Wizard of Legend

Wizard of Legend is a top-down 2D roguelike game where the player controls a wizard as they attempt to complete a 10-floor procedurally generated dungeon, the 'Chaos Trials', using a selection of various spells to defeat various enemies and bosses and become the titular "Wizard of Legend".[2] Each button or key casts a spell, called 'arcana', in the form of a basic attack, an evade, a 'signature' (more powerful) arcana, and then a variety of alternate spells, called standard arcana, to aid the player in traversing the dungeon and fighting enemies.[3] The dungeon contains three 'shops' per floor to help the player. Two shops are always run by the same NPC, and shops do not appear on floors that have a boss, except the shops just before the final boss. New spells can be bought from a shop that appears on every level of the dungeon with collected money, or added permanently to equip before entering the dungeon through 'Chaos Gems', a persistent currency.[2] Passive upgrades, called Relics, are collected in the same way.[2] The player may also buy different styles of robes, called Outfits, with Chaos Gems, which alter the player's initial stats, such as the player's starting health, defense, or damage. The robe, however, cannot be changed once in the dungeon, it can only be optionally boosted by an NPC.[4] The third 'shop' in a floor is a random NPC, and they have a variety of functions ranging from selling the player relics or arcana, to letting the player heal, sell unwanted items, or giving the player increases to some of their stats.[4] Usually the random shop will have a downside for the player to take note of, so it is always best to look out for a potential problem before interacting with one. The player may also interact with a few NPCs prior to entering the dungeon to obtain temporary boosts.[4] The game is completed after completing all floors of the dungeon, defeating three major bosses (wizards representing fire, earth, water, air, and lightning), and defeating final boss, who represents all the normal elements as well as a special element known as chaos.[2]

The Chaos Trials are a structurally randomized series of rooms that increase in difficulty with time.[5] The Chaos Trials are separated into four sections.[5] The first three sections are each themed with one of the five basic arcana mentioned above.[5] Each section consists of three floors – two regular dungeon floors and a boss floor.[5] Each boss has a different skill set based on their arcana.[5] Additionally, each changes the amount of attacks they perform based on how many floors have been beaten.[5] After the first three sections are completed, the final boss is found as the last trial.[5] He wields the chaos element, a powerful arcana which is gradually unlocked for the player as a result of repeatedly defeating the final boss.[6]

The game was subject to a Kickstarter in June 2016, raising $72,681 from the $50,000 goal.[1] Wizard of Legend was released simultaneously on Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One on May 15, 2018.[1]

The game received generally favourable reviews upon its release in May 2018, holding a score of 76/100 on Metacritic.[10][11][12][13] Kevin McClusky of Destructoid awarded it 6/10, saying "Spell effects are beautifully animated, and combat feels fluid and entertaining." but criticised frame skips on the Nintendo Switch edition of the game.[14] Dominic Tarason of Rock, Paper, Shotgun said "Wizard of Legend is a good, if lopsided game. The moment-to-moment combat is highly flexible and seldom anything less than satisfying, especially in co-op.", but criticised the repetition of the dungeon, saying "If you can overlook the repetition in targets and mix up your own playstyle, this one’s an easy recommendation, but for players who stick with the tried-and-tested, Wizard of Legend can slip into monotony."[15]

Bradley Ellis of Easy Allies awarded the game a 7/10, saying "Wizard of Legend nails the feeling of being a grand wizard. Experimenting with all the different spells is a blast, and there are some heart-pounding boss fights. The peripheral elements fail to deepen or expand Wizard of Legend, but the core gameplay makes for a good time if you’re looking to fill a roguelike fix."[16]

The game recorded 300,000 sales by the end of May 2018, having been on sale for 16 days.[17] By the end of July 2018, the game had sold over 500,000 copies.[18]

• Official website