Wizardry games

Group Description

Wizardry is a series of role-playing games originally developed by Sir-tech. The first game, Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord (1981), is widely considered one of the progenitors of the genre, alongside Ultima. The game required the player to create a party of six characters, selecting between races and classes influenced by D&D scenarios. The player then explored a maze-like pseudo-3D dungeon, fighting randomly appearing enemies in turn-based combat. Subsequent installments were for the most part based on this template. The main series ended with the release of Wizardry 8 (2001), the last Wizardry game developed by Sir-tech.

Early Wizardry games had a considerable influence on the development of role-playing games. In particular, they proved to be popular in Japan, influencing early Xtalsoft RPGs, Dragon Quest and to a certain extent Phantasy Star. Random enemy encounters and party turn-based combat mechanics eventually became the staple element of the Japanese RPG genre.

This group includes the main series as well as spin-offs.

Awards

• Computer Gaming World
  • November 1996 (15th anniversary issue) – #2 Most Memorable Game Villain (Werdna)