If you’ve been a listener of The Single Player Experience podcast, then I’m coo coo for Roguelite and Roguelike games. They have a knack for reeling me in and not letting go. Hades is one of my favorite games of all time. Recently I played a game that hooked me, made me laugh, gave me some great combat, and delivered overall from beginning to end. Evil Wizard is an experience that you need to play.
Let’s dive into it.
Narrative:
Imagine if Deadpool was an evil wizard whose castle got raided by the good guys. So he sets out to take it back. That’s essentially what the story of Evil Wizard is. Dispute the simplicity, the story and its characters are memorable due to witty and well-thought-out dialogue.
The evil wizard and some of his friends even break the fourth wall just like Deadpool. They know they are characters in a video game and often refer to and talk to you the player. This could have come across as campy, but the strength of the writing incorporates the breaking the Forth Wall aspect well into the game’s lore.
The dialogue features tons of Easter eggs from other video games and from pop culture. You collect ducks that are duck version of pop culture figures. I came across several ducks that made me laugh. This is a collectible that feels like it is worth the effort.
Gameplay:
In Evil Wizard, you are first armed with a sword and a fire spell. As you explore and beat enemies you get more skills and combat spells. The enemies are varied enough that they don’t feel repetitive and the combat keeps evolving
One aspect of the combat that deserves recognition is the boss fights. You encounter several main bosses and optional bosses each with their own specialty and movesets.
This action and the combat is simply addicting. It’s face paced, yet you always feel like you are in control. I will say that this game is challenging There are settings where you can adjust aspects of the difficulty, but at the normal level, you will die quite a bit. Similar to Elden Ring, it feels rewarding when you manage to overcome an enemy that you’ve been stuck on.
Additional Pros:
The comedy of the story and dialogue is top-notch. When I wasn’t giggling at the one-liners, I was laughing at the references that this game is filled with. You encounter references to Pokemon, God of War, Castlevania, Hollow Knight, Zelda, Final Fantasy, and more. It’s impressive that all these references feel natural and not like they are shoehorned needlessly into the game.
The soundtrack and the artsyle is fantastic. The score perfectly suits the mood and actions of the game while the castle’s environments are diverse, detailed, and colorful. This world can be oddly described as gothic and colorful. You can tell a lot of love when into the designs of each area.
Cons/Flaws:
A minor gripe is that there are some instances where the Save points aka the outhouses are a bit far from Boss Fights. It would have been nice if all save points were immediately by a boss fight instead of you trekking back to the fight location.
Overall/Should you Play Evil Wizard:
If you are a fan of Roguelike games then this is an easy yes. Evil Wizard mixes great gameplay with even better writing and humor to create a must-play indie. I played this game on the Steam Deck and it ran flawlessly. The artsyle and soundtrack stand out. The boss fights feel epic and the game is genuinely fun. I couldn’t stop smiling while playing this game. Evil Wizard is the most fun indie game that I’ve played since Hades, which is one of the best games of all time. I urge you if you like this genre go play Evil Wizard. You won’t be disappointed.
Where should Evil Wizard fit in your video game backlog list:
Here at the ProNerd Report and on the Single Player Experience Podcast, we practice the 10 games backlog rule. In this practice, you log down 10 games, those games are gonna be your video game backlog. To be as productive as you possibly can be, we recommend that you only play three games at one time. One single player narrative game, one game that’s gonna be your chill and relaxed game, and another game that’s going to be your palate cleanser game, which is a game that you play when you’re not in the mood for your other narrative. When you complete or get tired of one game, it leaves the backlog list. Then you decide which new game is added to the list, and which game on the list advances to your active three games.
Evil Wizard – This is a fantastic game that has a story that this well devolved enough to be in your narrative slot. This game would also fit well as a pallet cleanser game. Regardless if you are into Roguelike games or looking for a funny RPG to play then you should have Evil Wizard in your video game backlog.
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