[Wizardry]The monumental historical role-playing game has been remade and revived!

“Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord” is a role-playing game title for PC developed and published by “Digital Eclipse” that has been officially distributed on the Steam store since May 24, 2024.

The game is a remake of the first game in the memorable series, “Wizardry: The Trials of the Mad King,'' which was released in September 1981, with full 3D graphics, and features specifications that have left fans in tears, as well as a commitment to development that repurposes the program from the original version.

This new work is recommended for those who are fans of overseas role-playing games who have been familiar with the series for many years, those who want to play the “origin'' that had a great influence on Japanese RPG titles, and those who want to experience the classic RPG system for themselves.

The legendary RPG is now available as a 3D remake

“Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord,” which is currently being distributed on the PC game portal site “Steam” store, is a remake of a work that has had a great influence on role-playing games released to date.

The work first appeared on the Steam store as an “early access” title on September 15, 2023, and after about 8 months of development, the official version was finally unveiled. Now you can enjoy playing the long-awaited official version.

Players gather adventurer characters to form a party, explore the underground labyrinth adjacent to the fortified city of Mad King Trebo, and take on a dangerous adventure to recover the amulet stolen by the evil sorcerer Wardna.

The game is characterized by a gameplay in which you fight various powerful enemy characters inside a dungeon that has become a labyrinth, sometimes avoiding traps as you advance into the abyss, and finally challenge yourself to a direct confrontation with the “Wardna” that awaits you.

A total of 461 user reviews have been submitted to the Steam Store from the early access stage to the present, and the overall rating remains high with “very positive'' reviews. This is a must-see new game that is extremely popular with users.

Remake of the 1981 original version

“Wizardry: The Mad King's Trial'', on which this work is based, is a “legendary role-playing game'' title released by the American game company “Sir-Tech'' in 1981 as game software for the Apple II.

The game system of the same work is called a dungeon crawl type, and the content is that you grow your party members while challenging a dungeon that is in a labyrinth state on the play screen that unfolds in a first-person view.

What was groundbreaking about this work was that it was the world's first RPG that introduced a party system, and its management elements, which allowed players to skillfully manage a large number of players, captivated players at the time. This work can be called a “pioneer” of the party.

Before RPG works for computers, there was a “table talk RPG'' that was played on analog devices, but it is a significant work in that it appeared at a time when personal computers were in its infancy, and in a sense it can be said to be the “origin.''

The original work already established the game system that is still used today, such as forming a “party” with members of different occupations and challenging battles in dungeons, and when your status value decreases, you stay at an inn to recover.

The Family Computer software “Dragon Quest'', which was released 38 years ago this year, is famous as a role-playing game that was influenced by the same work, and its influence as a genre that has spread all over the world is enormous.

Game features

This work, which is a remake of “Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord'' in the modern era of 2024, has the developer's “deep commitment.''

Digital Eclipse, who was in charge of the remake, defined this work as “while preserving the atmosphere of the original, we will make improvements that will be accepted by current RPG fans,'' and it is clear that they have a strong desire to preserve the parts that should be preserved.

Proof of this is the fact that this work uses the original programming of the 1981 version as is. There are scenes in the game where the original interface appears as is, so even fans of the original will be satisfied with this new game.

The appeal of this game is that, rather than focusing on nostalgia, it has been improved to make it suitable for modern play.In addition to replacing it with the most distinctive 3D graphics, it has also been devised to make the game more comfortable to play while maintaining its level of difficulty.

This game's system has been improved, and changes have been made to make party formation, dungeon exploration, spell casting, combat, etc. more smooth, making the game accessible to players of all ages.

The biggest features of this game include richer in-game depictions thanks to 3D graphics, powerful BGM sounds that could not be achieved at the time, and an interface that allows for smooth play.

In modern times, “open world'' action RPGs are reaching their peak due to improvements in PC specs, but the genre of this work, which progresses through the classic command format, has an enduring appeal, and it can be said that it is well worth playing now.

Take care of areas that need refinement, and leave areas that should be left untouched. This work can be said to be a noteworthy remake work that was carefully developed while firmly adhering to the golden rules of restoration and restoration.

Supports Japanese interface

The selling price of “Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord” is 3,980 yen, and it supports a Japanese interface and subtitles as standard. The game will be for solo play only and will not support local or online multiplayer.

This game partially supports operation with a “general-purpose controller”, so it is safe even for people who usually play games with a controller. This is a highly recommended PC game title with a style that takes modern gameplay environments into consideration.

Compatibility with Valve's portable game console “Steam Deck” has been determined to be “playable”. Full compatibility is not achieved because some manual operations are required when entering text, and the text size displayed on the screen is small.

There are a total of 28 different Steam achievements that can be unlocked. This is a new role-playing game that can be recommended even for those who pride themselves on being “achievement hunters'', and you can aim to unlock all the achievements while immersing yourself in the atmosphere of the original work, which has a worldwide influence.

System requirements

Although it is a remake with upgraded 3D graphics, Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord's PC system requirements are very light. It is a PC game that can be easily played by a wide range of users.

The graphics board presented in the recommended requirements is a part with performance of NVIDIA's GTX 970 class or higher. At the time of its announcement, it was a mid-high class Gravity, but from today's perspective, it is a part that is slightly above the low end.

The recommended CPU model is Intel's i5-6400 class processor. The recommended amount of main memory is generally 16GB, and many people should be able to meet this number. Overall, it can be said that it is a work that can be run on modern low-end gaming PCs.

The installation size is 2GB, which is as light as a smartphone app. Although the capacity has increased dramatically compared to the original work at the time, it is a very lightweight title by modern PC gaming standards. This is a new game that is storage friendly.

Overall review: A work whose evaluation is divided depending on its remake method

This new game has attracted the attention of Wizardry fans around the world as it is a full 3D remake of the first game in the memorable series, “Wizardry: The Trials of the Mad King,'' which was released in September 1981.It is a new game that has received mixed reviews based on its content.

In recent years, there has been a remake boom in the game industry, and there are many cases where nostalgic games that can no longer be played on current hardware have been revived with the latest specifications, but what core fans are concerned about is the direction of the remake.

While remakes that use the latest game drawing technology to achieve graphics and motion that were impossible to achieve in the development environment of the time are being hailed, it is also true that fundamentalist voices are being raised.

For those who actually played the original version at the time of its release, even if the graphics look clearly outdated to modern eyes, they have a fondness for the drawing itself, and may have a negative reaction to the remake.

Although “Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord'' retains its system aspects, there are bold changes to the graphics, so whether or not you can tolerate the gameplay screen will be the point that will determine your evaluation.

“Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord,'' a new game that is a must-see for fans and is a remake of a monumental work that continues to influence the RPG genre to this day, is currently available on the Steam store.

[Recommended points]Play the reborn monument!