Today I finished DW Bradley’s Wizards and Warriors, a game I first played on its release in September 2000. In January of 2019 I started a new game with the intent to finally beat it. And now, in the waning days of Summer 2021, I have finally done it.
A spiritual sequel to Wizardry 7 – another game I toiled at for years in my youth – Wizards and Warriors is a first person, party-based, role playing game made with a fully 3d engine. Systems-wise it bears a lot of similarity to Wizardry 7, but the 3d engine allows for more complex dungeon designs and DW Bradley takes advantage. Really, the dungeons are the high point of the experience, with pen and paper RPG influenced layouts and puzzles. There’s even a Dungeon Master of sorts in the form of a disembodied narrator(who turns out to be a dragon reading a bed-time story to his dragon-children according to the end of game cutscene!)
gog.com has the game if you’re curious. I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone, but it is a excellent game in many respects. The character building and dungeon design belong in GOAT discussions. The balance really falls off in the last half to third of the game – combat becomes too easy – but I’d suggest any RPG aficionado play through at least the first two dungeons.
Some screenshots:
Sen’s fortress?
Within the Dark Lord Cet’s pyramid:
Zenmaster: the best class in the game cannot be unlocked before the final dungeon:
