Fight for your right to party (up for a dungeon crawl)!
Back in 1981, video games were different. It was fresh and still new. As a still emerging market, developers were still trying to come up with various, cool ways to implement things we take for granted now.
Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord may not have been the first role-playing game in existence. But, it sure did help inspire several generations of games that came after.
When it was released, Dungeons & Dragons was still new as well. Video games had come out that were both made by TSR (the folks behind D&D) and those inspired by the concept. But, never before could players enjoy a good old party-based dungeon crawl.
Wizardry, the first in a series of games in the franchise, allowed you to create a full team of characters to work together. What a novel concept! Yes, it was the first to do it.
(Editor's note: A previous version of this news post had a dead link to an older version of the video. It has been rectified.)
If you’ve played games like Final Fantasy or even Starfield, with the ability to have companions fight with you, this should sound familiar. Or, if you’re into D&D, this is no different than partying up with other players in a campaign.
Digital Eclipse, the fine folks that brought us Atari 50 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, are remaking Wizardry. However, it gets better.
They’re keeping the original game underneath the 3D remaster. Similar to some games like The Secret of Monkey Island and the just announced Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, the game will allow you to toggle between both its new version and the original.
As mentioned, without Wizardry, we likely wouldn’t have our party-based, turn-based RPGs that we don’t even think twice about from the likes of Square Enix and so many other developers. The MMO market may have also developed very differently, as well.
Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord is now available on Early Access over on Steam. They’re starting to price out at $29.99. But, the price will go up as the game’s development progresses. So, get it while it’s low if you want it.