Casual Hero
Augur
So I just beat Wizardry 1 for the first time! I had dabbled with the game in the past, but never made it past floor 4. I defended the game in the Wizardry thread after Red Panda quit it, but then he found out that I had never actually beaten it myself, so we agreed that I would play it to completion and then make a review/write-up afterwards. So here I am, and boy, what a ride that was; I'm not even quite sure where to start. I'm sure many of you have at least tried the game, so I may be treading over ground that has already been covered, but I'll just talk about a few things I noticed. The main thing that kept amazing me again and again is just how polished this game is for 1981, and I think that is pretty unique compared to it's contemporaries.
So, we get into the game, and we start mapping the first floor. This is something I have already talked about on 2 separate occasions now, but I'll mention it again briefly. The first level is a perfect tutorial for the rest of the game. The first floor is split into 4 quadrants. Each of these "chunks" presents a different style of mapping, and so you can begin to get used to what to expect. You have long corridors ending in 2x2 rooms, dark spaces, single space rooms, secret walls, teleport squares, special encounters. It begins to introduce the concept of the maze to you, but keeps it digestible by neatly sorting it into quadrants, all connected near the center. Not only is this a good tutorial floor, it also is distinct enough that after a while you can even navigate without heavy reliance on the map; it's just that well thought out!
Throughout your explorations of the first floor, you may notice something about the encounters: there are very little random encounters. In fact, I found myself only getting into 3 or 4 random encounters per floor. Instead of relying on random encounters, the game does something specific instead; you will find enemies in fixed locations, often in room behind doors. This creates a really interesting dynamic. Since this is the case, you may find yourself pausing before you go through a new door. I would think to myself, "okay, is my party ready for what I might find in the next room?"
Something really cool that I noticed is that this system of encounters is actually specifically used in parts of the game to create tension for the player. On level 4 things begin to ramp up; this is where you fight your first "boss" encounter, and this is where the tutorial ends. This floor has 2 chains of rooms, that loop around each other. By this point in the game you will know that you find enemies behind doors, so the developers are creating a kind of gauntlet for the player to go through. They do not artificially ramp up the difficulty by increasing random encounters, instead they rely on the established system to very clearly show that you will be encountering a lot of enemies here, so you had better be prepared. The best part about this is that the player is mapping all of this out, so they are organically observing themselves that the game is ramping up in difficulty, and it is up to them to adjust accordingly.
This brings me to perhaps the most important aspect of this game. Wizardry has some tedious mechanics. Death comes quickly, and it is costly to revive your characters. There is no refuge in the dungeon and you must climb to the top every time you want to rest. The thing is, all of these "hardcore" and seemingly "unfair" mechanics are all working together to employ what I will call "forced immersion". If you want to succeed in overcoming this game, you will need to invest yourself. This is not something that can be played idly in the background. The mechanics are forcing you into the game and demanding your attention. This can have 2 effects. If you are like me it may captivate you and drive you forward, or it may just drive you away from the game. If you do not invest yourself into the experience, you probably will not have a great time. The running back and forth from town to dungeon will seem tedious and frustrating unless you are playing the game smart. You need to learn the rules of the dungeon, and then use them to your own advantage. It is possible to just spend hours grinding Murphy's Ghost on the first floor, and then plopping down to floor 10 with the elevator to fight Werdna, but this will not feel very fun. The game is best enjoyed if you can devote yourself to its peculiarities.
The last thing I will talk about is the combat. I can't quite put my finger on what makes it so good to me, but wow, it feels just as exciting and snappy as a turn based RPG can hope to feel. Combats are not the main focus of the game (I would say that the focus is on resource management and mapping) but the combats are definitely rewarding. the most important thing is that they do not overstay their welcome; fights are fast and decisive. Either you will defeat the enemy, or they will defeat you. (It's not always quite so black and white, but it certainly feels that way)
It is also worth mentioning that this game does have a few "boss" encounters, and these are certainly where the combat shines the most. It almost feels like a game of chess: You are presented with grouping of enemies, all of whom have specific attack patterns and spells they can use. You must find out the best way to counter these moves, and send out your own attacks. Combat happens in phases, so you must choose all of your actions at once, and then the game executes these in order of initiative. The best moments happen when you successfully parse what the enemy is trying to do, and you preemptively shut them down with a well chosen spell. If anything, I wish there were more encounters like this in the game.
All in all, this is a seriously good cRPG. It really is amazing to see how many things they got right in 1981, and how many things we still use from Wizardry's formulas. Wizardry 1 isn't just a game, it is a game system- and a darn good one! The maps are all so well thought out, and it is truly a joy to go down to each new floor and see what unique challenges it presents you with. They are each unique, and very fun. It's also not very long to beat; I didn't keep track, but it couldn't have been more than 15 hours.
So there you have it, today I have become a man.
So, we get into the game, and we start mapping the first floor. This is something I have already talked about on 2 separate occasions now, but I'll mention it again briefly. The first level is a perfect tutorial for the rest of the game. The first floor is split into 4 quadrants. Each of these "chunks" presents a different style of mapping, and so you can begin to get used to what to expect. You have long corridors ending in 2x2 rooms, dark spaces, single space rooms, secret walls, teleport squares, special encounters. It begins to introduce the concept of the maze to you, but keeps it digestible by neatly sorting it into quadrants, all connected near the center. Not only is this a good tutorial floor, it also is distinct enough that after a while you can even navigate without heavy reliance on the map; it's just that well thought out!
Throughout your explorations of the first floor, you may notice something about the encounters: there are very little random encounters. In fact, I found myself only getting into 3 or 4 random encounters per floor. Instead of relying on random encounters, the game does something specific instead; you will find enemies in fixed locations, often in room behind doors. This creates a really interesting dynamic. Since this is the case, you may find yourself pausing before you go through a new door. I would think to myself, "okay, is my party ready for what I might find in the next room?"
Something really cool that I noticed is that this system of encounters is actually specifically used in parts of the game to create tension for the player. On level 4 things begin to ramp up; this is where you fight your first "boss" encounter, and this is where the tutorial ends. This floor has 2 chains of rooms, that loop around each other. By this point in the game you will know that you find enemies behind doors, so the developers are creating a kind of gauntlet for the player to go through. They do not artificially ramp up the difficulty by increasing random encounters, instead they rely on the established system to very clearly show that you will be encountering a lot of enemies here, so you had better be prepared. The best part about this is that the player is mapping all of this out, so they are organically observing themselves that the game is ramping up in difficulty, and it is up to them to adjust accordingly.
This brings me to perhaps the most important aspect of this game. Wizardry has some tedious mechanics. Death comes quickly, and it is costly to revive your characters. There is no refuge in the dungeon and you must climb to the top every time you want to rest. The thing is, all of these "hardcore" and seemingly "unfair" mechanics are all working together to employ what I will call "forced immersion". If you want to succeed in overcoming this game, you will need to invest yourself. This is not something that can be played idly in the background. The mechanics are forcing you into the game and demanding your attention. This can have 2 effects. If you are like me it may captivate you and drive you forward, or it may just drive you away from the game. If you do not invest yourself into the experience, you probably will not have a great time. The running back and forth from town to dungeon will seem tedious and frustrating unless you are playing the game smart. You need to learn the rules of the dungeon, and then use them to your own advantage. It is possible to just spend hours grinding Murphy's Ghost on the first floor, and then plopping down to floor 10 with the elevator to fight Werdna, but this will not feel very fun. The game is best enjoyed if you can devote yourself to its peculiarities.
The last thing I will talk about is the combat. I can't quite put my finger on what makes it so good to me, but wow, it feels just as exciting and snappy as a turn based RPG can hope to feel. Combats are not the main focus of the game (I would say that the focus is on resource management and mapping) but the combats are definitely rewarding. the most important thing is that they do not overstay their welcome; fights are fast and decisive. Either you will defeat the enemy, or they will defeat you. (It's not always quite so black and white, but it certainly feels that way)
It is also worth mentioning that this game does have a few "boss" encounters, and these are certainly where the combat shines the most. It almost feels like a game of chess: You are presented with grouping of enemies, all of whom have specific attack patterns and spells they can use. You must find out the best way to counter these moves, and send out your own attacks. Combat happens in phases, so you must choose all of your actions at once, and then the game executes these in order of initiative. The best moments happen when you successfully parse what the enemy is trying to do, and you preemptively shut them down with a well chosen spell. If anything, I wish there were more encounters like this in the game.
All in all, this is a seriously good cRPG. It really is amazing to see how many things they got right in 1981, and how many things we still use from Wizardry's formulas. Wizardry 1 isn't just a game, it is a game system- and a darn good one! The maps are all so well thought out, and it is truly a joy to go down to each new floor and see what unique challenges it presents you with. They are each unique, and very fun. It's also not very long to beat; I didn't keep track, but it couldn't have been more than 15 hours.
So there you have it, today I have become a man.
For those interested, my party was Fighter-Fighter-Samurai, Priest-Mage-Thief. Everyone was level 10 when I beat Werdna, so I didn't have Tiltowait, but once his vampires were dead I managed to silence him and he couldn't even do anything. Just melee'd him to death at that point, making sure he stayed silenced.
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. And blobbers aren't even popular here in the codex, so your "codex sheep" thing doesn't even apply.
