Wizards and Warriors III

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wizards & Warriors III - Kuros: Visions of Power

Developer(s)	Rare Ltd.
Publisher(s)	Acclaim
Release date(s)	^NA March, 1992 ^EU January 21, 1993
Genre(s)	Action-adventure game
Mode(s)	Single player
Platform(s)	NES
Input	NES controller

Kuros visiting the first inn.

Wizards and Warriors III - Kuros: Visions of Power is the final video game in the Wizards and Warriors trilogy. It was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992 by Acclaim, and developed by Rare.

Kuros exploring the underground depths.

1 Story
2 Gameplay
3 Character Classes
4 List of Games

[edit] Story

The game takes place immediately following the events of Ironsword, with the evil wizard Malkil escaping from Kuros and taking refuge in the town of Piedup. Malkil has taken the form of King James of Piedup, taking control of the town in the process.

[edit] Gameplay

Unlike the previous games in the series, the gameplay takes place in three main areas; the town of Piedup, the caves underneath and the castle above it. Kuros is free to travel between all three areas, but will need certain skills to advance further. These skills come from joining three guilds in the game, each revolving around a certain class; Knight, Thief and Wizard. To advance in rank at each of these guilds, Kuros must find the statue which corresponds to the guild's level; bronze statues for first level guilds, silver statues for second level guilds and gold statues for third level guilds. Each class has its own unique abilities, which evolve throughout the course of the game; Kuros is free to switch between classes at any time, except during boss battles or during guild tests.

Due to the game's open-ended nature, exploration is necessary to find all necessary items and secrets. Most doors can be entered with a key, which can be purchased at an inn; however, some passages can only be accessed using certain skills. Most of the important items in the game are guarded by boss monsters.

Unlike the past games in the series, there is no continue mechanism; once Kuros loses all of his lives, the game ends. There are no hidden continues, nor is there any way to restore a life once its been lost. Even though there is no continue mechanism, the game is drastically easier than its predecessors. You can virtually take almost no damage if you use the correct class in its respective area.

[edit] Character Classes

Warrior

Default - (Grey) No special capabilities, wields Short Sword

Thief

1st Level - (Yellow) Wields Dagger, increased foot speed and jump distance
2nd Level - (Green) Wields Crowbar, increased foot speed and jump distance
3rd Level - (Brown) Carries Skeleton Key, no offensive capability, increased foot speed and jump distance

Wizard

1st Level - (Orange) Wields Staff of Force, fires projectiles, increased vertical jump
2nd Level - (Red) Wields Staff of Shield, temporary protection from firefalls, increased vertical jump
3rd Level - (Purple) Wields Staff of Levitation, controlled levitation, increased vertical jump

Knight

1st Level - (Blue) Wields Long Sword, increased strength
2nd Level - (Aqua) Wields Battle Axe, increased strength, Battle Axe can be thrown as a boomerang
3rd Level - (Silver) Wields Silver Sword, increased strength, Magic Sword fires projectiles