Wizordum doesn’t waste time trying to get you into a deep story, rather you are told right away that you are of the last surviving mages of the sanctuary of Wizordum, thrust into the besieged kingdom of Terrabruma after an ancient evil is unleashed by an archmage, and off you go. Goblins, evil sorcerers, and more monsters will oppose you in your fight against invading chaos, but that will not stop you. Wizordum is a fast paced fps that understands story comes second and gameplay and atmosphere first, and lets players to fill in the gaps with their imagination.
Wizordum goes for a retro 2.5D style look that is striking with a world built from cubist shapes, with everything constructed like it was made with graph paper by an old dungeon crawler.Everything stands out from decorative elements like trees and wells that are rendered as flat sprites that always face the player. This is a great throwback o the classic era of shooters and enemies and weapons share this feel and have bold, chunky pixels and a bright colour palette.
This design manages to create a world that feels fresh and recognizable at the time time, while being full of personality. The visuals will remind many of the aforementioned Heretic and Hexen, but with a clearer look and more vibrant feel that draws you in like a dream. It is not just visual though, as Wizordum has an excellent soundtrack that blends hi-fi and lo-fi tracks and creates a soundtrack reminiscent of fantasy FPS classics and does a fantastic job of setting the mood, wherever you are in the game.
But presentation is not everything and a game is nothing without good gameplay. Wizordum is a classic first-person shooter that goes for a fantasy aesthetic, meaning that instead of guns and chainguns, you will wield a magical arsenal including fireball spells, a frost staff, a lightning beam, and a mace. The weapons and spells all feel unique and have their own quirks that make them stand out, which will help you pick one as a personal favourite with some ease, and even create your own combos.
One thing that is interesting is the choice of two characters, and this will impact which weapons you use. The Cleric wields a mace, while the Sorceress makes magic with her wand, and there is more. The Cleric and Sorceress provide different experiences in terms of health, armor, and speed, so you can go back and play as the other character for a bit of replayability once you have completed the main game.
The combat in Wizordum is fast paced and frenetic, and will see enemies coming at you in swarms, sniping from distant perches, or just sneaking up on you. You need to be able to respond fast and without delay, but fortunately the movement is extremely responsive, which gives you a fighting chance. There is a lot of backpedalling, strafing and sidestepping, but one thing you will not do is jump, as Wizordum removed that aspect from its design that many found frustrating in earlier games, which is a welcome change.
This design choice works well with Wizordum’s overall level design. Every stage feels like a full, medieval town with explorable interiors, as well as dungeons full of secrets, and exteriors brimming with hidden treasures. This helps Wizordum stand out among other shooters, retro and modern, with its emphasis on exploration vs. linear corridor. Wizordum wants you to poke at walls, search for keys, and uncover hidden passages, in every part of every level, while hordes of monsters are besieging you from all sides.
Across it’s three episodes, Wizordum ramps up its intensity in multiple ways, with each having levels that are progressively more inventive, with more creative level design and elaborate puzzles. For instance, you will come across a level set on a claustrophobic goblin infested ship in episode 2, while episode 3 has a level set in a sprawling, maze-like mine with a creative goal. Each level also gets progressively more detailed visually and better in terms of audio, which shows the growth the game has had over the early access period.
Wizordum’s amazing levels are not limited to the official levels from the developers either. Wizordum contains a level editor that is one of the best in an FPS game, and players have made and uploaded some truly amazing levels, including recreating classic FPS games like Duke Nukem and others, albeit with some changes due to Wizordum’s intentional design limitations. There is a large degree of creativity available to players with this level editor and it will be interesting to see what will come now that the game is out of Early Access.
There are some bugs here still and there, but for the most part Wizordum is a wonderful game in it’s 1.0 release. Some may find the lack of in-game guidance in some areas to be frustrating, but there is something brilliant in just losing yourself in the experience. Besides that, there is a decent automap and waypoint system that can get you back on track, so letting yourself get lost and try to figure things out yourself can be for the best.
Overall, Wizordum is one of the best of the wave of Boomer Shooters we have been seeing, and easily one of the most creative. It does not try and reinvent the wheel, but does not need to do so, and instead provides a welcome spin on the classics, while bringing in modern ideas for a brilliant blend of mechanics and styles. This is easy to recommend and one that you absolutely need to check out.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
