Rare is well known for being one of the most prevalent video game powerhouses that ever hailed from Europe for the NES. We are provided by them an action-adventure game that one might consider by its high-fantasy themes to be a very distant ancestor of the likes of Elder Scrolls or even the Legend-in-the-making of Zelda, however this is 1987 we are talking about here, and frankly the ambitions of what a video game could become were still highly experimental, so users would make-do with this release.
Is it good? It's... something.
Wizards & Warriors is a very stiffly controlled game, equipped with a sword of very short range, awkward jumps, a completely chaotic battle flow, and map exploration that is all bounded to a single character-following screen. It seems like our hero Kuros is in a very tight situation here, but at least the game happens to be really forgiving with unlimited continues, so progression may not be as painful as one could expect, especially from a relatively early NES game. I have not mentioned the power-ups our hero encounters on the way, over time there are acquirable upgrades that can give you an upper hand in different situations, such as getting an extra boost for your jumps, or a very handy boomerang-like axe that makes attacking far more bearable.
Aesthetically speaking, Rare's signature cartoony essence is actually pretty strong here. While the box art may invite a heavy metal escapade of the era, it really tastes like a closer predecessor to Banjo-Kazooie, we're talking about a goofy looking knight fighting pretty Halloweenie enemies like purple bats, jittery skeletons, and hanging spiders; indeed it is carrying some of the essence from their days finding success making ZX Spectrum games. And I have not even mentioned how visually speaking, while it is not the finest painting in the gallery, there is plenty of ambition going on with some of the animation and drawn assets.
All things considered, I find Wizards & Warriors to be a game that is very difficult to recommend unless you're a die-hard Rare enthusiast or want to see the Western involvement on this celebrated console. I think you could do far worse.
Is it good? It's... something.
Wizards & Warriors is a very stiffly controlled game, equipped with a sword of very short range, awkward jumps, a completely chaotic battle flow, and map exploration that is all bounded to a single character-following screen. It seems like our hero Kuros is in a very tight situation here, but at least the game happens to be really forgiving with unlimited continues, so progression may not be as painful as one could expect, especially from a relatively early NES game. I have not mentioned the power-ups our hero encounters on the way, over time there are acquirable upgrades that can give you an upper hand in different situations, such as getting an extra boost for your jumps, or a very handy boomerang-like axe that makes attacking far more bearable.
Aesthetically speaking, Rare's signature cartoony essence is actually pretty strong here. While the box art may invite a heavy metal escapade of the era, it really tastes like a closer predecessor to Banjo-Kazooie, we're talking about a goofy looking knight fighting pretty Halloweenie enemies like purple bats, jittery skeletons, and hanging spiders; indeed it is carrying some of the essence from their days finding success making ZX Spectrum games. And I have not even mentioned how visually speaking, while it is not the finest painting in the gallery, there is plenty of ambition going on with some of the animation and drawn assets.
All things considered, I find Wizards & Warriors to be a game that is very difficult to recommend unless you're a die-hard Rare enthusiast or want to see the Western involvement on this celebrated console. I think you could do far worse.