This is a top-down fantasy themed brawler. The graphics are really nice and the music is ok. You can choose a character: Knight (my choice), Bard, Elf, Wizard or Dwarf. Items like armor, potions, and valuables drop from chests and enemies that you instantly equip when you walk over them. The Knight has this spiked ball on a chain you whip around to do damage; a strange choice, but a good one that lets you hit many enemies at once. You have a magic meter that when filled up from defeating enemies gives you access to several spells that continually change on the book icon at the bottom of the screen. You just activate it when the one you want shows up. Each one transforms you into different things with different special attacks. I didn’t know what I was doing at the time, and so I often turned into a cloud shooting a laser. Once though, I turned into a muscled angle-winged sword-bearing flying bad ass. That was the best one.
Imagine this in the graphics of Wizard Fire
By continually adding credits (“more quarters Mom!” I kept saying to make my friend laugh), I got all the way to the end. The final boss fight was stupid difficult, and without infinite credits I would’ve given up pretty quickly. I should’ve kept track of how many I used because if they were quarters they would’ve added up to a lot of dough.
I really liked the opening story scenes. It’s just text over still or gently scrolling graphics with perhaps one small element animated. I liked the simplicity of that. The words are front-and-center but there’s some image to help enhance it. It’s a now old fashioned, but interesting way to relate story elements in a game.
Wizard Fire is the sequel to Gate of Doom (called Dark Seal and Dark Seal II in Japan). Wizard Fire seems to only be available on this Data East Collection [Wii] and its prequel isn’t available at all as far as I can seel; however, I’m sure you can get ROMs for MAME on PC.
Here’s a longer blog on this game I found on VGJunk if you want a detailed written description of the whole game.
I have Data East Arcade Classics and I hadn't played this game. Now I want to check it out. I'll have to look up Gate of Doom too.
I only found out about how the magic works in the game while writing the blog. Now I have to go back and try out all the spells for all the characters.
I couldn't find Gate of Doom on any collection or virtual console, but maybe it can be had on PC somehow.
This looks awesome and needs a remake.
Yea, this would be HOT on 3DS or Vita with a good makeover.
I think my favorite part of this game is the one beginning story section where they all talk in cheesy, over the top dramatic voices. "I'm closer than that, fools, I'm HERE!!!" Cracks me up every time.
Taito made a game very similar to this called Dungeon Magic and it's way better. It's on Taito Legends 2, and one of the characters is a sexy elf with green hair, so that's who I always picked.
Yea, the game has actual voice work. I listened to it again in that video above and the voices are hilarious. The Dwarf's voice makes me giggle.
I'm about to play through Taito Legends 2 once I finish Paper Mario Thousand Year Door. I can't wait to try Dungeon Magic.
you had me at "spiked ball on chain." love those things. nothing like bludgeoning foolz.
In the longer blog at VGJunk he mentions it is a lance with a chain attachment but in looking at the game, I don't see any lance. It looks more like a flail which in DnD is normally used by a cleric since they can't use edged weapons. Shouldn't a knight have a giant sword instead? I'm not complaining though. A flail is BAD ASS.
This looks pretty fun.
I have to play it again so I can use the spells properly. I had no idea how they worked the first time.
That game looks fun. I wish I tried it out back in the day. Even if this game is not part of the collection I need to see about getting this complications now. i didn't even know volume 1 of midway arcade treasures was released on the Xbox
The Data East Arcade Classics collection is pretty cool. Wii only though. Midway Arcade Treasures 1-3 are out on Xbox/PS2/GC/PC.