Legacy of the Wizard

Last updated

Legacy of the Wizard
Legacyofthewizard.jpg
North American box art
Developer(s) Nihon Falcom
Publisher(s) Nihon Falcom (MSX)
Namco (FC)
Broderbund (NES)
Designer(s) Yoshio Kiya [1]
Composer(s) Yuzo Koshiro
Mieko Ishikawa
Series Dragon Slayer
Platform(s) MSX2
Nintendo Entertainment System
ReleaseMSX2
  • JP: July 10, 1987
NES
Genre(s) Action RPG, platform-adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Dragon Slayer IV: Drasle Family, [a] released outside Japan as Legacy of the Wizard, is a 1987 action role-playing platform video game developed and published by Nihon Falcom for the MSX2. A port for the Nintendo Entertainment System was released in Japan in July 1987 by Namco and internationally in 1989 by Broderbund. [1] It is the fourth installment of the Dragon Slayer series, and one of only five Dragon Slayer games that were localized outside Japan. The game was an early example of an open-world, non-linear action RPG, combining action-RPG gameplay with what would later be called "Metroidvania"-style action-adventure elements. [4] Namco's successor, Bandai Namco Entertainment later released the NES version on the international version of Namcot Collection . [5]

Contents

Plot

The game chronicles the story of the Drasle family (an abbreviation for "Dragon Slayer", though the characters are given the last name "Worzen" in the credits) and their attempt to destroy an ancient dragon named Keela that is magically entrapped in a painting within an underground labyrinth. To accomplish this goal, they must find the "Dragon Slayer", a magical sword that is protected by four hidden crowns. The player must use the unique abilities of each member of the family to regain possession of the crowns and destroy the evil Keela. [6] Like many games of its era, the story of Legacy of the Wizard is explained almost entirely in the game's instruction manual.

Gameplay

The Drasle family consists of six members of three generations, plus the family pet, which resembles a small dinosaur. The player takes control of the members of the Drasles and their pet, sending them one at a time into the vast cavern filled with traps, puzzles and monsters, in search of the four crowns, while periodically returning to the family household on the surface to change characters and to obtain a password. Each member of the family, which consists of the father, mother, son, daughter, and the pet, has different strengths and weaknesses to contribute to this goal. Some characters have seemingly powerful strengths, but each is offset by proportionate limitations. For example, the father has the strongest attack power, but cannot jump as high as the rest of the family. The mother of the family has relatively weak attributes, but is the only one who can use specific magical items required to find one of the crowns. By discovering and utilizing each character's strengths, the player travels through the extensive dungeon, eventually fighting four bosses to gain the crowns.

The game's vast labyrinth has five major sections, four of which contain a boss who guards one of the crowns, and the fifth which contains the final boss. Each section has noticeably different characteristics and different background music, and was designed with one particular playable character in mind. The crowns cannot be acquired without the player utilizing the family members' specific skills to get through the sections of the dungeon. Therefore, each playable character must be used at some point in order to complete the game. For example, one section may be blocked with bricks that can only be destroyed by the mattock, so the player must use the character who can use the mattock to get through such an area. After all four crowns have been acquired, the family's young boy can use the magic of the crowns to find the Dragon Slayer, and then use the magical sword to slay the evil Keela.

The player will encounter an endless supply of monsters while running through convoluted passageways. Each character can fire shots of varying strength to defeat these monsters, but attacking uses up the character's magic power. Most of these monsters drop items when defeated, such as keys which can be used to open locked doors and treasure chests, bread which restores the player's health, potions which restore magic power, and sometimes poison which harms the player. Money can also be collected from defeated monsters, and then spent in shops and inns located throughout the dungeon.

The characters in Legacy of the Wizard must utilize several magical items in their quest. These can be acquired from chests or bought in shops that are sometimes located in very impractical locations. Item effects include restoring the character's health and magic power, boosting attack power or range, or environmental effects like enabling the character to fly or move special bricks. Some items can only be used by certain characters, and since accomplishing the goals requires the use of these items, it is up to the player to determine which character must be used to regain each crown. Acquiring these items and finding how to properly use them is the essence of Legacy of the Wizard.

Characters

The character select screen, displaying the entire Drasle family Legacy screen.PNG
The character select screen, displaying the entire Drasle family

Release

Dragon Slayer IV: The Drasle Family was first released for the MSX2 home computer on July 10, 1987, developed and published by Nihon Falcom. [9] The game is sometimes misattributed to Quintet due to a reference in the game's ending credits, but composer Yuzo Koshiro has confirmed this is pure coincidence, since the company wasn't formed until two years later. [10]

It was ported to the Famicom and released on July 17, a week after the MSX2 version. [11] Based on the staff from the ending credits, the Famicom port was developed internally by Falcom. It was published in Japan by Namco and released two years later for the NES in North America by Broderbund. [12]

In 2008 the game was released for mobile phones in Japan. [13]

Reception

1up.com called it a "hidden gem" for the NES. [14]

Notes

  1. ↑ ドラゴンスレイヤーIV ドラスレファミリー, Doragon Sureiyā IV Dorasure Famirī

Related Research Articles

<i>Faxanadu</i> 1987 video game

Faxanadu is an action role-playing platform video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The name was licensed by computer game developer Nihon Falcom ("Falcom") and was developed and released in Japan by Hudson Soft for the Famicom in 1987. Nintendo released the game in the United States and Europe as a first-party title under license from Hudson Soft.

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, psionics are a form of supernatural power similar to, but distinct from, arcane and divine magic. Psionics are manifested purely by mental discipline. Psionics were introduced in the original supplement Eldritch Wizardry. Psionics have appeared as part of the core rules beginning with Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition.

<i>Dragon Slayer</i> (series) Video game series

Dragon Slayer is a series of role-playing video games by Nihon Falcom. The first Dragon Slayer game is an early action role-playing game, released in 1984 for the NEC PC-8801 and ported by Square for the MSX. Designed by Yoshio Kiya, the game gave rise to a series of sequels, most of them created by Falcom, with the exception of Faxanadu by Hudson Soft. The Dragon Slayer series is historically significant, both as a founder of the Japanese role-playing game industry, and as the progenitor of the action role-playing game genre.

<i>Greyhawk Adventures</i> 1988 sourcebook by Jim Ward

Greyhawk Adventures is an accessory for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) World of Greyhawk campaign setting.

Several different editions of the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of D&D, Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the game. However, many D&D fans continue to play older versions of the game and some third-party companies continue to publish materials compatible with these older editions.

Mimic (<i>Dungeons & Dragons</i>) Shape-shifting monster from fantasy role-playing games

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the mimic is a type of fictional monster. It is portrayed as being able to change its shape to disguise its body as an inanimate object, commonly a chest. The mimic uses a powerful adhesive that holds fast to creatures that touch it, allowing the mimic to beat its victims with its powerful pseudopods. The mimic was introduced in the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game's original Monster Manual. The mimic has appeared in subsequent editions. Several variants of the creature have been introduced, with a variety of abilities and sizes.

<i>Popful Mail</i> 1991 video game

Popful Mail: Magical Fantasy Adventure is a side-scrolling platform game developed by Nihon Falcom. It was originally released for the NEC PC-8801 home computer in 1991 and the PC-9801 in 1992. The game was later ported to the PC Engine CD-ROM by NEC Home Electronics, to the Sega CD by Sega, to DoJa mobile phones by Bothtec, and to the Super Famicom and Microsoft Windows by Falcom.

<i>The Dungeon Revealed</i> 1985 video game

The Dungeon Revealed is a dungeon crawl PC game created by John Raymonds and published by Woodrose Editions in 1987. The game is an enhanced commercial release of Raymonds' previous game The Dungeon of Doom, released as shareware in 1985. A final version of The Dungeon of Doom was released as a free demo for The Dungeon Revealed in 1987. Both games were released for Mac OS and were compatible with versions as late as System 7.

<i>White Plume Mountain</i> Role-playing game adventure

White Plume Mountain is an adventure module for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, written by Lawrence Schick and published by TSR in 1979. The 16-page adventure bears the code "S2". The adventure is a dungeon crawl where the players' characters are hired to retrieve three "notorious" magical weapons, each possessing its own intelligence. The adventure contains art by Erol Otus, and a cover by Jeff Dee. A sequel, Return to White Plume Mountain, was published in 1999, and an updated version conforming to v3.5 rules was released online in 2005. The original was again updated for the 5th edition in 2017 as the fourth part of Tales from the Yawning Portal.

Goblin (<i>Dungeons & Dragons</i>) Fictional monster from Dungeons & Dragons

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, goblins are a common and fairly weak race of evil humanoid monsters. Goblins are non-human monsters that low-level player characters often face in combat.

Centaur (<i>Dungeons & Dragons</i>)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the centaur is a large monstrous humanoid. Based upon the centaurs of Greek myth, a centaur in the game resembles a human with the lower body of a horse.

<i>The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth</i> Role-playing game adventure

The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was written by Gary Gygax and published by TSR in 1982 for the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) rules. The 64-page adventure bears the code "S4" and is set in the Greyhawk campaign setting. It is divided into two parts, a 32-page adventure, and a 32-page booklet of monsters and magic items. The plot involves the player characters investigating rumors of lost treasure. After traversing a wilderness and two levels of dungeons, the players face Drelnza, the vampiric daughter of long-deceased archmage Iggwilv.

Tritons are a fictional species in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.

<i>Dungeonscape</i> 2007 role-playing game supplement

Dungeonscape is a supplement for the 3.5 edition of Dungeons & Dragons.

<i>Dragon Slayer</i> (video game) 1984 video game

Dragon Slayer is an action role-playing game, developed by Nihon Falcom and designed by Yoshio Kiya. It was originally released in 1984 for the PC-8801, PC-9801, X1 and FM-7, and became a major success in Japan. It was followed by an MSX port published by Square in 1985, a Super Cassette Vision by Epoch in 1986 and a Game Boy port by the same company in 1990 under the name Dragon Slayer I. A version for PC-6001mkII was in development but was never released. A remake of Dragon Slayer is included in the Falcom Classics collection for the Sega Saturn.

<i>Xanadu</i> (video game) 1985 video game

Xanadu, also known as Xanadu: Dragon Slayer II, is an action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom and released in 1985 for the PC-8801, X1, PC-8001, PC-9801, FM-7 and MSX computers. Enhanced remakes were later released for the Sega Saturn, PC-9801 and Windows platforms. It is the second entry in the Dragon Slayer series, preceded by Dragon Slayer and followed by Dragon Slayer Jr: Romancia, which, as most games in the Dragon Slayer series, have little relation with each other.

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, a magic item is any object that is imbued with magic powers. These items may act on their own or be the tools of the character possessing them. Magic items have been prevalent in the game in every edition and setting, from the original edition in 1974 until the modern fifth edition. In addition to jewels and gold coins, they form part of the treasure that the players often seek in a dungeon. Magic items are generally found in treasure hoards, or recovered from fallen opponents; sometimes, a powerful or important magic item is the object of a quest.

<i>Babylonian Castle Saga</i> Video game series

The Babylonian Castle Saga is a Japanese role-playing video game franchise developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, formerly Namco, for arcades and home video game platforms. Beginning in 1984 with the arcade title The Tower of Druaga, the series would spawn a total of nine sequel and spin-off games, alongside a manga, soundtrack albums, and two anime series by Gonzo K.K. Later entries in the series would be developed by Endo's personal game company, Game Studio.

The artificer is a playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. The Artificer first appeared as a full class in the 3.5 edition of D&D and was introduced in the Eberron campaign setting. The artificer is a unique base class that reflects many of the core themes of Eberron.

References

  1. 1 2 John Harris (July 2, 2009). "Game Design Essentials: 20 RPGs - Dragon Slayer". Gamasutra. p. 13. Archived from the original on October 12, 2011. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Availability Update" (PDF). Computer Entertainer . Vol. 8, no. 2. May 1989. p. 14.
  3. ↑ "The Official Game Pak Directory". Nintendo Power . Nintendo of America. May 1993.
  4. ↑ Kohler, Chris (March 26, 2007). "Bonus Stage: Debunking Metroidvania". Wired . Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021. Legacy of the Wizard... Is that a metroidvania? Yeah. Loosely.
  5. ↑ Wales, Matt (June 18, 2020). "NES arcade bundles Namco Museum Archives Vol. 1 & 2 out today". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  6. ↑ Broderbund, ed. (1988). Legacy of the Wizard instruction manual. Broderbund. pp. 2–3.
  7. 1 2 3 Broderbund, ed. (1988). Legacy of the Wizard instruction manual. Broderbund. p. 10.
  8. ↑ Broderbund, ed. (1988). Legacy of the Wizard instruction manual. Broderbund. pp. 2, 15.
  9. ↑ "News". MSX-Fan. July 1987.
  10. ↑ Szczepaniak, John (July 2014). The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers Volume 1. SMG SZCZPANIAK. p. 345. ISBN   978-0-9929260-1-4.
  11. ↑ "ドラゴンスレイヤーIV [ファミコン] / ファミ通.com". www.famitsu.com. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Legacy of the Wizard – Hardcore Gaming 101".
  13. ↑ "名作『ドラゴンスレイヤーIV』が3キャリアで続々配信 - ファミ通.com". www.famitsu.com (in Japanese). Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Hidden Gems: The Rest of the NES". March 5, 2016. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.