop, druid, battle-mage, or lich, this game offers a rich and immersive storytelling experience.
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Mac OS
PC
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Reviews
- The game offers a lot of choices and skills that significantly impact gameplay, providing a sense of agency and replayability.
- It's a fun and engaging text-based adventure that allows players to experience the life of a wizard from childhood to retirement.
- The writing is straightforward and practical, making it easy to get into the story without lengthy prose.
- Character development is minimal, with many characters feeling flat and lacking meaningful interactions.
- The pacing is rushed, with events occurring too quickly for players to form emotional connections or care about the outcomes.
- Despite the numerous choices, the story lacks depth and meaningful branching paths, making it feel simplistic and unengaging.
- story74 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story is a mix of classic RPG adventure and interactive fiction, allowing players to shape their narrative through choices, though many reviewers noted that the choices often lack significant impact and the overall plot feels disjointed. While some appreciated the humor and lore, others found the pacing too fast and the character development lacking, making it less immersive. Overall, the game offers a fun, albeit not deeply engaging, storytelling experience that may not encourage multiple playthroughs.
“Well done interactive fiction story, where your choices (not random dice) determine the 'life of a wizard.'”
“Your every act ripples out into the story, and after nearly fifty hours of this, I'm still finding new options and new ways to live a wizard's life.”
“Excellent story with meaningful choices and many different paths to take.”
“The choices don't feel important; the story doesn't really branch a lot.”
“It's a story I'd read through once, but would not feel inclined to go through multiple times.”
“All in all, it's a barely passable story.”
- replayability15 mentions
- 87 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is noted for its strong replayability, with many players finding it entertaining and engaging despite relatively short playthroughs of 1-2 hours. While some reviews mention that the story may not encourage multiple runs, the interesting world and plotlines contribute to its appeal for repeated play.
“Tons of replayability.”
“Life of a wizard is pretty short, about 1-2 hours per playthrough, but the world and plotlines are interesting and the game has solid replay value.”
“Very short, but extremely replayable.”
- character development4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate a significant lack of character development, with characters described as extremely shallow and offering minimal interactions. Overall, players feel that the game fails to provide meaningful growth or depth to its characters.
“There is no character development, and the characters are all extremely shallow with next to no interactions being available.”
“Character development is limited, barely one at all.”
“There is no character development, and the characters are all extremely shallow with next to no interactions being available.”
- gameplay4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Gameplay is centered around an interactive choose-your-own-adventure format, where players read passages and make decisions that influence the story. However, the presence of a stats system can detract from the roleplaying experience, often leading players to feel compelled to restart and optimize their choices for better outcomes.
“The stats system always makes you feel like you have to restart and change some choices to make it less roleplay and more 'optimal gameplay.'”
“Gameplay consists of reading short passages about events and choosing how you act and react to them as the game unfolds, taking the form of an interactive choose-your-own-adventure story.”
- music4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
While the game is praised for its writing and replayability, some players express a desire for more background music to enhance immersion and the overall experience. They suggest that external music sources, like YouTube, can supplement this aspect.
“A very good game :) well written and worth replaying, my only 'complaint' I would have is I wish there were more romance options and perhaps background music, just to help you get into the 'role' more.”
“I wish there were more background music, just to help you get into the 'role' more.”
“However, music from YouTube can help with that last part.”
- graphics2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are minimal, leading to a reliance on text that some players find tedious and potentially boring. Overall, the lack of visual elements may not appeal to those seeking a more engaging graphical experience.
“It's okay if you don't mind reading, but it has no graphics and can get boring at times.”
