It’s hard to believe that the Dark Savant trilogy began 26 years ago in 1990 with Bane of the Cosmic Forge. Resisting these games, I see gameplay elements that were new at the time, but now mark the RPG genre forever. I can’t begin to explain how much this series of Wizardry 6, 7, and 8 ushered in the whole RPG genre. Unfortunately, there are plenty of other articles about how great Wizardry is, and I’m not going to be another re-write. The real question is whether or not Wizardry 6 and 7 are still relevant today and worth playing.

Over a period of two weeks in Wales (lovely place for a holiday), with absolutely no internet, I brought out the paper and pencils and painstakingly mapped each tile in my epic adventure. It became apparent quickly that this is the largest drawback of the Wizardry series, especially 6 and 7. While in newer cRPGs it is easier to figure out the map without a physical drawing, the darkness and confusion of 6 and 7 make this incredibly difficult. Every dungeon has many twists and turns painted in the same theme. Essentially, it’s the same wall staring at you over and over again. In Wizardry 6, I spent a good 2 hours trying to figure out how to open a door in the first dungeon, only to find a button on a wall that I hadn’t mapped. Of course, I could never see that button unless I was in the perfect spot. All in all, this makes a very very frustrating experience.

What amazed me, however, was the incredible depth of character. There are a variety of classes in Wizardry, each working in a completely different way to the others. The customization of loot and character RNG is far beyond even contemporary titles. I spent 4 hours in character creation alone.

But even with amazing character design, the game is brutally difficult. I won’t lie, in true 90s fashion both games are incredibly unbalanced. Some dungeons are a breeze, others one-shot your best characters. I can’t tell you how many times I had to load a save just because I walked into the wrong room and got accosted by pixelated robbers. Please nerf.

NPC actions are a breath of fresh air. Instead of boring chat options, you can talk unlimited to NPCs and cultivate rapport. You can even attack them (although that’s ill advised, they hold important parts of the lore and items you NEED to complete the game).

Speaking of lore, even with very limited ‘story’ the game still manages to keep a whole universe cultivated. Multiple endings (which were novel in 1990) and multiple beginnings allowed for huge variety in playthroughs, and honestly even the sparsely told story is much better than many RPGs today.

I promised to evaluate the state of Wizardry in today’s world, and I hope I’ve made it clear that for all its glory, Wizardry 6 and 7 (which are practically the same game, you can even carry your party over from 6 to 7) is no longer relevant in this age. I simply can’t recommend spending time in a frustrating mess unless you are a true RPG connoisseur. Even then, there are plenty of better games to play. It’s a new dawn, and Wizardry doesn’t have a place in the gaming world anymore. Rest in peace.

Final Scoring:
Story - 7
Gameplay - 7
Relevancy - 0
Graphics - 3 (unless you're 'that guy')

Received a free copy for testing/reviewing purposes. This review is part of the Steamified Community Review program. For similar reviews and fantastic giveaways please visit http://www.steamified.com/.

It’s hard to believe that the Dark Savant trilogy began 26 years ago in 1990 with Bane of the Cosmic Forge. Resisting these games, I see gameplay elements that were new at the time, but now mark the RPG genre forever. I can’t begin to explain how much this series of Wizardry 6, 7, and 8 ushered in the whole RPG genre. Unfortunately, there are plenty of other articles about how great Wizardry is, and I’m not going to be another re-write. The real question is whether or not Wizardry 6 and 7 are still relevant today and worth playing. Over a period of two weeks in Wales (lovely place for a holiday), with absolutely no internet, I brought out the paper and pencils and painstakingly mapped each tile in my epic adventure. It became apparent quickly that this is the largest drawback of the Wizardry series, especially 6 and 7. While in newer cRPGs it is easier to figure out the map without a physical drawing, the darkness and confusion of 6 and 7 make this incredibly difficult. Every dungeon has many twists and turns painted in the same theme. Essentially, it’s the same wall staring at you over and over again. In Wizardry 6, I spent a good 2 hours trying to figure out how to open a door in the first dungeon, only to find a button on a wall that I hadn’t mapped. Of course, I could never see that button unless I was in the perfect spot. All in all, this makes a very very frustrating experience. What amazed me, however, was the incredible depth of character. There are a variety of classes in Wizardry, each working in a completely different way to the others. The customization of loot and character RNG is far beyond even contemporary titles. I spent 4 hours in character creation alone. But even with amazing character design, the game is brutally difficult. I won’t lie, in true 90s fashion both games are incredibly unbalanced. Some dungeons are a breeze, others one-shot your best characters. I can’t tell you how many times I had to load a save just because I walked into the wrong room and got accosted by pixelated robbers. Please nerf. NPC actions are a breath of fresh air. Instead of boring chat options, you can talk unlimited to NPCs and cultivate rapport. You can even attack them (although that’s ill advised, they hold important parts of the lore and items you NEED to complete the game). Speaking of lore, even with very limited ‘story’ the game still manages to keep a whole universe cultivated. Multiple endings (which were novel in 1990) and multiple beginnings allowed for huge variety in playthroughs, and honestly even the sparsely told story is much better than many RPGs today. I promised to evaluate the state of Wizardry in today’s world, and I hope I’ve made it clear that for all its glory, Wizardry 6 and 7 (which are practically the same game, you can even carry your party over from 6 to 7) is no longer relevant in this age. I simply can’t recommend spending time in a frustrating mess unless you are a true RPG connoisseur. Even then, there are plenty of better games to play. It’s a new dawn, and Wizardry doesn’t have a place in the gaming world anymore. Rest in peace. Final Scoring: Story - 7 Gameplay - 7 Relevancy - 0 Graphics - 3 (unless you're 'that guy') Received a free copy for testing/reviewing purposes. This review is part of the Steamified Community Review program. For similar reviews and fantastic giveaways please visit http://www.steamified.com/.