Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord

01.11.1985
The so-called "New & Improved Version" was a later, updated release of the original Apple II and PC Booter release from the early 80's. Unlike to original release, featured a larger graphic window and slightly more colors, depending on the computer. Rather infamously, the MS-DOS version introduces a bug where upon leveling up, there was a small chance a characters stats would decrease.

Parent game

01.09.1981

The Mad Overlord Trebor was once only power-mad, but went off the deep end after he acquired a magical amulet of immense power, only to have it stolen from him by his nemesis, the evil archmage Werdna. Werdna, not quite sure how to use the amulet properly, accidentally causes an earthquake which creates a ten-level dungeon beneath Trebor's castle. To avoid looking silly, Werdna declares the dungeon to be the new lair for him and his monster hordes. Trebor, not to be outdone, declares the labyrinth his new Proving Grounds where adventurers must prove themselves for membership in his elite honor guard, and incidentally retrieve his amulet in the process. The first Wizardry was one of the original dungeon-crawling role-playing games, and stands along with Ultima and Might & Magic as one of the defining staples of the genre. The player generates and control a party of up to six different adventurers, choosing from four races (humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes and hobbits), three alignments (good, neutral and evil), and four basic classes (fighter, priest, mage and thief). These can later evolve into elite classes (bishop: priest with mage spells; samurai: fighter with mage spells; lord: fighter with priest spells, and ninja: fighter with thief abilities) if they meet the necessary level requirements. After outfitting the party with basic weapons and armor, the player sends it into a 3D vector maze-like dungeon to fight monsters in turn-based combat and find treasure.

Part of collection:
Wizardry (last 3 games)

14.10.2024

Announced for the series 40th anniversary, Wizardry Variants: Daphne is a brand-new mobile RPG focused on unforgiving dungeon crawling and party building.

23.05.2024

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord is a full 3D remake of the first game in the legendary Wizardry series of RPGs. It is built directly on top of the original 1981 game's code. Although it looks all new, underneath the hood is the authentic game. You can even view the original Apple II interface as you play. While the well-known difficulty of the enemies has not been altered, quality-of-life improvements have been added in every area. Party management, navigation, spellcasting, and combat have all been significantly enhanced.

30.01.2013

Wizardry Online brings the storied franchise online with a free-to-play MMORPG.

Part of franchise:
Wizardry (last 3 games)

14.10.2024

Announced for the series 40th anniversary, Wizardry Variants: Daphne is a brand-new mobile RPG focused on unforgiving dungeon crawling and party building.

23.05.2024

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord is a full 3D remake of the first game in the legendary Wizardry series of RPGs. It is built directly on top of the original 1981 game's code. Although it looks all new, underneath the hood is the authentic game. You can even view the original Apple II interface as you play. While the well-known difficulty of the enemies has not been altered, quality-of-life improvements have been added in every area. Party management, navigation, spellcasting, and combat have all been significantly enhanced.

29.07.2010

This is a sequel to "Wizardry: Seimei no Kusabi", released in November 2009. There are three dungeons available, and the game added quality-of-life features to make it more user-friendly such as save points and fast travel. Existing characters from the previous game have been removed, and players can create their own characters and form an original party from the beginning. The game features various systems designed to enhance the fun of dungeon exploration, such as a real-time dungeon that uses the touch pen to solve various gimmicks, a "FAST mode" that cuts attack and spell effects and speeds up messages, a "cooperative attack" that can be activated by combining spells and active skills used during a turn, encounter monsters and adventure records, and a manual to check "achievements." "Wizardry" is an RPG born in 1981 and is considered the originator of computer RPGs and a globally popular work. This game is a 3D dungeon RPG where players can enjoy labyrinth exploration by delving into deep dungeons. Please enjoy the adventure that follows the world view and system that are characteristic of "Wizardry" while incorporating unique gimmicks that are unique to the Nintendo DS.

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