In 1981, SirTech released the first game in what would soon become a legendary RPG series — Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord for the Apple II. As the very first party-based dungeon crawler, it was one of the key games that launched the role-playing genre, directly inspiring enduring series like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Demon’s Souls.
Now Digital Eclipse, a studio dedicated to the historical preservation of video games, is treating RPG fans worldwide to a full 3D remaster of this genre-defining game.
Following last year’s Early Access release on Steam and GOG, Digital Eclipse’s Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord remaster will be released on May 23 in its fully completed form for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.
Digital Eclipse’s Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord revival is built directly on top of the original Apple II game’s code, preserving the appeal of the classic while also incorporating modern graphics and improved party management, navigation, spellcasting, and combat.
While the remake may look, sound, and feel completely new, the original Apple II game is under the hood — you can even view the original interface while you’re playing.
Craft your own party of adventurers and head into the labyrinth at the behest of the mad overlord Trebor, in search of the amulet stolen by the evil wizard Werdna. Battle challenging monsters, avoid hidden traps, and find your way through the dungeon for the ultimate showdown with Werdna himself.
The PC version of Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord has been available via Early Access since September 2023, where it currently has a “Very Positive” review score on Steam and 4/5 stars on GOG. Enthusiastic player feedback contributed to numerous improvements in the final game, including:
Beautiful new graphics & animations for a game that, by necessity, only offered rudimentary visuals, now with the power of Unreal Engine.
User-selectable options that allow players to tailor the gameplay to their liking, including popular options from the console editions of the game. Players can also choose no new options at all to experience the original, more challenging gameplay.
An in-game Bestiary that records key information on enemies as they’re encountered and offers strategic advice on their strengths and weaknesses.
A lush musical soundtrack from composer Winifred Philips, including some fan-favorite themes from Wizardry history.
A controller-friendly interface, with a one-button shortcut for fast combat choices.
Fully localized into English, Japanese, French, Spanish, Italian, and German.
Created in 1981, Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord was the first game to a recreate pen-and-paper, Dungeons & Dragons-style role-playing game for home computers. Seven sequels followed over the next two decades, all published by SirTech.
Digital Eclipse has now licensed the registered Wizardry trademark from Drecom and the copyrights to Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord from SirTech, in order to develop a new version built directly on top of the original Apple II code base.
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