The esteemed developer, 59 Studio, in collaboration with Game*Spark Publishing, has recently made the grand announcement of launching their famed game, Wizardry: The Five Ordeals, on the Nintendo Switch, a notably popular gaming platform. This release has garnered significant attention and has been scheduled for January 25, 2025.
Originally released on June 8, 2006 in Japan, under the moniker, Wizardry Gaiden: Itsuro no Shiren – Five Ordeals, this game quickly resonated with the audience thanks to its innovative gameplay engine hailing from the 2005 release, Wizardry Gaiden: Prisoners of the Battles. The Steam version underwent an impressive revamp courtesy of the Unity engine and found its way to Early Access in 2021. Subsequently, it ascended to its full release state in 2023. The Steam version had a global reach and supported English text. Presently, it remains undetermined whether this upcoming version for the Switch platform will surmount the boundaries of Japan.
Wizardry: The Five Ordeals carves a unique niche for itself through its distinct story scenarios that include “Traveler’s Property”, “Children of the King Selene”, “The Pickled Man of Galvan”, “The Wheels of Flame”, and “The Devoid of Apotheosis”. Attempting to further amplify user experience are its player-defined scenarios through the in-game editor. For those who are English speaking, the game, unfortunately, did not offer support for this feature at the time of its launch. However, the development team is currently focusing on enabling this capability.
An interesting detail for the followers of the Wizardry franchise is that Wizardry: The Five Ordeals does not derive its roots from Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord, which is a 3D remake of the first installment in this legendary series.
For the Japanese players, the release spells an intriguing choice amongst three divergent options. These include a digital version retailing at 3,980 yen, a physical copy available for 4,980 yen, and, for the avid collectors, a Collector’s Edition priced at 9,980 yen. The collector’s edition is particularly enticing with its acrylic stand, monster-inspired cards from the game, a soundtrack CD, and a digital code enabling an exclusive DLC scenario, “The Absence of Misericordia”.
Aside from the exclusive inclusion in the collector’s edition, “The Absence of Misericordia” can be individually procured for 1,480 yen. Another upcoming DLC titled “Prisoners of the Battles” can be added at a cost of 2,480 yen, offering a nostalgic trip to the original Wizardry Gaiden: Prisoners of the Battles game.
Console game enthusiasts looking for an engaging dungeon-crawling RPG should find the Steam version quite appealing. It offers classic hardcore gameplay created by the passionate staff that brought the beloved RPG series back in 2006. The same base system facilitates the experience of diverse dungeon crawler RPGs, packaged with a modernized user interface and available to users beyond Japan.
The gameplay is accessible, allowing players to create personalized characters and explore grid-based dungeons with a party comprising as many as six members. The combat system, on the other hand, offers a fascinating blend of the simplicity of Japanese RPGs with the complexity of tabletop RPGs. There’s excitement around every corner as every game save could overwrite the last, making each decision a potential life or death scenario for your characters.
The Steam version, remastered using Unity, ensures the core gameplay remains true to its roots from 2006 while catering to a contemporary audience by significantly improving the user interface. This includes widescreen/high-resolution support, new user interface with 3D high-resolution monsters, in-game scenario selection, gamepad support, Steam cloud support and even allowing for custom character portraits.
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