WiZmans World is a turn-based RPG that eluded fans in the West when it released in Japan as a Nintendo DS exclusive in 2010. Since then, WiZmans World has been an enigma of sorts, and you could barely find any relevant information about the game if you comb the internet. Fortunately, that’s about to change with the release of WiZmans World Re;Try by Clear River Games and City Connection. The HD remaster allows fans to experience this Jaleco and Lancarse-developed RPG for the first time in English, and despite the game showing some of its age now, the remaster does a decent job modernizing it for the latest generation of consoles. There’s quite a lot that makes WiZmans World Re;Try a standout title among the slew of RPGs out today, for better or worse.
The story of WiZmans World Re;Try focuses on Claus, a young man who was taken in the care of the mage Giselle in Wizarest—a strange city that is cut off from the outside world due to some rather strange circumstances. Anyone who attempts to leave the city and head into the lush forest surrounding it will be put into a dungeon that periodically shifts in form. This shift is capable of killing anyone inside the dungeon, or at least severely injuring them. While investigating this phenomenon at the behest of Archmage Adan, Giselle goes strangely missing, and it’s up to Claus to search for his parental figure and discover why Wizarest is sealed between dungeons. Along the way, you are also given the chance to make important decisions that will affect the outcome of your journey.
WiZmans World Re;Try is a Turn-Based RPG Through and Through
From the get-go, WiZmans World Re;Try makes itself known as an intriguing, and at times unsettling, turn-based RPG. The strange sense of calm in Wizarest, along with the game’s ominous opening sequence, really makes you wonder why the city is in such a position and who or what is responsible for it. At its core, though, WiZmans World Re;Try is a traditional turn-based RPG that puts the player in control of a young but promising mage who can use an arsenal of magic spells to defeat monsters. After a few minutes of speaking to the Archmage, you’re tasked with seeing the world for what it is firsthand, and you really don’t have much preparation to make, either. This is certainly by design in order to introduce the turn-based mechanics and on-field encounters in the dungeons, which are all simple to grasp and understand.
After braving the Leering Forest for the first time, you’ll be aided by three homunculi created by Giselle: Aen, Doe, and Toori. Your fairy-like companions make up the other three members of the party, making up the party of four. Aen, Doe, and Toori can fuse with the souls you collect from slaying monsters and take on their appearance through Anima Fusion, the game’s primary upgrade system for the party. Claus will level up and gain new abilities and spells on his own, but the rest of the party must undergo Anima Fusion in order to get stronger and obtain new abilities.
That being said, the turn-based mechanics involving the four party members are very straightforward, and if you played any turn-based RPG, you’ll know exactly what to do. You’ll have turns to attack, heal, or defend against enemies in a standard turn-based system with a turn order to keep track of. There are Fire, Wind, Water, and Earth elements to consider, with each being weak to another element. Claus is unique, as he’s not weak to any element in particular, and he can use a range of elemental magic and a neutral spell that deals magic damage not tied to an element.
While performing attacks and offensive spells in succession, you’ll notice your Chain count go up. WiZmans World Re;Try rewards you for being able to effectively take out enemies and interrupt their attacks by increasing parameters during the Chain, such as attack damage, loot drop rate, XP, and the SP you recover immediately after using a spell. This is especially helpful when you need to level up or gain certain monster souls to strengthen your party in Anima Fusion. Back at home, you can use Claus’ cauldron to fuse the homunculi with different monster souls to inherit their skills and elemental affinity. You can also gain items called catalysts, which offer additional stat boosts and skills that can stack with whatever equipment and accessories you have equipped per character.
For the most part, WiZmans World Re;Try‘s combat is about making the most out of your turns, meaning that you’ll have a lot of success with a party that can take on weaknesses for the enemies in the areas you’re currently exploring. In addition, you’ll want to be at a respectable level compared to the enemies on the field. The game isn’t particularly difficult, but you can expect to do a lot of grinding since the major bosses serve as a sort of level check. If you’re too weak for a boss fight, you will know it for sure, and you will need to make sure you save often to avoid losing progress, since there are no auto-saves. You can manually save at any time, though.
What’s New in This “Re;Try“
There’s no new story content, but WiZmans World Re;Try comes packed with numerous quality of life changes and features as an HD remaster. Along with the ability to save anywhere, you can skip dialogue, use auto battle features to make grinding sessions easier, and select from various language options that weren’t present in the original game. The user interface has been improved for the game’s higher resolution compared to the DS version, and there’s also new character artwork that complements the game’s updated UI.
The 2D dot graphics in WiZmans World Re;Try look amazing to say the least. Character animations are quite expressive in this style during combat, and NPCs certainly have personality to them as well, despite what might appear to be a limited art style with those graphics. The music of WiZmans World Re;Try is also really great, and all of it was remade and rearranged by soLi. The boss themes certainly stood out to me, specifically.
These may seem like minor features on paper, but it does go a long way in making the game feel right at home on consoles and PCs, especially if you’ve seen gameplay or screenshots of the DS version. The Nintendo Switch version runs flawlessly at its full resolution, and there are no problems running on Switch 2, either.
After finishing the game, you can also replay the game with New Game+, so there’s that option if you feel like having another go at the story. There’s a “real” ending to pursue here, but I definitely recommend just playing and making the decisions you really want when presented.
There are a few gripes I do have with WiZmans World Re;Try, however. I think the lack of voice acting is a miss for sure. I would have definitely enjoyed some Japanese voice acting for Aen, Doe, Toori, and the rest of the supporting cast. In an unrelated and ironic matter, the omission of auto saves may trip some people up, since there’s no retry feature when you get a game over. As I’ve said before, you should regularly save to avoid losing a lot of progress.
WiZmans World Re;Try is a Good and Time-Friendly RPG Remaster
Surprisingly, WiZmans World Re;Try isn’t that long of an RPG. You could probably finish a playthrough in about 30 hours if you’re solely focused on the story and leveling up to defeat every boss. If you want to 100% the game and reach the true ending, you’ll be looking at around 50 to 60 hours, but your playtime will vary. This is all to say that WiZmans World Re;Try is a good RPG that will respect your time but will also present some challenges. The bosses in this game will happily end your party if you aren’t prepared.
It’s not the ideal remaster, but WiZmans World Re;Try is a really good game with a story that’s full of mystery and intrigue in its unique world and premise. If you like turn-based RPGs, you’ll more than likely enjoy WiZmans World Re;Try for one aspect or another, whether it’s the tried-and-true turn-based gameplay, the fantastical story and cast of characters, or the really great soundtrack. Just be ready to grind and rise to the challenge when the time comes. These shifting dungeons don’t play around.
WiZmans World Re;Try is available now for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.
Disclaimer: Clear River Games provided a Nintendo Switch key of WiZmans World Re;Try for review purposes.
