Best MM/Wizardry clones out there?

[huntsman1899]

Besides Grimoire, what are the best Might and Magic or Wizardry-like games out there at the moment. Don't care if they are new or classic as long as they are playable on win10.

Wizardry more so for the depth of the mechanics than the combat. Not a huge fan of this style. Prefer one character turn at a time instead of setting the whole party. But it's not a deal breaker.

Most dungeon crawlers on steam seem too much like Grimrock. Same old puzzles, no lockpicking or utility spells, etc.

Appreciate it.

 

[Darth Canoli]

Nothing reached Wizardry and Might & Magic level.

You could try Lords of Xulima, the exploration is not first person and it has a couple of flaws but it does a couple of things quite well.

There's also Legends of Amberland, didn't try it yet but the final version is going to be released soon, and it's promising, there's a thread in this forum.

 

[Dorateen]

Swords & Sorcery: Underworld

 

[eggdogg]

Lords of Xulima

 

[luj1]

Wizards & Warriors

 

[huntsman1899]

Nothing reached Wizardry and Might & Magic level.

You could try Lords of Xulima, the exploration is not first person and it has a couple of flaws but it does a couple of things quite well.

There's also Legends of Amberland, didn't try it yet but the final version is going to be released soon, and it's promising, there's a thread in this forum.

Heard good things about Lords of Xulima but prefer at least the dungeons to be 1st person.

Any actual release date for Amberland? Also heard rangers won’t have ranged attacks?? That true?

 

[huntsman1899]

Swords & Sorcery: Underworld

What can you tell me about this one? Is combat like Wizardry? Or is it character by character? Also can you see enemies in the world or is it pop up?

 

[huntsman1899]

Wizards & Warriors

Started this and enjoyed first dungeon, but the conversations with quest givers and townsfolk were terrible. Slow, didn’t know when I was replying, didn’t know if every character had to reply separately... maybe I’m just dumb but I threw me off big time.

 

[Dorateen]

Swords & Sorcery: Underworld

What can you tell me about this one? Is combat like Wizardry? Or is it character by character? Also can you see enemies in the world or is it pop up?

It was originally closer to a clone of Might & Magic I and II, but then the developer released a definitive edition that added a lot to the presentation (like character portraits and consistent art style) making it closer to a clone of Might & Magic III. Still pop up enemies, and very much a traditional dungeon crawler.

 

[luj1]

Wizards & Warriors

Started this and enjoyed first dungeon, but the conversations with quest givers and townsfolk were terrible. Slow, didn’t know when I was replying, didn’t know if every character had to reply separately... maybe I’m just dumb but I threw me off big time.

The game is clunky af but if you can stomach that the class system is very cool and innovative

 

[mondblut]

Thunderscape was a fine dungeon romp preceding the gameplay of Wizardry 8 and post-Xeen M&M.

 

[aweigh]

- Elminage: Gothic (PC)
- Elminage: Original (PC)
- Wizardry Empire 2: Legacy Of The Princess (PC)
- Wizardry Gaiden 4: Beat Of The Demon's Heart (SNES)
- The Dark Spire (Nintendo DS)
- Stranger Of Sword City (PC)

that's a good start.

 

[Butter]

Eye of the Beholder 2.

 

[MpuMngwana]

Started this and enjoyed first dungeon, but the conversations with quest givers and townsfolk were terrible. Slow, didn’t know when I was replying, didn’t know if every character had to reply separately... maybe I’m just dumb but I threw me off big time.

This made me rage quit the game lol. I spent approximately 45 minutes talking to some rat people and got a quest from them, forgot to save and got party wiped by some plants. Upon realizing I'll have to suffer through all that repetitive dialogue again, I uninstalled. As a side note for the people who played more of the game - is there some super secret way to skip or fast forward dialogue I was to retarded to notice? Aside from that, I quite enjoyed the game and might play it again at some point, but having to read same sentences over and over again is a huge turn off.

As for the recommendations, I second the Elminage series. Mighty fine games, those.

 

[Darth Canoli]

Any actual release date for Amberland? Also heard rangers won’t have ranged attacks?? That true?

Version 0.24 is out. Racial classes introduced.
http://www.silverlemurgames.com/2019/05/09/legends-of-amberland-version-0-24/

Planned final release May-June.

Legends of Amberland thread

maybe I’m just dumb but I threw me off big time.

That's the one terribly annoying thing about this game, all the city NPC non-skipable dialogues they're going to serve you over and over, that's also why i didn't finish it.

Also, Swords & Sorcery isn't like M&M III at all, its UI was probably created in 1850 or something ...

There's also 7 mages, didn't get very far and i'm not sure how i feel about the split party option in combat but it feels quite good, i'll probably replay it later.

 

[Ysaye]

In addition to Aweigh's list, Paper Sorcerer if you like old style (1-5) Wizardry, turn based combat but are happy without grid based movment.

Hard to find something like the old turn based Might and Magics...Have you played the original Realms of Arkania (particularly Star Trail)?

Wizardry Xth an/or Operation Abyss/Babel if you are looking for something not fantasy to play.

 

[mondblut]

That's the one terribly annoying thing about this game, all the city NPC non-skipable dialogues they're going to serve you over and over, that's also why i didn't finish it.

That was hugely exploitable though, before they patched it over eventually (I think they did) - since you had to report the quest for each character individually, by switching between them before the npc has finished his speech you could get your xp over and over again. That's the way it worked, I think. Well worth the wait

 

[Dorateen]

I would also mention Demise. Once you get past the hybrid automated combat with tactical pause system, the class changing and guild mechanics are downright Wizardry-esque. The gameplay itself is complex, and the thirty-five level dungeon has the depth and breadth of a world to explore. You can manage an entire roster of characters and run multiple parties including recovery teams, in the event some characters die or get stranded in the dungeon.

 

[V_K]

Gates of Skeldal and its sorta-sequel 7 Mages. Character building is fairly shallow in those, but level design is top notch, and 7 Mages has a couple of fairly innovative mechanics like splitting the party in combat or music-based magic whose power depends on proximity.
Out of older games, Amberstar is an interesting mix of Wizardry-style dungeon crawling and Ultima-style overworld travelling.

 

[ManaJunkie]

Realms of Quest 1-4
Oubliette (obviously)
Bard´s Tale 1 (remake)
Fate: Gates of Dawn

very enjoyable for fans...and..

Dragon Wars (good one!)

 

[Covenant]

The Etrian Odyssey games, particularly 3-5. People here don't seem to particularly rate them - not sure why, maybe because all the character portraits look like they're 12 years old? (though this problem is ameliorated as the series progresses) - but the mechanics are solid.

If you play dungeon crawlers because you enjoy the combat mechanics, character progression and exploration, you'll likely enjoy Etrian Odyssey. If you play dungeon crawlers because you enjoy intricate plots, DEEPEST LORE, graphics, puzzles, NPCs or atmosphere, you'll probably enjoy it quite a bit less.

There's nothing amazing about any particular game, but it's solid dungeon-crawling and it rarely outstays its welcome. Contrast that to Elminage Gothic, which IMO could have cut out at least a quarter of its length and not been any worse off for it.

 

[Haplo]

Wizardry Xth an/or Operation Abyss/Babel if you are looking for something not fantasy to play.

Those were very... tedious for me. Lots of grinding, lots of moving through the same corridors forth and back.
Stranger was vastly superior of this type of games... if somewhat dumbed down in some aspects.

 

[octavius]

Wizardry Gaiden IV: Throb of the Demon's Heart. Easily the best JRPG I ever played.

 

[Covenant]

Wizardry Gaiden IV: Throb of the Demon's Heart. Easily the best JRPG I ever played.

Would you mind saying a little bit about why you feel this way? I played TotDH myself after I'd heard such good things about it, and was disappointed by the lack of enemy/item progression or combat difficulty, the vague and uninteresting NPCs and plot, and the mostly-empty maps.

Given that its closest analogue would seem to be Wizardry V, which by contrast I found to be an absolute treasure, I'm interested in hearing why you rated it so highly. Also, are you a big fan of the Elminage games? I ask because I found Throb to feel closer to those than the original Wizardry games, though the Elminage games had much more interesting mechanics.

 

[octavius]

Wizardry Gaiden IV: Throb of the Demon's Heart. Easily the best JRPG I ever played.

Would you mind saying a little bit about why you feel this way? I played TotDH myself after I'd heard such good things about it, and was disappointed by the lack of enemy/item progression or combat difficulty, the vague and uninteresting NPCs and plot, and the mostly-empty maps.

Given that its closest analogue would seem to be Wizardry V, which by contrast I found to be an absolute treasure, I'm interested in hearing why you rated it so highly. Also, are you a big fan of the Elminage games? I ask because I found Throb to feel closer to those than the original Wizardry games, though the Elminage games had much more interesting mechanics.

It's the only JRPG I've played.

But apart from wildly fluctuating combat difficulty, and the re-use of the Wiz 1 map, I thought it was pretty good, worthy of carrying the Wizardry name.