An Amazing Wizard Preview

An Amazing Wizard, a roguevania title, is a combination of a metroidvania and a roguelite. There are no checkpoints here, and when you die, you’ll be respawned randomly in one of the four nature-inspired worlds, each with its own boss to defeat. Currently in Early Access, does this title feel ready to go, or does it need a bit more time in the oven before it’s complete?

Our story begins in the Village of Gloomburn, where a prophesied child is born once every millennium in this village of wizards. The odd thing is that he is the only one living there who cannot cast any magic himself; instead, Magic Hands cast the spells he wills.
Years later, the once-peaceful village is under attack. The wizards residing there try to create barriers to protect Gloomburg from the meteors pummelling the village. Our young wizard is hurt, and because of his injuries, he doesn’t remember who he is and can't recall any of his spells. Who has stolen your incantations and transported you into this mysterious, ever-changing world?

An Amazing Wizard controls like a typical twin-stick shooter: you aim your magic attacks with the right thumbstick and move your wizard with the left. You can choose to have crosshairs shown, aim in the direction you’re moving, or, if you don’t want to aim at all, enable auto-aiming. You’ll pick up a variety of other spells assigned to other controller buttons, like a dash move and a melee weapon used with the left trigger. Even though it’s not a spell, you’ll still need to use the right thumbstick to aim where you want to attack. The magic attacks, weapons, and relics you pick up differ with each run, so you never need to worry about the game feeling the same.

Another unique aspect of the game is that upon entering the Void, you meet a wizard known as the Spellweaver, who has the ability to merge two different spell scrolls to create a new one. This allows you to make unique magic attacks, but it comes with a risk: the stronger the spells you select, the higher the chance they’ll be destroyed in the process. To merge, you’ll choose which spell is the main, and which one is the sacrifice. It can be frustrating when trying to create a stronger spell, as there’s a decent chance you’ll lose your main spell in the process. You’d think selecting strong magic would create something deadly, but it often feels like you’re penalised for trying. I’m hoping this gets better balanced in the full game, or that a relic or item becomes available to lower the risk.

As you explore the four different areas and defeat enemies, you’ll earn regular crystals and acquire six types of Elemental Orbs: Earth, Ice, Fire, Lightning, Air, and Chaos. Spend these at the Power Orb located under the Crystal Guardian ribs at your home base. Doing so opens a skill tree where you can spend your basic gems for permanent upgrades and unlock features like The Hunter and The Adventurer. These characters each have tasks for you to complete during your runs.

Yama the Adventurer, also known as the Goddess of Death, appears at your spawn point when you die. She has a list of 46 different challenges for you to complete, and when you do, she’ll reward you handsomely. Some challenges include Lucky Survivor, where you kill a boss while nearly dead (rewarding you with a blueprint for a Rainbow and a Rainbow Scythe), or Speedrunner, where completing the first level in under five minutes earns you 250 Lightning Orbs and 150 Air Orbs.

Ivar the Hunter, a salamander, puts your skills to the test. He’s known for crafting deadly bows that never miss their mark. If you complete his bestiary, Ivar will exchange blueprints with you, unlocking new weapons, spells, and artefacts for your journey. All enemies you kill are counted in his bestiary, so check in with him every time you start a new run, as you may be rewarded for your efforts. There are nine enemy types to hunt in the beginning, and the bestiary provides info on each, including weaknesses, type, speed, and health.

At first, the combat didn’t feel as rewarding as in other genre titles like Dead Cells. But as I powered up and unlocked new spells and melee weapons like the Zeus Spear, my character became significantly stronger; I no longer felt like a weakling. When you purchase a new weapon, you get it for that run, and it only has a chance of appearing in future playthroughs. In my experience, I found the cutlass or boomerang much more often than the spear. Having a good weapon and set of spells is essential when you locate the large portal in each area that leads to a boss battle. These bosses are very strong and likely to defeat you, though being sent back to your base lets you spend orbs and crystals to power up, so it’s not all bad.

There are over 100 spells and 200 enchantments to collect from the seven elements, with endless combinations possible through merging. Additionally, 200 artefacts and perks add new twists to each run, making every experience feel fresh. I never expected that opening a cursed chest would make my wizard blind — removing all color from the level and making it impossible to see what spells and items I was picking up. I expected a powerful weapon with a health cost, not a bunch of question marks!

An Amazing Wizard opens with a great-looking, comic book–style intro to set the backstory. The game’s visuals are nice; there’s a decent variety of enemies to fight, and the spells look cool. I liked that there are four different areas to explore, each with its own distinct look. The music was good; it didn’t stand out, but it didn’t become annoying either, which is a plus.

I’m looking forward to seeing what changes come in the full release of An Amazing Wizard. With a few tweaks, this could be a unique roguevania worth checking out. Now, if I could just get that Zeus Spear weapon more often, I’d be a deadly wizard!