‘The saga continues…’ that is what the trailer boasts as we return to the weird and wacky pixelated world of ‘Wizordum’. Releasing soon, ‘Wizordum: Episode 2’ developed by Emberheart Games is in MKAU’s hot little fireball-filled hands. Mages, Sorceresses and Wizards alike read below for our first impressions and previews of this title.

“After cleansing the town of Grimbrook from chaos and corruption, Wizordum: Episode 2 takes you to new locations as you search for the source of Chaos. Episode 2 introduces new weapons, alternate attacks, and a refined magic system that refills your spellcasting abilities when you defeat goblins and other enemies”, and this is what you are to find in this episode as the Steam page so elegantly put it.

This single-player, speed-run-friendly, FPS allows you to race against the clock or explore the world with its multiple difficulty options, with its in-game level editor. You can also build maps and share your hand-made experiences with others worldwide.

Wizordum’s easy-to-master controls allow you to jump right into the action. Swapping weapons with the scroll wheel is a little bit hit-and-miss, as far as trying to get the specific weapon you want, but you can easily just use 1, 2 or 3 for quick and easy access while in the middle of a hoard of enemies.

This doesn’t, however, take away from the gory and spectacular ways you can defeat your enemies with the new storm gauntlets that can shatter foes in a flash with powerful lightning bolts or the new attack of fire rings that can set fire to multiple goblins at close range.

At the end of each level, you can purchase new abilities at the sorcerer’s shop while searching for the source of chaos. Acquiring loot throughout every puzzling level allows you to trade for new attacks, spell upgrades and various other abilities. Although Wizordum is a single-player FPS, there are leaderboards where you can compete for the best time against players worldwide. As mentioned earlier, there is an in-game level editor that lets you share your creations.

The game offers a wide range of weapon options, giving you various ways to defeat your enemies. Whether it’s setting them on fire, bashing their skulls with a mace, or freezing them and turning them to dust, Wizordum ensures that you won’t have a dull moment.

This brings me to my next point, while the incineration of enemies is satisfying, the most annoying thing for me was when I defeated all the enemies and then spent a good half an hour trying to figure out where to go next. I understand that it’s a puzzle game, and that doesn’t take away from how fun it is, I do wish that after a certain amount of time, there would be a hint available, even if the hints are only enabled on the easiest difficulty.

I was impressed by the visuals of Wizordum when I watched the trailer to gameplay. Unlike some games that disappoint, Wizordum exceeded my expectations. The game’s art style is fascinating, featuring pixel-like visuals and 2D enemies and props in a 3D environment. The colour palette of the game works elegantly with this art style. Vomits of bright colours in the overworld gave a nostalgic retro feel and the loot scattered around the environment was pretty hard to miss. Even in the dungeons, the splashes of dark, eerie colours mixed with bright neons gave it quite an exquisite look.

As you slay various hordes of ghouls and monsters, you are greeted with a thunderous orchestra that amps you up while setting foes alight or freezing them to death. The in-game sounds reminded me of ‘Minecraft’ a bit. The sound of destroying bushes, barrels, and enemies all had a similar cue, but it didn’t bother me because I was too busy trying not to die from the constant onslaught of those pesky rats. The overall soundtrack and sound cues were very atmospheric and complemented the visuals beautifully.

Overall, wizards, sorcerers, and mages alike will be enchanted by this game. With its stunning graphics, vibrant colours, and atmospheric soundtrack, I thoroughly enjoyed solving puzzles and battling monsters. In the future, I would like to see a hint system for the easiest difficulty level.

If you get stuck for a certain amount of time, you could receive hints, but being on the easiest difficulty would result in getting 20% less loot. Despite this drawback, I am very excited about the release of Episode 2 and look forward to the future of Wizordum. So, get out there, wizards. Slay those monsters and help track down the source of chaos!

Written by: Larry