Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord is one of the most influential role-playing games ever made. Designed by Andrew Greenberg and Robert Woodhead and published by Sir-Tech Software in 1981, it established the dungeon-crawler template — first-person navigation through a multi-level underground maze, a party of up to six adventurers, and turn-based battles drawn from tabletop RPG tradition. This NES port brings the full original to the console with its gameplay intact. The goal is grim and uncompromising: descend ten floors beneath the Mad Overlord Trebor’s castle and defeat the wizard Werdna, who stole his amulet.
How to Play
Everything in Wizardry runs through menus. Begin at the castle’s training grounds to build your party: choose from five races (Human, Elf, Dwarf, Gnome, Hobbit) and four base classes (Fighter, Mage, Priest, Thief), with the advanced classes Lord, Samurai, Ninja, and Bishop unlocking as characters gain levels. Step into the dungeon and navigate its corridors in first-person, one square at a time, engaging monster groups in turn-based combat. Each character can Fight, Parry, cast Spells, use Items, or attempt to Flee on their turn.
Browser controls:
- Arrow keys — move / navigate menus
- X — confirm (A button)
- Z — cancel (B button)
- Enter — Start
- Shift — Select
Tips
- Return to the castle inn to save often. Wizardry’s permadeath is real — characters who die can be permanently lost if resurrection at the temple fails or you run out of gold to pay for it.
- Always field at least one Mage and one Priest. Without sustained healing and offensive magic you will not survive past the first few floors.
- Draw your own map from the start. The dungeon contains spinners that silently rotate your facing, teleporters, and dark zones designed to disorient — navigating without careful notes becomes nearly impossible on the deeper levels.
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