What do mountains of gems, a fully torqued knight, unlimited continues, bribery, and an "Evil" meter have in common? They can all be found in one game: Wizards & Warriors for NES.
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| "100 gems says that these aren't the droids you are looking for." |
One of the more memorable NES titles for me was Wizards & Warriors. Developed by Rare, a small company with a big future, Wizards & Warriors was Rare's second NES title, Slalom being the first. The story follows Kuros, the "Knight Warrior of the Books of Excalibur", as he sets out in the Kingdom of Elrond to defeat the evil wizard Malkil, who holds the princess captive in Castle IronSpire, located deep within Elrond's forests.
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| Find a tree stump and relax the game away. |
Sounds intriguing, right? I thought so too, but I played the game through several times without seeing any mention of Kuros, Malkil, or Elrond. I'm sure this was printed on the back of the box and the instruction manual, but these things are insignificant to a 9 year old with a video game addiction. Twenty years later, I finally know the story behind the game.
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| Frazetta style artwork. |
I was instantly drawn in by the music and sound effects, which were very unique and, at times, atmospheric. The fantasy art that adorned the cover and cartridge was pretty typical for early 80's video games like Atari VCS carts. The gameplay has a strange dynamic. At times it can be very challenging, yet there are unlimited continues. Using a continue doesn't take away any gems or start the player from the beginning of the stage, instead it simply gives the player three new lives. A patient player could probably finish this game in under a couple of hours. Caveat: Be prepared to do lots of jumping, lots of falling, lots of gem hunting, and (unless you are a total badass) lots of continuing.
Seven years before Killer Instinct and Donkey Kong Country, Wizards & Warriors was Rare's first big success, and was pretty impressive for its time. Being one of my childhood favorites, I was pleasantly surprised that it still had great replay value. A Rare gem indeed.
