Wizardry 8

aka: Wushu 8
Moby ID: 5580
Windows Specs
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Wizardry 8 is a direct sequel to Crusaders of the Dark Savant, the previous installment of the Wizardry series. All hell breaks loose as The Dark Savant takes flight with a device called the Astral Dominae, an incredibly powerful artifact containing the secret of life itself. Following him are two powerful races, the T'Rang and the Umpani, as well as the player's own brave party of adventurers. Everyone is heading to Dominus, a world on the cusp of the Cosmic Circle, birthplace of the Astral Dominae and home of the Cosmic Lords. Many paths will converge on Dominus, and many long-hidden secrets will be revealed.

The basic gameplay system is similar to the previous entries in the series: the player-controlled party of up to six characters roams the world viewed from a first-person perspective, completes quests and fights enemies to gain experience and become stronger. Unlike those, however, Wizardry 8 has a real 3D environment, where enemies visibly approach the party (rather than appearing randomly). The party is also able to move during combat, sometimes using terrain to its advantage. Character formation plays a role, the player being able to use tactical setups for the party in order to be better prepared for upcoming fights. Though still turn-based, the battles are more flowing than in the earlier games, since the characters act depending on their personal statistics rather than being confined by rounds.

The eleven races from the two previous games return, encompassing traditional fantasy RPG representatives such as elves and dwarves, as well as the more exotic rawulfs, felpurrs and mooks. A new character class, the Gadgeteer, has been added to the other fourteen imported from the previous games. The player can customize the statistics of these characters as he sees fit during the party creation phase. It is also possible to add personality traits to each of the characters. These do not affect the gameplay, but provide commentaries from the party members during conversations with the NPCs. A skill system is used for all the character types, ranging from weapon and magical proficiencies to pickpocketing and communication. Skills, as well as main attributes, can be manually developed by the player when the character levels up, but they also increase with repeated use.

Similarly to its predecessor, Wizardry 8 has several beginnings depending whether the player has imported a party from Crusaders of the Dark Savant or not, and which faction that party was allied with in the previous game. The game also has three different endings, which are achieved by making choices before the final confrontation.

Spellings

  • Wizardry 8: Возвращение легенды - Russian spelling
  • 巫术8 - Chinese spelling (Simplified)
  • å·«è¡“8 - Chinese spelling (Traditional)

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Credits (Windows version)

239 People (231 developers, 8 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 86% (based on 27 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.1 out of 5 (based on 64 ratings with 6 reviews)

Top of the line traditional cRPG. Graphics/audio sufficient for the fan.

The Good
This is one of the top 5 cRPGs of all times. It's got adventure and loot and monsters, oh my! Like other Wizardry-series games, it's helpful to understand the stats and levelling system, but for a change, it's not absolutely necessary.

There's a huge world to play in and you'll find yourself spooked by insects in the swamp and without a place to hide in the desert. The atmosphere will keep you coming back for more.

Quests and puzzles are not as open-ended or numerous as in previous Wiz games, but that will please everyone but the die-hard fans. (Be careful: a few guide books and websites get some info wrong, based on the BETA.)

A fantastic new class, the Gadgeteer, adds to the bountiful set of team choices. While I don't recommend switching classes first time through the game, it's possible to play almost any combination and have a good time.

There are tons of battles (perhaps too many), but that seems to be a handicap of the genre for some reason. You can tweak the toughness of encounters (tied to your strongest character), but, alas, not the frequency. I like tweaking my RPG battles, so I really liked the phased combat system -- although battles with far-away or round-the-corner creatures aren't handled as well.

The variety of strategies, monsters, and environments keeps evolving as the game progresses -- like most of the Wiz series, there's some especially tough Bosses that you can avoid or try to take out.

Like the other Wiz games, you can join one or both of the main factions or go it alone.

The Bad
There's a few arbitrary restrictions on where NPCs can go, which makes planning your excursions less open-ended than I'd like (work-around: use NPCs as "extras" rather than key team members).

The monster AI is about the best for this genre, but it's still not up to shooter level.

And, just when you think you've gotten to the end of the game and released the final level...well, you're only about 3/4 through the game. The End Game lasts a long time.

(And, like other Wiz games, your PCs will get tired, run out of inventory space, and run out of mana sooner than you'd like -- but, if you have an open mind about this, you'll see it's probably a fair game balance.)

The Bottom Line
I won't describe the storyline in detail. Plenty of reviews on the net do that already. Instead, here are my thoughts on how different types of players will react to this game.

(I played this game on a 500 MHz laptop w/1 MB vRAM and 512 MB RAM. This was fine, although it played better on a 1.5 GHz machine w/separate v-card.)

Wizardry Fans: IMO, the best. It has all the fun of the first 7 games without all the click and get confused tedium. It has the only storyline of the 8 games that actually has a reasonable ending (although it's a let down, 8 games later).

Might & Magic Fans: If you're disappointed in MM9, this is your fix for a traditional dungeon crawling cRPG. You'll rate it one of your favorites.

TES Fans: not nearly as open ended and the 1st "team" (instead of 1st-person) perspective might trip you up, but you'll like if not love it. It might not make your top 5 list, but it will make your favorites list.

AD&D fans will be disappointed. Not nearly as much chance of role-playing. You'll complain about classes and 1st person perspective for a team. You'll dislike the levelling system. But, if you can get past that, you'll enjoy the story and adventure and have a good time.

Action-game players will also be disappointed. Limited graphics, unexciting sound.

Adventure-game players will probably like the game, unless they really enjoy high definition cut-scenes and well defined storylines. The game allows you to travel pretty much where you want when you want (except for the endgame areas...and keep in mind, some areas will be too tough to handle).

Bottom Line: a top game. Given how much they got right, it's too bad Sir-Tech is now out of business. If they teamed up (again!) with the Wizards & Warriors crowd, they'd have a unbeatable combination.

Windows · by Tennessee Ernie Ford (16) · 2003

Fantastic finale which leaves us hungry for more.

The Good
(Some minor spoilers)

Wizardry 8, the final addition to this 20+ year old series does everything that made the classic games a success, while adding so much more.

For the first time, we are treated to free flowing movement, 3d graphics (DirectX and OpenGL both supported), an entirely new combat system, and characters with real personality.

Fans of the older games should not be put off by the free flowing movement. Step by step tile based movement was the norm with the previous games, and more than a few Wizardry lovers were skeptical about the change to movement, worried that the traditional gameplay would be thrown off, perhaps resulting in a game that resembles more modern RPGs than the Wizardry series. I can say for certain that this isn't the case. The developers did an excellent job of revolutionizing movement all the while staying true to the classic feel. While the graphics are not as good as other first person games of the time, they are way, way above standard for Wizardry games. Besides, it was never graphics that made the series a success, so the 3d is just gravy. Not to mention, it runs very smoothy on relatively older systems. I for one would rather have average graphics that run awesome, rather than awesome graphics that run slow.

The combat system is new to the series, and quite unique. With six members in your party, you have the option of strategical placement of each member. Fighters and melee up front, casters and ranged attackers in the middle or back. Should monsters end up behind you though, your melee classes will be out of range and your more delicate characters will be subject to melee attack. Nevertheless good placement is key to keeping characters alive.

As far as the fighting goes, there are many options for various characters. Melee, ranged attack, use of items, spells, defense (allowing you to recover stamina by passing on an action in combat, useful if you're character is about to go unconscious during battle), even protection of other party members are all individual actions each member can take. A party member is close to death? Have a couple of members offer to defend them until your healer can cast a spell. Lots of strategies and various play styles are allowed giving the player a sense of individuality in their tactics. Good stuff.

There is no real wrong way to build a party. Just about any combination of characters can win. I've even read about hardcore players that could solo the entire game with one party member. This isn't to say that the game is easy, far from it. All party configurations will be put to the test.

Creating characters is fun, and not too daunting. While there are a load of stats, the interface serves to make creation friendly and simple. You can also assign personalities and voices to your characters. This is great fun, as various statements made by your characters throughout the game will correspond with their personality. What's more, if you get tired of a particular voice or personality, you can change it at any time during the game. In traditional Wizardry fashion, you may also import characters from the previous scenario (Wizardry 7).

The story is excellent, and while it continues on eventually giving conclusion to the Dark Savant saga, new players would not need to play the previous versions.

The mix of fantasy and technology began with DW Bradley in Wizardry V, and in Wizardry 8 it's more apparent than ever. I enjoy fighting with swords, bows, and spell casting all the while being blocked by force fields controlled by computers. It's a nice touch that lends yet more uniqueness to the series. That's not to say that no other game or series has incorporated technology with fantasy, but Wizardry does it best.

In addition to your party members, you're also able to take some people along with you at certain times. They have their own personalities and skills. NPC interaction is also good, as diplomacy returns, along with the ability to pickpocket, shoplift, do quests for and align yourself with various NPCs.

There is plenty to do in the game, and you do not have to complete every little side quest or explore every single area.

Also, there are some nice twists such as a party member being eaten by a monster and you have to kill the monster to get your member back. On one occasion, a party member got kidnapped and I had to rescue him. All good stuff.

I really could go on and on about this game, but honestly I feel that words cannot describe the atmosphere and level of immersion this game has. You can't be told what Wizardry is, you must experience it for yourself (kinda like the matrix).

The Bad
There are some flaws with this game, and I believe that the level of complexity in comparison to other Wizardry installments is what brings this about.

There are too many fights, and often the combat lasts way too long. Even when fighting relatively easy enemies that you're going to annihilate, it may take a couple of minutes to hack and slash through them. Boo. I had a fight against three groups of monsters totaling around 20 opponents, but they were all little bugs that would die in one hit. The majority of the time was spent waiting on the computer to move the bugs around into position. I timed it and it took 8 minutes to finish combat without a scratch. After it was finished, I immediately got into another fight with monsters that wanted to fight at range, and when closing the distance they'd run. That took another 6 minutes or so to kill low level monsters. After that, I got in a fight with what was an even match. That took about 5 minutes, but I had to camp in order to restore my characters. While camping, I was interrupted and had another fight that lasted 3 minutes. Then I finished camping. In total, I spent about 22 minutes walking about 10 feet. Ugh.

There are quite a few bugs. While there is a patch available, it is supposedly only for discs that don't have 1.2.4 printed on them. The older discs will wear out requiring a replacement, and the newer discs while not needing the patch, still have bugs. Sometimes NPCs that join the party become buggy or invisible. Having done quite a bit of research online however, there are almost always work-arounds for these bugs, so if you have a problem google is your friend.

The worst part about this game isn't about the game itself, but the fact that this is certainly the final wizardry. Sir-Tech is out of business, and if we did see some other company endeavor to continue the series I would bet dollars to cents that the new company wouldn't be able to give the series a proper revival when considering the same company designed these games for 20 years.

The Bottom Line
The best Wizardry ever, highly recommended for fans and newcomers alike. If you can get past the long combat, this game has so, so much to offer.

Windows · by D Michael (222) · 2006

Surprisingly engaging

The Good
There's many things to like about this game. For starters, combat is very involved and deep due to the wide range of spells to be used. Since you'll nearly always be attacked by mobs, the right combination of spells can do great amounts of damage which is very satisfying. The ability to reposition your characters is great as well

Exploring and finding hidden items is always pleasing as is the ability to pick pocket, shoplift, trade, ask NPCs about a whole range of subjects and many other elements that enhance the game.

There's also loads of stats which is refreshing after many years of "dumbing down" of RPGs - stats which actually make sense and aren't too hard to keep track of. It's clear what they do and every stat has its use in the world.

The Bad
Despite the positives, there's also several negatives:

  • the mini map doesn't show anything except dots for items and enemies so you have to check your map a great deal

  • the game only renders a fraction of the world ahead of you which makes it very easy to get lost or to get confused in towns.

  • there's waaaay too much respawning going on - you quickly get "battle fatigue" because there's simply too much of it.

  • once you figure out the best combat tactics, it becomes a case of "rinse & repeat" - levelling slows down quickly as well meaning you won't get many new spells after a while, leading to the game becoming rather repetitive.

  • the world isn't very detailed and lacks interaction

  • there's definitely auto-levelling going on here where enemies become stronger as you level up. I'm not fond of this - especially when you go back to old areas to find them crawling with tough monsters.

    The Bottom Line
    All in all, it's a good PC game with plenty of stats, engaging and satisfying combat with a proper loot system. Partly old-school, partly modern RPG. If it wasn't for the constant respawning (which forces you in combat all the time) and the rather bare world, this would be a true classic like Baldur's Gate and Morrowind. As it stands, it focuses too much on combat which is a mistake once you figure out the ideal spells - then it becomes a matter of repeating things over and over. I'd still recommend it, especially if you don't mind lots of combat, but if you look at the best RPGs out there (Ultima VII, Baldur's Gate, Fallout, etc.), they had a good balance between combat and story/roleplaying and this game lacks the latter.

Windows · by Icarus Lytton (19) · 2012

[ View all 6 player reviews ]

Discussion

Subject By Date
Bored... Unicorn Lynx (181788) Sep 5, 2013
Samurai, Valkyrie, and Bishop Walk Into Bar St. Martyne (3648) Oct 18, 2008

Trivia

Distribution

The developers of Wizardry 8 had a really tough time finding a North American publisher for the game. Eventually a deal was worked out with Electronics Boutique to get the game distributed exclusively (or near enough) in it's stores.

In-game advertisement

SirTech must have known that many players would experience "slow downs" caused by frame rate problems.

Each time you select Exit, an advertisement screen appears with the words "This is No Time for a Slow PC". The ad is for Falcon Northwest, a PC builder, with their phone number and web address.

Awards

  • Computer Gaming World
    • April 2002 (Issue #213) – Role-Playing Game of the Year

Information also contributed by Jeanne and WildKard

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by OnlyBlue.

Macintosh added by Sciere.

Additional contributors: Unicorn Lynx, Entorphane, Jeanne, Klaster_1, Paulus18950, Patrick Bregger, marquisor.

Game added January 9, 2002. Last modified February 13, 2024.