Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls - Releasing May 29th

JDR13 said:
No. The first-person view is probably the only thing they have in common.
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Well, perhaps I'll buy this, perhaps not. But knowing this won't play like Wizardry VIII made me more sad. :(
 
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Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls plays exactly like the old Wizardry titles. It has been criticized for that:
Worthplaying:
...Unfortunately for a game so based around dungeon crawling, Wizardry is visually a bore. The character designs are anime-inspired, but they're rather bland. While there are a wide variety of races to choose from, they're indistinguishable from humans except the pointy-eared Elves. I couldn't tell the difference between a Human or a Gnome, aside from Gnomes looking a little thinner and younger. Perhaps the most egregious example of silly character design involves the Dwarves. The male Dwarf character is actually the tallest character in the game and is basically a giant slab of huge muscle. The female dwarf, on the other hand, looks like a 10-year-old. Neither is remotely dwarfish and don't make sense as two sides of the same species.

The dungeon design is similarly uninspired. It's full of basically interchangeable corridors with almost no distinctive landmarks or noteworthy locations. This isn't so bad if you have a map, but if you're ding things the "hard way," e prepared to be bored stiff by the level design. Combat animations are simplistic, and enemies are mostly represented by simple pictures, which make them dull to watch after a while, although they're relatively quick.

Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls is certainly fun, but it's fun for a specific group of people. Those who love the old school of RPGs before they became more about the cinematics and fast-paced action will find a lot to like. It's a classic Wizardry game through and through, almost unchanged from the older titles. In some ways, it feels even more archaic than titles like Etrian Odyssey or other dungeon-crawler titles. Archaic doesn't mean bad, though. If you don't enjoy the idea of wandering lost in a dungeon or spending hours puzzling over every bit of gameplay, then you'll end up more frustrated than anything else. On the other hand, if a plot-light and exploration-heavy, old-school RPG tickles your fancy, then Wizardry is exactly the right game for you.
Score: 7/10
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henriquejr said:
Well, perhaps I'll buy this, perhaps not. But knowing this won't play like Wizardry VIII made me more sad. :(
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To be fair, Wiz 8 is pretty unique as far as blobbers go. This game is more like the classic Wizardry games but with a strong anime look and the typical Japanese style soundtrack.

It's probably solid if you like that style, but I'll pass.
 
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Yeah, VIII is a really weird pick for a comparison as VIII was the one Wizardry game which had more overworld exploration instead of pretty much pure dungeon diving.
 
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IMHO Wizardry VIII is one of the best blobbers (if not the best) I've played. And, if we forget for a moment its IP confusion, it's one of the games I really really wish for a remake.
 
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Being a hybrid between classic Wizardry and the sensational Elminage could be all sorts of awesome, if done correctly. I'm going to buy this one regardless, if I get burned, so be it!!!
 
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I was really happily surprised by how good the Japanese Wizardry-clone series Etrian Odyssey is. It's a handheld game, but you can easily play the first three on your phone.

Yes, you play as little cartoon children, but the gameplay is strong, old-school in the good ways with a smoother modern UI.

Sadly, no -- it's not Wizardry VIII. Nothing is likely to be Wizardry VIII again, though I would be thrilled if something were.
 
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I would be all over either of those, honestly, Wizardry eight is so darn good I don't need an update to replay that awesome game!!! So my push would be for a sequel of sorts, or maybe an old-school expansion.
 
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Carnifex said:
I would be all over either of those, honestly, Wizardry eight is so darn good I don't need an update to replay that awesome game!!! So my push would be for a sequel of sorts, or maybe an old-school expansion.
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It was good...except for those horrible long battles you had to add a mod for or die of old age as each bad guy moved way off in the distance.

I played it recently where I found a way to game the system a bit by hiding in a crevice and taking out groups so they couldn't surround me.
 
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Is there any Wiz VIII's working mod that reduces the respawning rate?
 
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:D The joy of nostalgia:

"'member that great game"
"Yeah, man, that game was great"
"it was the best"
"best ever"
"perfect"
"they don't make'em like that any more"

…

"Say, you member how shit the crap bits were"
"sure do"
"I mod that shit out now"
"me too"
"Ooo, there's a mod to cut out the shit bits? Gimme gimme gimme"

So glorious. So meta. So :D
 
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It would be interesting if you could mod this JWizardry with other Wizardry images to make it look more Western.
 
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Lucky Day said:
It would be interesting if you could mod this JWizardry with other Wizardry images to make it look more Western.
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Isn't Elminage western in look with similar gameplay?

(I found Elminage very slow going myself, but if an old-school dungeon-crawler with a western look is what you're yearning for....)
 
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It looked okay but I didn't like the broad graphic style.
 
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I enjoyed both the Elminage games for what they are, but honestly they really didn't evoke memories of Wizardry for me. Which is fine, I applaud the creators for having their own vision and sticking with it, both games are well worth playing and will be replayed in the future by me.
 
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