Paul Plays Really Old CRPGS - Wizardry 6
Ten years ago, WIZARDRY set the standards in Fantasy Role-Playing (FRP). Now after two million copies have been sold and dozens of awards have been won, Bane of the Cosmic Forge raises and redefines those standards. This new WIZARDRY, the truest simulation ever of Fantasy Role Playing, will push your computer, your mind, and your sense of adventure to their very limits. Only through the power of the latest computer technology could the full dimensions of this new genre in FRP be possible.
This is FRP the way you wanted it to be.
Prepare yourself. Take with you six companions - choose wisely, for having chosen, your fate is in their hands. Enter the ancient castle to retrieve the Cosmic Forge, a magical pen whose writings caused the river of time itself to change course. You will find treasure, armor, and magic items to advance your quest; meet wizened and cryptic dwellers who hold secrets that must be unearthed; and solve the riddles and puzzles that abound.
But beware- you and your party will encounter countless dangers, hazards, and creatures of dazzling form to block your way. Only through your magic and skills, ever growing as you progress, can they be vanquished.
And the story, so rich in mythology and legend, weaves a web of intrigue so complex that only you, with patience and travail can unravel.
Let the computer roll the dice, consult the charts and apply the rules. From the 400 items of armor and weaponry researched for authenticity to the realistic combat structure, incorporating Primary and Secondary attack, this reproduction of true FRP within the computer environment will make all other attempts obsolete.
The adventure is as real as the pleasure.
Review
I’m pretty sure that I’ve never played this before, and yet it seems familiar. Similar to The Bards Tale, the game is a 3d dungeon crawl. The graphics are awful, the sound is awful, having to use a list of codes every time you start play (or come out to look at the hints/manual on steam) is awful…but you just can’t help having one more go. You want to know what’s behind that locked door, you want to know what that stairway leady to, you want to find the answer to that riddle. Way back in 1990 CRPG’s were all about the writing, and here the writing is excellent (for the small amount of the game I’ve played). Controls mainly consist of forward, left and right buttons, these come with a fourth button that you can toggle between Move & Turn. Some rooms have encounters, but to level up you really need to run back and forth until you set off a random one. The encounters range (so far) from rats to pirates.
Combat consists of choosing from a list of options for each character i.e. attack, run, spell etc, and hitting each other until one side wins. Save often.
After much running around my party is level 4, and our survival is getting more common.
You can pick door locks, bash them down, or use a key. Your chances of success with the first two depending upon your chosen characters required stat. There are puzzles to work out, fountains to drink from, and secrets to find.
Back when this was released I either had an Atari ST or my very first PC, and I had forgotten everything about how to play them. Luckily, I have had big help from Joe Jackson, who I’m hoping will do a review of this game too, from the point of view of some one who’s an expert.
My rating is 7/10. If it was 1990 though I’d give it a 9/10.
To buy Wizardry 6 simply click here… https://store.steampowered.com/app/245410/Wizardry_6_Bane_of_the_Cosmic_Forge/
My current PC rig is a AMD Ryzen 7 5700G with Radeon Graphics @ 3.80 GHz, 64Gb of Ram, and a 6Gb Geforce GTX 1660 Super (really need a Radeon).
If there is an old CRPG you would like me to review just get in touch. Between Steam, GOG and Xbox I’ll probably have it!