Wizardry: Proving Grounds (XSX) review

Recently, Digital Eclipse, known for Atari 50, Karateka and Llamasoft Gold Master Serieshas once again re-released an old game in a modern and elegant format. magicOriginally released in the early 80s, it is one of those series that has garnered a cult following over the years. Personally, my experience with this groundbreaking series is very limited, and I feel ashamed of myself for it. Why? Because after playing this complete reimagining, Wizardry: Experimental RangeI can't help but feel a lot of FOMO.

Simply put, this 1981 release would be a bit crude to play in its original form today; the now primitive visuals and complex interface are products of its time. However, Digital Eclipse, with their brilliant vision, has taken the original game and literally painted a modern version on top of it. Playing this old game through this modern lens is not only impressive from a technical standpoint, but it breathes new life into this retro experience. In fact, if you started playing with no background information on this game, you'd think it was a 2024 release.

Everything from the original game remains intact, just with a new presentation. This new paint job not only looks great, it also sounds great and plays even better. Instead of 1-bit visuals, everything was remade with his 3D models, animations, and accompanying soundtrack. Taking it a step further, there are some “old school” options that players can adjust. Things like being able to choose starting perks instead of randomizing everything, inn options, map options, etc. If you want to play this re-released game with the original ruleset, please go ahead. But for a newbie like me, it would be welcome to have features to make the game a little more player-friendly heading into 2024. The game also opens with a personal letter from the developer, which is another thoughtful addition.

At its center, Wizardry This is a classic dungeon crawler with complex mechanics. If a party member dies, they can optionally be revived at the temple (for a fee, of course). New party members can be recruited from the training ground. Inns are used to recover health and MP. Of course, this store is used to buy material things. The old-school ruleset also applies to combat, with players basically just telling their party members to fight, analyze enemies, or use magic without necessarily having to choose the details. And if you die, the player has the option to go back into the maze and collect the dung, at a potential cost. It's complicated at first, but with a little trial and error it all makes sense. It doesn't come with any kind of instruction manual or tutorial, so players have to navigate it themselves, but it's easy to crack once you die once or twice.

Digital Eclipse is spoiling us with all the extra features and little details they ship with their products these days. karateka and llama soft The title of an interactive docu-series. They've set the bar high. Unfortunately, this one doesn't come with any bonus material. Wizardy I'm a little disappointed in the resale. Sure, it's nice to have a game from the early '80s easily accessible on all modern platforms, but the lack of additional features feels like a bit of a missed opportunity, especially from a company that prides itself on detailed documentation. I feel it.

Despite the lack of historical background, Wizardry: Proving Grounds Thanks to the dedication of Digital Eclipse, another remake has been done right. This is literally the original game built directly on a new modern display, but presented in a way that respects the original, but more importantly, is easier to play than the original. In fact, when you tap the button, the original game appears as an overlay. This is very cool. Without this re-release, I probably would have continued to ignore this classic and historic game and get excited for future releases. If we get new Wizardry, Atari, and Karateka games, it's fun to think about how Digital Eclipse targets other dormant/ignored/forgotten series. Either way, there's no denying that modern gamers are loving the retro menu these days.

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Author: Zachary Gasiorowski, myGamer.com Editor-in-Chief

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