Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land

Did You Know?

• A second Wizardry Alternative game was released only in Japan by Atlus on November 13, 2003.
• Famitsu gave the sequel a score of 32 out of 40.

Gameplay

The kingdom of Duhan is the setting for this entry in the Wizardry series. A catastrophe called The Flash recently struck Duhan, killing thousands, plunging the land into an endless winter, and cutting it off from the rest of the world. On the edge of town sits the Labyrinth of Duhan, which the player’s custom protagonist must venture into, seeking treasure, the secrets of their own history, or the salvation of the kingdom. The game uses a first-person viewpoint, like its predecessors. It also brings back familiar features such as character classes, races, the ability to change class, and a magic system similar to Wizardry I through V. The available classes are Warrior, Priest, Thief, Sorcerer, Bishop, Samurai, Knight, and Ninja. Each has prerequisites like specific attributes or alignment, meaning some classes are only accessible after gaining enough dungeon experience. Moving around town involves selecting locations from a 3D menu that scrolls to the chosen spot, with straightforward options. At the Guild Hall, players can reform their party or create entirely new members from scratch, just as they did for the initial character. Here, groups can also learn new tactics, such as 'Charge,' but these require a minimum level of group rapport. If a player irritates their party by attacking friendly monsters or acting against their alignment, trust erodes and the tactic becomes unusable. The Inn is necessary for characters to receive the benefits of leveling up and to restore lost HP and MP. The Church, called Salem Temple, is where parties go to cure negative status effects or revive dead members. Revival is not always successful, especially if a character has been reduced to ash. Vigger's Shop allows buying and selling items, as well as crafting magic stones that teach new spells or improve existing ones. Vigger can also remove cursed items from a character or break the curse entirely, though this destroys the item’s value, and he can appraise items of unknown worth. Finally, the Tavern, Luna Light, is where party members can be dismissed or recruited, and where the protagonist can accept quests from locals for various rewards, including the chance to gain new party members.