I’m just going to come out and say it — Avatar: The Last Airbender in a Roguelite setting would be a pretty cool game, right? Who wouldn’t want to mix martial arts with elemental magic all while crawling procedurally generated dungeons? Wouldn’t that be fun?
If you agree with all of the above, you should probably just start downloading Wizard of Legend right now.
Developed and published by Contingent99, this Roguelite aims to please with its charming soundtrack, visually-pleasing aesthetics, and easy to jump into gameplay. It begins with your caped character standing right outside of the city’s museum. Upon entry, players soon discover that this is not the average museum — instead of paintings or statues, this one is full of mythical relics and arcana, or magical moves. Learning all of them and passing the first trial grants access to the realm of Lanova and entrance to a competition full of procedurally generated dungeons full of enemies, treasures, and hidden surprises.
Controls and Feel
Controls are simple enough to pick up: WASD moves the character while left and right click perform basic attacks. Space offers a sprint-like option and the Q and E buttons yield two more advanced attacks. Due to the quick nature of the game, however, a controller may be more suitable for gameplay, although one isn’t necessary. Nothing sticks, and all movements are solid and fluid.
The soundtrack is S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G. This isn’t your average indie game OST, and a lot of praise needs to go to this title’s composer. The magical, whimsical music transports players to games of yesteryear, and nostalgia is immediately felt. Steam currently offers a bundle for the game and soundtrack, which for once is actually tempting.
Graphics and Gameplay
Pixel games are often aesthetically pleasing, but where Wizard of Legend shines is in its color palette. The muted colors of the dungeon make the characters and magical moves pop. Everything blends seamlessly, and no colors seem weird or out of place.
What really stood out to me about this game was how easy it was to get sucked in. The storyline was simple enough to follow — a feat for magic-based games — and combat was challenging yet fun to master. Dungeons were big enough to want to discover the entire area, but not too big that survival was impossible. Balance is key, and balance was felt.
Final Thoughts
Roguelites these days are often a dime a dozen, and magic-themes are often hard to pull off when it’s tempting to make the story too confusing. Yet Wizard of Legend manages to walk the line between simple and convoluted, nostalgic and new. It breathes life into the genre while providing fans with exactly what they want. Currently on Steam for $15.99, this easy to learn, hard to master title is sure to be a well-played addition to any gamer’s library.
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