Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls - Review @ COG

COG has reviewed the dungeon crawler Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls:

Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls Review - Dungeon Hall of Fame

Dungeon crawlers have a rich history, one that stretches back to the earliest days of gaming. They're simply designed, elegant, inviting, and pretty brutal. I refer to this hallowed epoch because Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls is still very much of that time. This is a PC port of a decade-old entry in a series that began back in 1981. This entry, like all the others, feels both ancient and modern. Yet, is this anachronistic nature a help or a hindrance? Maybe a little bit of both?

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Modern RPGs have made incredible strides beyond their venerable predecessors. Things have gotten flashier, more intense, and much more complex. You'll find none of that in a Wizardry game. Instead, players are treated to a finely-honed mechanical system and a simple interface. Backed by decades of rich history, the Wizardry series has influenced countless other games. Beyond Etrian Odyssey, scores of turn-based dungeon crawlers owe their existence to this series. Sure, the combat is simple, the progress is slow, and the difficulty is high. But if a measured, elegant, austere RPG is what you're looking for, look no further. Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls is a great escape for anyone invested in the genre's illustrious past.

Score: 70/100

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Ok, that does it. I'm not done with Astoria yet, but I'm going to do a few hours of Wizardry today just to get my beak wet!

I really enjoy seeing the Wizardry logo on the front page. Vorpal just made a possible advancement to Ninja at Fighter level 15. This game reminds me of Demise in some ways - just one more step then BAM!

So I put about three hours into the Wizardry game yesterday, basically just explored the first two levels in the first dungeon and leveled my squad up a bit. Right before I quit I got a sling for my rogue, so at least now he can contribute! I'll be back to wallow in this game after I've finished with Astoria.

Originally Posted by Carnifex
Right before I quit I got a sling for my rogue, so at least now he can contribute!

I bought the sling and gave it to the Bishop and found a really good Boomerang for the Rogue in Shins dungeon.

The first dungeon gets hard really fast so you should probably head to Shins now and try to find that boomerang. I think it was on floor 2, might have been a random drop, but I explore every square so it could have been in a chest.

Thanks for the advice, I'll start with Shins when I do get around to playing the game!!

Why does this name keep making me think of Limbo of the Lost?

By the way, I did rack up about four hours of playtime in this game yesterday, and somehow lost all my progress plus an additional hour or three. I'm not sure what happened, it seemed to in some way revert to a much earlier save, but for sure I'm shelving this for now until whatever issues exist get worked out. Once again I'm kicking myself for attempting a game far too early, in many other games it might not be a big deal but in this one it's quite vexing.