Wizards & Warriors - Development and Reception

Development and Reception

Wizards & Warriors was developed by UK-based video game company Rare for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released by Acclaim in North American in December 1987; it would later be released by the same company in Europe on January 7, 1990. It was released in Japan by Jaleco under the title Densetsu no Kishi Elrond on July 15, 1988. The game would be Rare's second NES release, after Slalom. The game's soundtrack was composed by video game composer David Wise.

Wizards & Warriors was reviewed in Nintendo Fun Club News – the precursor to Nintendo Power – in which a brief overview of the gameplay was given. The game would be featured again in Nintendo Power's November–December 1989 issue, where it was chosen as the best game to use with the NES Advantage controller, saying that the joystick would allow players to concentrate on other strategic gameplay elements. In 1989, Wizards & Warriors was nominated by the magazine for "Best Graphics & Sound" and "Best Character" (Kuros) for its "Nintendo Power Awards '88", but it did not win in either category. It also received coverage in a 1989 issue of VideoGames & Computer Entertainment. The reviewer lauded the game's challenge and need for problem solving – more particular the need to use different items aside from the Brightsword in order to defeat some enemies and progress in the game, and the need to find hidden rooms where required items are located. However, he noted that the high level of difficulty is offset by the ability to continue at exactly the same spot in which the player left off. Overall, the reviewer praised Wizards & Warriors for its "excellent graphics and sound", arcade-style gameplay, and overall challenge. German magazine Power Play praised the game's good graphics, sound and extras, but criticized it for "stale gameplay".

In a retrospective of the entire Wizards & Warriors series, UK-based magazine Retro Gamer gave a positive review of the first title, saying that "Kuros's first adventure was a unique experience for NES gamers in 1987, and technically well ahead of other games for the console at the time." The review said that the game, while a platformer, placed much emphasis on finding treasure and items. The review said that most gamers found fault in relatively easy difficulty level, most symbolized by its unlimited continues in which players can continue at the point right where they left off. According to the retrospective, in 1988, Rare showed Wizards & Warriors to Zippo Games, who was touring Rare and their NES library. Rare asked them to develop a sequel to the game, which would become Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors II. In another retrospective of Rare as part of the company's 25th anniversary, GamePro looked back on the game, calling it "unique at the time" due to the unlimited amount of continues players received.

Wizards & Warriors has received scant coverage from modern video gaming websites. Video gaming website GamesRadar named the opening theme for the game as "Game music of the day", noting that the theme "suggests, from the moment you turn on the game, that knights, wizards, goblins and who knows what else are about to collide in a battle so epic it's destined for a Frazetta painting." JC Fletcher from Joystiq called the game "a simple action-platformer about a guy in thick armor who kicks open treasure chests in order to bribe knights". He also notes the variety of good and bad items such as the "Staff of Power" which inflicts much damage to enemies and conversely the "Cloak of Darkness", which he says "makes Kuros invisible to you but not to enemies". He said that the game has an arcade feel, with unlimited continues, a high-score list, name entry for high scores, and good music. Houston Press' Jef Rouner lauded the game's music and animation, and noted its high difficulty level, especially during boss battles. IGN listed Wizards & Warriors at #56 on its "Top 100 NES Games" list, reviewer Sam Claiborn said that the game was inspired by Dungeons & Dragons-type RPGs, but it went further in incorporating action platforming elements along with more traditional RPG elements. Columnist and comedy writer Seanbaby humorously criticized the game for items that did not work as intended, including the "Cloak of Darkness" and the "Boots of Lava Walk".