Developer: a bonfire of souls
Publisher: a bonfire of souls
Platform: PC, PS4
Tested on: PC
Wizards Tourney – Review
Have you ever had a discussion about who of your friends or family is the best wizard? Well, now you can find out in Wizards Tourney. In this new party game developed by a bonfire of souls, you can take on up to three friends or family members. During the game you will have to take on your rivals in a series of minigames to determine it once and for ever. Steal eggs in a dragons den, or mix the right potions in your cauldron. Do you have what it takes to be the best wizard? Read and find out if you meet the qualifications to participate in the tourney.
Story
A long time ago, there was an extraordinary place where the world’s most prodigious wizards gathered to determine who was the most skillful of all. Face off in the adventurous trials of the Grand Tourney where the wizards used to compete for the high title of Archwizard. Over time an arrogant ‘’elite power’’ got rid of the tourney, destroying the chance for wizards to show off their talents and become successful. Tired of this situation, a small group of wizards teamed up to organize an independent tourney, one in which the winner would have to prove being the most adept wizard of all. They wanted to bring back the tourney and hold it in the old coliseum, showing to the ‘’elite power’’ that magic is not theirs alone.
And then the day finally came and everything was ready; let the tourney begin!
Furthermore there isn’t any story, it’s a nice introduction on the idea behind the game, it really benefits the game. Without it, it was just a series of minigames that you can play.
Graphics
The game uses cartoon 3D graphics. It is not done amazingly, but for a party/family game it looks awesome. The different areas where you play the minigames in, are designed right and with an eye for detail, like the map where you play the minigame Pumpkin King. It’s a graveyard with tombstones and it’s dark and rainy. It fits in great with the minigame you have to play on it, yet it’s totally not scary so perfect for kids to play it. It also really gives the right setting to the gameplay. This is just one example of one map, they managed to match each map with the right atmosphere.
Sound
The music in the game isn’t the best, yes it’s there but it’s not amazing to listen to. Every minigame has its own track which fits in with the theme of the game. So is this a bad thing that it isn’t the best? No, it’s not. Like mentioned before Wizards Tourney is a party game which you have to play with friends and family, so you will most likely be talking and laughing while playing. Due to this the music is one of the least important things of the game, it provides a nice sound in the background, and then the right thing to say is that developers did a good job.
Gameplay
Wizards Tourney is a party game you can play with your friends. The goal of the game is to play a series of minigames in which you can earn points. At the end of every minigame these points will be added to the tourney leaderboard. The points that you will get depends on how many rounds you won during the minigame. The maximum points that you can earn is three, this is due to the reason that every minigame will end when one person has won three rounds.
Like mentioned before the game consists of different minigames so let’s have a look at these games.
Dragon Eggplosion: In this minigame it’s your goal to steal eggs from the dragon, and place them back in the basket. You will have to steal two eggs from the dragon in order to win. During the round you can pick up runes to cast fire spells to your rivals, which will make their egg break, and make them have to fetch another one. Of course they can also do this to you, and if the fire spells aren’t enough you will also have to dodge the fiery breath of the dragon and the rising floor.
Pot a Potion: Here you have to throw potions of the same colour as the liquid in your cauldron to earn points. Of course you can sabotage your rivals by throwing wrong potions in their cauldron or put a curse on them by throwing a special potion in their cauldron.
Ray Fray: Run around and collect orbs, first to reach forty wins the round. Unfortunately it’s not that easy. With the gathered orbs you can shoot on your rivals to stun them and make them drop theirs, but while doing this you will use your own orbs. Sometimes there will be rays beaming from the side which you have to avoid or you will lose your gathered orbs. There are three different kinds of orbs; light orbs, shield orbs and powered orbs.
Pumpkin King: In this minigame you will have to earn points by wearing the Great Pumpkin, but after your wear it for a while it will turn green and start to rot, and make you lose points. You can pass on the Great Pumpkin by touching a rival, this means they can also steal it by bumping into you. During the minigame you can also collect smaller pumpkins which you can use to throw at your rivals and stun them for a while. The first to fill their scorebar wins the round.
Mad Lab: This minigame is kinda like air hockey meets table football. There is an energy sphere dropped in the middle of the arena. You have to go and collect it and then shoot it towards your portal. You have to do this quickly or you will get stunned. Just like the other minigames you can sabotage your rivals by using several elements that are also in the arena; a bomb you can push around, electric charges, a teleport pad and a bumper. The first one that has three energy spheres in their portal wins.
Ice Slide: At the start of this minigame you will find you and your rivals on ice platforms. Your goal is to be the last man standing. You will have to push your enemies off the platform by bumping into them and give them a little push. During the rounds you can collect boosters that give you certain benefits like a strong push, a circular push, a shield and a stunning push. If this isn’t hard enough yet, the platform will also decrease in size and there will be penguins sliding the platform that you will have to dodge.
The minigames are made up well, and fun to play. Playing against the AIs isn’t that fun though. The game is really focussed on local multiplayer and if you want to have fun with friends on an evening, start playing Wizards Tourney and it will be a night to remember.
Conclusion
Wizards Tourney is a great party game to play with family and friends. The minigames are fun to play and look great. The music provides a nice background sound for the perfect cosy evening now that winter is coming. It’s not the typical game that is usually made. It’s been a long time since a party game like this hit the shelves. However, playing in single player mode is rather boring, so gather around your friends or family if you want a fun evening!
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