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Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge

Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge Game Cover
74%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
graphics, grinding
74% User Score Based on 207 reviews

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Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge Game Cover

About

Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge is a single player tactical role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Sir-Tech and was released on September 10, 2013. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Ten years ago, Wizardry set the standards in Fantasy Role-Playing (FRP). Now after two million copies have been sold and dozens of awards have been won, Bane of the Cosmic Forge raises and redefines those standards. This new Wizardry , the truest simulation ever of Fantasy Role Playing, will push your computer, your mind, and your sense of adventure to their very limits. Only through the power of …

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Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge screenshot
Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge screenshot
Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge screenshot
Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge screenshot
Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge screenshot
Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge screenshot
Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge screenshot
Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge screenshot
Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge screenshot
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74%
Audience ScoreBased on 207 reviews
story13 positive mentions
graphics16 negative mentions
  • Deep and complex character creation and progression system with many races, classes, and multiclassing options allowing strategic customization.
  • Rich, atmospheric dungeon crawler gameplay with challenging turn-based combat and the need for careful exploration and mapping, rewarding patience and planning.
  • Intriguing and surprisingly well-written story with moral ambiguity and multiple endings, complemented by the ability to import characters into sequels.
  • Outdated graphics and sound design with repetitive tile sets and minimal audio, leading to a cumbersome and visually monotonous experience.
  • Steep learning curve with clunky, unintuitive interface and mechanics; frequent save/reload required to mitigate harsh difficulty and permanent character death.
  • Absence of quality-of-life features like automap and quest guidance, requiring manual mapping and extensive external resources for progress, which can frustrate modern players.
  • graphics
    54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are widely considered outdated, with simple, repetitive tile-based visuals, limited color palettes, and minimal variety leading to a generally bleak and sometimes eye-straining presentation. While some appreciate the pixel art character and monster designs for their time, the overall visual experience is clumsy, lacking detail and variation, and falls short even by the standards of its era. Nevertheless, players who prioritize deep gameplay and story over visuals often find value in the game despite its "butt-ugly" and largely unpolished graphical presentation.

    • “Combined with its haunting tone and medieval-gothic aesthetic, the game creates an atmosphere that lingers long after the final battle.”
    • “Even with dated graphics, the game draws you into its dark, mysterious world, where every corner feels dangerous and intriguing.”
    • “Graphically speaking the characters and enemies look great for the time with the pixel art, but the identical looking walls, doors and stairs will most definitely lead to you getting lost (and a mild headache as well).”
    • “The visuals, built on early DOS and Amiga technology, are composed of simple but functional tile-based graphics, with repetitive wall textures and static enemy portraits.”
    • “If the game has one fault, it's that it uses the same gray brick graphics for walls, ceilings, and floors in every single area.”
    • “The graphics are terrible, even by the standards of the time, their crude 16-color EGA awfulness being quickly surpassed by the 256 color majesty of Westwood's Eye of the Beholder, which followed but a year later.”
  • story
    46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story is intricate and richly detailed, blending cosmic mystery, moral ambiguity, and mature themes within an atmospheric dungeon-crawling adventure. While the narrative unfolds slowly and requires patience due to its cryptic delivery and lack of modern conveniences, it offers multiple endings shaped by player choices, providing a rare dynamism for its time. Despite dated graphics and grind-heavy gameplay, the story remains engaging and rewarding for those willing to delve deep into its layered lore and puzzles.

    • “The story of this game is one of the best written that I have ever encountered and I've played a lot of games!”
    • “What begins as a simple quest to retrieve the cosmic forge evolves into a tale of moral ambiguity and cosmic power, forcing the player to make decisions that shape the outcome of the adventure.”
    • “The scenario presented to you is actually fairly intriguing, and the environmental storytelling within the castle is probably the most compelling part of the whole tale.”
    • “It's visually repetitive (even by DOS standards), the story feels unfocused, and while the gameplay is fun, making the most of its systems will result in a grind too extreme even for my '100%ed an Etrian Odyssey' tastes.”
    • “If you, on the other hand, play RPGs for the story, it's going to be challenging, because d.w.”
    • “It requires massive patience or flat out cheating to get into and even then, the story is not compelling nor rewarding for your time invested.”
  • gameplay
    32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of this classic RPG is deeply immersive and rich in mechanics, featuring methodical, grid-based exploration and complex multiclassing systems that reward patience and strategic thinking. However, it is often criticized for its steep learning curve, outdated and cumbersome interface, tedious combat, and punishing difficulty, which can lead to excessive grinding and frustration. While highly regarded by fans of old-school RPGs, its archaic design and lack of modern gameplay conveniences may deter contemporary players.

    • “Originally released in 1990, it bridges the gap between the early, brutally simple dungeon crawlers of the 1980s and the more narratively driven, mechanically complex RPGs that followed in the 1990s.”
    • “What it is, however, is an expertly-crafted 'fantasy role-playing simulation' with addictive, deep, and immersive gameplay.”
    • “If you like creating your own builds, the class-changing mechanic of Wizardry 6 & 7 is still one of the best out there.”
    • “There is no gameplay loop of risk and reward; you simply cannot deal with character death like in other Wizardry games except by going back to a previous save.”
    • “Dense with unexplained rules, incomprehensible mechanics, tedious combat, and horrible sound effects.”
    • “On top of that, this gameplay is embedded in mechanics that are anything but obvious to a common modern player.”
  • music
    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's music is largely absent, relying instead on sparse ambient sounds that enhance the isolation and tension but leave many players longing for a traditional soundtrack. The original sound design is minimal and considered outdated, with no real music except for occasional digital effects. However, the Super Famicom remake offers notably better and well-regarded music, included as bonus content in some versions.

    • “The Super Famicom (SFC) remake of Wizardry VI features far better graphics and good music.”
    • “The music of the SFC version is very cool.”
    • “One of the bonus contents of the Steam version is the music from the SFC version in MP3 format, so you can check how good the music of the SFC version is.”
    • “No music in this game, not really surprised.”
    • “The sound too is also terrible, with no music to speak of and only a limited selection of digital samples to relay the clash of steel on steel, ancient enchantments and the death of your foes.”
    • “If you came here to see what music you can rock out to while playing the game, you... are totally s.o.l.”
  • grinding
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding is a significant and often tedious part of the game, especially in the early to mid stages, requiring extensive repetition and patience to level up and build strong characters. It involves navigating slow, menu-driven mechanics and can feel more reliant on luck than skill, leading to frustration for some players. Fans of heavy power-grinding and save-scumming may appreciate it, but it may be off-putting due to its repetitive and sometimes tedious nature.

    • “You have to spend ages wandering around a boring, repetitive maze, grinding on low level enemies and saving after every fight in case one of those groups of low level enemies decides they're going to dodge every attack you make and beat your frontline to death just because screw you.”
    • “Or, to someone who has the patience of a saint for all of the grinding you'll be doing throughout the game, and believe me, you will do quite a bit of grinding if you want to get even remotely close to the end of the game.”
    • “If the idea of ridiculous power-grinding appeals to you, and you don't mind savescumming 'till your fingers bleed, then maybe, just maybe, you'll be the sort of person that loves this sort of game.”
  • stability
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is inconsistent, with frequent freezing, bugs, and frustrating lock mechanics reported by some users, while others experience smooth, glitch-free gameplay without crashes or lag. Overall, stability appears to vary significantly depending on the player's experience.

    • “At least the game appears to be bug free.”
    • “The game is a bit oldish but runs great and is a lot of fun.”
    • “I have found no glitches at all, no lag or crashing.”
    • “Game is super buggy.”
    • “It freezes up often, not constantly, and the starting level has locked doors everywhere that you can't open. It's a mistake in the game, and you can't do almost anything without reloading over and over. You can pick a lock only a couple of times before it becomes jammed, then you cannot open it without a spell that you don't have yet.”
    • “It freezes up.”
  • atmosphere
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its haunting, medieval-gothic tone and storytelling that creates a lasting impression. It effectively combines strong character building, exploration, and combat to deliver an immersive and memorable experience, despite not having modern visuals. This distinctive atmosphere has influenced subsequent titles in the genre.

    • “Where Bane of the Cosmic Forge distinguishes itself from its predecessors is in its storytelling and atmosphere.”
    • “Combined with its haunting tone and medieval-gothic aesthetic, the game creates an atmosphere that lingers long after the final battle.”
    • “Tough but surprisingly fair, Wizardry VI excels in character building, exploration, combat, and pure atmosphere, and it is among the greatest RPGs ever made.”
  • character development
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers a highly complex and flexible character development system that allows for diverse and creative playstyles, enabling players to find unique strategies to overcome challenges. However, despite its depth, the character design feels outdated and the narrative lacks coherence, with difficulty remaining consistently tough regardless of development choices.

    • “Your path to success was often different from what the game designers had in mind; this is only possible with a complex enough system, a true sandbox of character development in which you could find the small cracks to break the game, or at least find optimizations that made you strong enough to survive the challenge.”
    • “Sure, it looks uglier than sin and the character design has aged poorly and the story is complete nonsense, but the character development system is impressive and offers a lot of depth.”
    • “Even with amazing character design, the game is brutally difficult, which makes the character growth feel meaningful and rewarding.”
  • optimization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization balances modern compatibility and performance with preserving its original vintage aesthetic, enhancing accessibility without losing authenticity. Its complex, sandbox-style character development allows players to discover unique strategies and optimizations to overcome challenges in varied ways.

    • “Nightdive’s modern release improves compatibility and performance while preserving the authentic look and feel of the original, making it accessible without compromising its vintage identity.”
    • “Your path to success was often different from what the game designers had in mind; this is only possible with a complex enough system, a true sandbox of character development in which you could find the small cracks to break the game, or at least find optimizations that made you strong enough to survive the challenge.”
  • humor
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's humor shines through its hilarious character interactions, quirky graffiti, and bizarre items, blending nostalgic elements with modern influences. This blend creates a unique comedic charm that appeals to both longtime fans and new players.

    • “Hilarious character interaction, perplexing graffiti, bizarre items, straightforward yet difficult combat, it is all here.”
  • monetization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game’s monetization is well-received for being fair and enjoyable, with no additional microtransactions, enhancing the overall user experience.

    • “It's hard, it's fun, and it has no added microtransactions. Why have you not bought it?”
  • emotional
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users appreciate the emotional connection fostered by nostalgic elements like the preserved copy protection, which adds charm despite being disabled, and note how such features can inspire personal growth, like learning programming basics.

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300h Median play time
300h Average play time
300-300h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge is a tactical role playing game with fantasy theme.

Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows, Linux and others.

On average players spend around 300 hours playing Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge.

Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge was released on September 10, 2013.

Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge was developed by Sir-Tech.

Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its graphics.

Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge is a single player game.

Similar games include Wizardry 8, Wizardry: Crusaders of the Dark Savant, Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar, The Bard's Tale Trilogy, Might & Magic X: Legacy and others.