Wizard101 Review - The Online Multiplayer Wizard Game

Wizard101 is a popular online MMORPG published by KingIsle Entertainment.

The game is aimed at young children (both pre-teen and teenagers) and carries a E10+ game rating. Wizard101 currently has over 30 million registered accounts, a surprising number of which belong to young adults and even parents.

The popular game of Wizard101 has thrived in a genre that is highly competitive and so I decided to investigate what makes Wizard101 so addictive to people of all ages, I hope you enjoy my Wizard101 review.

• Published by KingIsle Entertainment
• High playerbase/community
• MMORPG
• Small file size (playable in browser)
• Extra content available through membership or Wizard101 Crowns

Wizard101 is a unique MMORPG where players take control of a wizard freshly enrolled in the academy for wizards (known as Ravenwood Academy). It definitely has an all to familiar Harry Potter style feel, so Harry Potter fans will definitely start looking around the room for the Sorting Hat.

Character creation is also simplified and mostly accomplished by selecting from pre-determined sets (especially when naming to prevent profanity in names). The voice acting is also very solid allowing players to easily follow the game's instructions as they are presented.

After players have created their Wizard101 account and wizard they must select from 1 of 7 magical schools (Fire, Ice, Balance, Storm, Death, Myth and Life). Players can either manually choose a school or be placed into one based on a series of questions. Overall the school of magic chosen really only defines your early Wizard101 levels, as eventually you unlock the ability to learn spells from other magical disciplines.

The most important part of any game is of course the gameplay it offers and this is possibly even more true for an online MMORPG, especially one that appeals to both children and adults. How can the gameplay (mostly combat orientated) be both fair and exciting for these very different demographics? Well Wizard101 may have achieved it through their turn based card combat (more on that later).

Players move and interact with the game world in all the standard ways, WASD movement combined with various interfaces which are triggered by keyboard short cuts or use of the mouse.

All combat is turn based and players enter combat through various 'duel circles' which support battles up to 4v4. Player spells are accessed through various spell cards which are unlocked as players progress. Players draw cards from their deck each turn and can cast any of the spells they have drawn from their deck (players have 30 seconds to select a card). This allows Wizard101 combat to exciting and fair to all its demographics.

Wizard101 uses two different currency systems. There is the gold system which players gain for completing quests and defeating enemies and the Wizard101 Crown system which must be purchased with real money but can be used to purchase more powerful items or unlock extra game content.

Pros

• Great graphic and art style.
• Plenty of quests to drive the story.
• Many online safety features for children.
• Turn based combat required no gaming experience.
• Feels like Harry Potter.

Cons

• Limited amount of free content available
• Combat can feel slow at times
• Too restrictive if you aren't a child.

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