Description:
Creator D.W. Bradley (Wizardry VI and Wizardry VII) slaved for four long years to bring fans his epic Wizards & Warriors, a decidedly old-school role-playing game in the mold of such classics as Wizardry, Might & Magic, and The Bard's Tale. Three production companies dropped the game during its convoluted development and Activision finally picked it up. Well, the wait was certainly worthwhile, with only a few reservations. The story concerns an evil Pharaoh who has returned from the grave to terrorize the fantasy world of Gael Serran. Only the mystical Mavin Sword can stop him, so it's up to the player to organize a party of six to find the sword and save the world. You can choose from several fantastic races that include your standard elves, dwarves, and humans, but also offers the more interesting and bizarre rat-headed Ratlings, pig-headed Gourks, tiger-headed Whiskahs, tiny Pixies, reptilian Lizzords, and elephantine Oomphaz. Four character classes are available initially (Rogue, Fighter, Sorcerer, and Priest), but after gaining experience characters can switch to other classes like Samurai, Valkyrie, Paladins, and Ninja. The adventure is in first person using a less-than-satisfying graphics engine. It's the old-school six-characters-act-as-one interface, but the inclusion of too-frequent jump puzzles makes the interface hard to control at times. There is almost nothing in the way of the special effects fans likely expect and the audio is substandard. Parents should note that there is also a small amount of nudity. The technology may be unsatisfying but that doesn't bar the game from greatness and wonder. You'll be hard-pressed to find an RPG offering more depth than Wizards & Warriors. Welcome back D.W. Bradley. --Bob Andrews Pros: - Good story and a great deal of depth
- Multiple character types and classes ensure replay value
- They just don't make them like this anymore!
Cons: - Poor control interface
- Old, unimpressive graphics engine
- Poor voice acting
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