Wizardry V: Heart of the Maelstrom

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Description

After L'Kbreth's Orb was used to bring peace back to the land of Llylgamyn, a new threat emerges in the region. Strange malevolent energies have been spotted beneath the Temple of Sages. These energies - called the "Maelstrom" by the local inhabitants - can be sealed by a person known as the Gatekeeper. Unfortunately, the latter has been imprisoned by a mysterious power or person only referred to as SORN. A party of brave adventurers seeks out the high priest G'bli Gedook, the guardian of L'Kbreth's Orb, who explains to them that they have to release the Gatekeeper and eventually vanquish the evil at its core.

Wizardry V: Heart of the Maelstrom returns to the gameplay concept of the first three installments of the series, abandoning the unusual premise of its predecessor. As in the initial games, the gameplay consists of exploring a vast maze-like dungeon with a custom party created and outfitted in the game's only town. Though visually very similar to their predecessors, the game's dungeon is no longer limited to a square layout. Several tweaks have been applied to the gameplay system, including range rating for all weapons (allowing back row attacks), a more prominent role for the Thief class (who can now hide in shadows, backstab enemies, and open locks), etc.

The game is more puzzle-oriented than the preceding entries, requiring the player to obtain a larger quantity of crucial items needed for its completion. It is the first installment in the series with friendly NPCs who can be encountered in the dungeon and interacted with by typing keywords. Also for the first time, the game allows - but does not require - importing characters from a previous scenario.

Screenshots

Promo Images

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Alternate Titles

• "ウィザードリィV 災渦の中心" -- Japanese spelling

Part of the Following Groups

• Fantasy Creatures: Dwarves
• Fantasy Creatures: Elves
• Gameplay feature: Importable characters
• Genre: Dungeon Crawler
• Wizardry games

User Reviews

Changes nothing, gets better

SNES

D Michael (232)

Critic Reviews

Tilt	Apple II	Nov, 1989	18 out of 20	90
Video Games	SNES	Mar, 1994	85 out of 100	85
Dragon	PC Booter	May, 1989		80
Total! (Germany)	SNES	May, 1994	2.25 out of 6	75
Consoles Plus	SNES	May, 1994	73 out of 100	73
GamePro (US)	SNES	Jun, 1994	3.5 out of 5	70
Mega Fun	SNES	Jul, 1994	68 out of 100	68
Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM)	SNES	May, 1994	29 out of 50	58
Kombo.com	Commodore 64	1992	52 out of 100	52
Joker Verlag präsentiert: Sonderheft	PC Booter	1992	52 out of 100	52

Forums

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C128?	4	Servo (57398) Dec 13, 2012

Trivia

Milestone

This was the first game in the Wizardry series that did not involve either Robert Woodhead or Andrew Greenberg, the developers of the original Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord. It was instead the first of several in the Wizardry series designed by D.W. Bradley.