Wizrogue - Labyrinth of Wizardry
- February 24, 2017
- Taito
- 115h median play time
Get on SteamIn "Wizrogue - Labyrinth of Wizardry" , the classic RPG Wizardry is reimagined as a Rogue-like game, complete with treacherous monsters and traps. Players must build their own party, train characters, modify items, and navigate through infinite eerie labyrinths. The game's narrative offers a nostalgic journey through a fantastical world of magic, adventure, and danger.
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Reviews
- The game offers a unique blend of Wizardry mechanics and gacha elements, providing a nostalgic experience for fans of the original series.
- The graphics and presentation are well done, with a tabletop feel that enhances the gameplay experience.
- Despite its flaws, the game can be enjoyable for casual play and offers a decent amount of content for its price.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and issues, including a game-breaking bug that has persisted for years, leading to lost progress and frustration.
- Combat mechanics are overly simplistic, lacking tactical depth and making gameplay feel repetitive and grindy.
- The character creation system is random, which can lead to dissatisfaction for players who prefer more control over their party composition.
- gameplay68 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
Wizrogue features a unique blend of wizardry and gacha mechanics, drawing inspiration from Pokémon Mystery Dungeon with its randomized dungeon exploration and turn-based combat. While the game incorporates classic wizardry elements and offers solid mechanics, many players find the gameplay simplistic and lacking depth compared to other roguelikes, with some freemium mechanics still present. Overall, it caters to casual players and nostalgia seekers, but may not satisfy those looking for a more challenging experience.
“Wizrogue has the gameplay style of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon (you take a party into a randomized dungeon and move around on a top-down map, fighting randomly spawning enemies) but with most of the class mechanics of Wizardry.”
“Gameplay is very solid and balanced; the underlying mechanics of Wizardry provide a good background for a roguelike game.”
“I'm pretty impressed how they've truly taken most of the original Wizardry mechanics (forming a 6-member party, all of the classes, races, stats, spell names, etc.) and integrated them into a roguelike with random dungeon layouts.”
“Unfortunately, the gameplay leaves a bit to be desired.”
“They clearly put effort into making it look pretty; it's just that the gameplay feels remarkably lacking compared to other roguelikes.”
“The overall gameplay is click to move and click to attack, buy limited gear in town, and run quests.”
- grinding30 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight a significant issue with grinding in the game, describing it as excessive and often pointless, leading players to repeatedly tackle the same levels without meaningful progress. Many players express frustration over the slow pace of advancement and the necessity of grinding for currency and achievements, which detracts from the overall enjoyment and challenge of the game. While some players appreciate the grinding aspect for character development, the overwhelming sentiment is that it feels unbalanced and tedious, ultimately undermining the game's potential as a roguelike experience.
“There is no point to it, besides grinding the same levels over and over again.”
“Buggy, endless grinding made necessary by retaining the micro-transaction structure without the transactions.”
“You are also being punished heavily for failing so you end up grinding low level dungeons over and over without a challenge to level up your extremely generic roster of heroes.”
- story22 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The story is largely a standard "save-the-land" narrative, with segments that are infrequent and easily forgotten, making it feel more like a tutorial for gameplay mechanics than a compelling plot. While it introduces progressively challenging dungeons and features female characters, the lack of a cohesive overarching storyline and minimal cutscenes may leave players wanting more depth. Overall, the narrative serves primarily as a backdrop for gameplay rather than a driving force.
“Normal mode follows a story that introduces progressively harder dungeons, new monsters and mechanics, which are important to learn for mastery.”
“It appears to have some of the same NPC storytellers as other games.”
“Conversely, all story characters that join you and the special random samurai are female.”
“It's mostly standard fare save-the-land, but story segments are scattered so far and few that it's easy to forget what happened by the time the next one comes along.”
“The story in normal mode is essentially a tutorial that barely punishes you and only serves as an anchor to familiarize yourself again after some time of absence or grinding.”
“-no overarching plot to speak of (though one faintly exists)”
- monetization12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game has removed microtransactions, which many players appreciate, but this has led to a grind-heavy experience as players must excessively farm for the premium currency, WJ. While the absence of in-game purchases is seen as a positive change, the game's design still feels like a cash grab due to the slow accumulation of resources. Overall, the monetization shift has resulted in a mixed reception, with some enjoying the lack of microtransactions while others find the grinding tedious.
“It's very much a mobile game, converted to remove the whole monetization scheme.”
“It feels like they ported the game from an in-game purchase model where the intentional shortage is intended to motivate players to purchase more currency with real money, except there are no in-game purchases anymore (which I love) and they did not change the trickle with which you make more wj.”
“Microtransactions are evil, so if we remove microtransactions from our boring, repetitive money-scam mobile game.”
“It feels like they ported the game from an in-game purchase model where the intentional shortage is intended to motivate players to purchase more currency with real money. Except there are no in-game purchases anymore (which I love), and they did not change the trickle with which you make more wj.”
“Microtransactions have been removed, but from what I was able to see in 2 hours, you have to excessively grind for wj (the premium currency in this one) instead.”
- music12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising the quality of the soundtrack and sound effects. Notably, the inclusion of a full choral piece for the intro screen surprised players, and the title theme has been described as sweet and engaging. Overall, the music contributes positively to the gaming experience.
“Also a great soundtrack, and I would have never known this was an Asian game.”
“Music and sound effects are also very good.”
“The music is decent enough.”
“Was surprised to hear full choral music written specifically for the game at the intro screen.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised, with many reviewers noting their high quality and unique board game style. Some even consider it the best in the roguelike genre, highlighting its interesting and playable design, while also appreciating the nostalgic monochrome aesthetic reminiscent of classic games. Overall, the visuals contribute positively to the gaming experience.
“The graphics are really good. I think that if this game were considered a pure roguelike, I'd say it has the best graphics of all other installments so far.”
“The game has interesting graphics and is very playable.”
“The graphics in all their magnificent monochrome (single color green for you younger gamers who may have never experienced monochrome green, amber, and sometimes even red, depending on the actual monitor you had. Back then, color monitors were very expensive.) I've played the original games many times over the last 30+ years, and I was happy to see familiar names and spells in Wizrogue.”
- stability8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern, with multiple users reporting numerous bugs that can disrupt gameplay and potentially damage character progress. While some players find it enjoyable and relatively bug-free, the overall consensus leans towards a frustrating experience due to persistent issues.
“Cool little dungeon crawler and virtually bug free.”
“The game is a bit buggy, which is a pain, and can break characters you have put a lot of time into.”
“Buggy, endless grinding made necessary by retaining the micro-transaction structure without the transactions.”
“The game is buggy as hell.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is significantly undermined by the frequent notifications of achievement rewards, which detract from immersion and create an MMO-like experience that feels out of place.
“The constant shower of achievement rewards in your 'inbox' gives an MMO feel and takes you right out of any atmosphere the game might have.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is well-received for its balance of luck and optimization, making it appealing to players who enjoy both elements.
- replayability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is enhanced by the randomization of character stats based on class and race, which some players find exciting while others may view it as frustrating. This variability encourages multiple playthroughs, appealing to those who enjoy experimenting with different character builds.
“The random chance for a character to gain stats based on class and race adds an exciting layer of replayability that keeps me coming back for more.”
“The variability in character stats based on class and race creates a unique experience each time, enhancing the game's replayability.”
“I love how the random elements in character development can lead to different outcomes, making every playthrough feel fresh and engaging.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is highly praised for its depth, allowing players to customize their characters through various gear and class specifications, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
“I like the character development and the ability to customize your characters with different gear and classes.”
