Wizard of Legend

I've spent quite a while trying to determine why I like old roguelike games (like Rogue, Nethack, Angband) but always eventually hate roguelites I attempt to play and finally while playing this it clicked for me. It's not the grind itself, it's the blatantly manipulative manner in which the grind is imposed upon you. Go look up any guide for this game right now, you'll come across two key phrases in one form or another. "this game has a steep learning curve" and "what you want to do is grind for these items first..." I'm sorry but those things are mutually exclusive. The game doesn't have a steep learning curve, it has a prerequisite grind you have to overcome before you have the tools you need to succeed. "roguelites" sell themselves as being easier and more accessible than the traditional roguelikes but I would argue they're actually the opposite. The roguelite is a design choice a dev makes when they want to pad out the playtime of a game because they aren't confident enough in their own game loop to hook the player. Instead they rely on the player falling into the sunken cost fallacy to keep playing and spoon feeding the sensation of incremental improvement because you unlocked some gems that carry over to the next playthrough. Player engagement even if it's negative is still engagement. The game is rated well so some people clearly like roguelites and the inherent unrewarding grind but it's not my thing.

I have dove into the depths of chaos magic. I have bled upon the stones in the halls of the greats. I have felt the flames writhe around my body, the earth tremble from my soul, and sparks electrify the air I breathe. And yet, I am left longing. There is little as magnificent as consuming the forbidden arcane, taking upon the relics of old, cursing oneself to greater power in pursuit of transcendence. May the heavens forgive my folly. May my attempts be not in vain. May mine enemies tremble at the potency of my newfound abilities. If I be given the glory of another run, then I swear not to squander my chances. For I long to see my enemies torn apart—sundered by my magic, by my hands. I would recommend. 10/10, blessed brothers. May your magic serve you well, and may the chaos of the trials be not against thee.

This is literally and I say this with no exaggeration MY FAVORITE game I have EVER played. Never have I felt so right and in tune with a video game like THIS one. Absolutely no complaints it's AMAZING!!!

[h1]This games could have been so much better[/h1] I played this game for over 35 hours before abandoning it. I had memories of me not being good enough and therefore I moved to other games. I recently came back to this game - after one or two years - and I was able to beat the final boss, no sweat. I played some more runs and I realized how this game could have been so much better... The idea is great, the amount of content is huge, the gameplay loop is addicting and the concept of customizing my wizard with spells and equip is amazing. However, the game is in my opinion unfair, becomes repetitive really fast and it is full of bad game design choice. Here what are in my opinion the main flaws. [h2]The combat is challenging purely because of bad control and dashing [/h2] - controls are clunky, not always responsive (i found myself pressing the same button multiple time before seeing the arcana being activated) and dashing is extremely imprecise. It is very common to dash and fall into the void or pits because you are in a slightly wrong position or bacause of the knockback of your attack. This does not fit in a very fast-paced videogame full of enemies. - absence invincibility frame* and all enemies being able to stagger you is poor decision. As soon as multiple enemies are on the screen is a matter of luck or being able to kite those enemies, not a matter of player's skill. Once you are hit, many other attacks will follow and a big portion of you health will be gone. - of course it is not true the opposite. Many enemies are immune to staggering and keep doing wathever they were doing while you are trying to destroy them. [h2] Dodging is the only game mechaninc that is important. [/h2] - the entire game is just dashing away from danger, praying that you did it at the right moment and that you move and land in a safe position - because there is no invincibility frame* - when you encounter a group of enemies, the safest choice is ALWAYS to dash away in a spot in the map where they disperse and you can exploit line of sight the avoid being hit. - minibosses and bosses are the same: 1) avoid attacks until they stop moving 2) play all your arcanas until the combo message appear on the screen 3) repeat - the game does not push you to play differently this (see later in the review) [h2] Quantity over quality [/h2] This is another instance of the game being challenging or not fun because of poor game design choice. - why the heck there's 315 relics and you are limited to hold only 10? why are you holding me from collecting as many relics as I can and become overpower? - why there is no re-roll mechanic at vendors with such huge amount of relics? especially when most of them are totally irrelevant in general or not useful to your build and i am offered in one run only 35 via merchant. - why the heck cursed relic cannot be dropped when you have only 10 slots available? the player being able to choose to drop them or making them not count towards the total 10 slots would have been more fair... - why the heck name and effect of cursed relics are not shown when they drop? At cursed relic vendor, name and effects are displayed. This is just making the game painful for the player. [h2] The illusion of progression.[/h2] The game has no progression, only unlockable. you character does not become stronger, you just unlock new stuff that can equip at the beginning of your run. your character does not become stronger by playing the game; you - the player - get the opportunity to optimize better before starting a run. This include the choice of 4 starting arcana (always 4), one starting relic (always 1), the cape. I feel forced to pick up the best optimal build from the the very beginning because i know the game very likely will not offer me interesting relics throughout the run. Once a run is finished, in the hub you can only unlock relics, arcanas and robes. There is no characther improvement such as: increase base health, base damage, speed, number of relics' slots, number of initial relics, armor etc... As soon as you unlock the minimum amount of item to become effective from the beginning of the run, the game becomes a collectaton. If you read until this point, do yourself a favor and DO NOT play this game. It will give you a glimpse of what could have been really good without being it. *unless you use ONE specific dash arcana out of 206

I love this game. The only thing that I'd add is an online co-op. It's quite honestly the only thing this game is missing.

This roguelike can and just might sink its hooks into you like an ex you can't forget about, but that's assuming you can get a girlfriend to begin with when you have this game to keep you company and show you the ups and downs of a roguelationship. You'll have beautiful firsts, like the first time you cast a signature that chunks practically 1/3 of the miniboss's HP away in a single blast, or the first time WoL gives you a present of arcana and items to commemorate your first week dating. But as time goes by and the honeymoon period falls off, you'll have hard moments. Like when Nocturne takes an arcana critical to your build and you'll wish that insects will infest his toothpaste for a year and a day. Or you see a big attack coming to kill you, and you proceed to dodge like Wily Coyote right off the edge of the map and lose the last bit of health you had going for you. A roguelationship can be a draining thing at times. You may wonder why you chose to get into this in the first place. But then you'll respawn in your room, take a second, talk it out, and realize where both of you went wrong. Then you'll approach the situation with fresh eyes and positivity, and keep going forward. And that's where the going gets good. You'll eventually reach the time when WoL invites you to their bossroom, and you get to have an intimate heart-to-heart that can be firey and passionate, electrifying, down-to-earth, or downright chilly given the circumstances. These moments can make or break the date, so just make sure you're a good listener (watch out for attack indicators), communicate respectfully (throw the arcana kitchen sink at them when they're stunned), and set goals for the next date (walk away with your life intact). Commit and do your best throughout all of this, and you'll have a relationship that is incredibly fulfilling.

[h1]プレイヤーを楽しませてくれない[/h1] ＜昔買ってレビューを書いていなかった作品。通常のレビューより簡素＞ 移動が遅く、敵が硬く、負けても成長要素がろくになく、プレイを繰り返していてつまらなさしか感じなかった。 永続的な成長要素が最初から実感できるレベルで用意されていれば良かったが、そういった要素が乏しくこともあってこちらの移動の遅さと敵の硬さを何度もわからされるゲームデザインは苦痛しか感じなかった。 世間では高く評価されている作品のようだが、ちょっと自分には面白さがわからなかった。 プレイに慣れてどんどん先に進めるようになれば面白いのかもしれないが、プレイしていたときは本作より優れた見下ろしアクションは他にもあったので、あえて本作を続ける動機がなかった。 「古いから」と時代のせいにしても良かったが、自分にはレベルデザインが下手なアクションにしか見えなかった。

I'm writing this review in light of the "sequel" having just come out, but not by the original devs. Wizard of Legend is a great attempt at a mage based rogue like that while isn't as fancy or flashy as big games like Hades, had a lot of potential upon release and in general has so much charm. The whimsy, the music, the npcs, the potential silly builds... While this game is not perfect, you can tell that it was made by a small passionate dev team with a lot of heart.