No sign of Diana Ross or Michael Jackson
This week’s Arcade Archives release has me stumped, as Seibu Kaihatsu’s Wiz – now available to download on PS4 and Nintendo Switch – is one of the few games to grace Hamster’s retro range that I’ve never encountered once in my extended life of coin-op classics.
Released back in 1985, Wiz is a side-scrolling adventure which sees players put on their wizard’s cloak and hat in order to journey through a selection of realms on a quest to face off against a ferocious dragon. Our little sorcerer will travel through deep forests, underground caverns, and into the clouds themselves on his quest, battling baddies with a selection of magical skills such as a fireball, a protective barrier and… erm… “Hitting”.
You can check out the action in this video, courtesy of YouTuber Replay Burners.
Despite its simplicity, I’m actually quite impressed by Wiz from this video. The sprites are varied and detailed, the world is nicely realised, the music is cute, and having eight different spells available is surprisingly deep. This is 1985, remember. As to whether it’s worth eight of your hard-earned dollars, that’s between you and your wallet. But it’s always nice to learn of a new curiosity.
Wiz is available to download now on PS4 and Nintendo Switch.
