Wizards and Warriors

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For the TV series, see Wizards and Warriors.
Wizards & Warriors
Box art of Wizards & Warriors.
Developer(s) Rare Ltd.
Publisher(s) Acclaim (North America, Europe)
Jaleco (Japan)
Release date(s) NA December, 1987
JPN July 15, 1988
EU January 7, 1990
Genre(s) Platform game
Mode(s) Single player
Platform(s) Famicom/NES
Media 1-megabit cartridge
Input NES controller

Wizards and Warriors is the first video game in the trilogy of the same name, developed by Rare and released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the United States in 1987 by Acclaim. A Japanese release by Jaleco followed in 1988, for which the game title was changed to 伝説の騎士エルロンド (Densetsu no Kishi Elrond), and in 1990 the game was released in Europe. The game's hero, Kuros, must fight his way through eight areas of the Kingdom of Elrond in order to save the kingdom's princess, who has been kidnapped by the evil wizard Malkil.

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

Most levels have two objectives; first, Kuros must collect a certain number of gems in order to get past an invincible guard in each level. In most cases, the door which is being guarded leads to the level's boss. Although the game is considered to be quite challenging, the player is aided with unlimited continues with the only penalty being that the score is reset to 0.

[edit] Items and Equipment

There are a number of objects which can be acquired in the game, either by defeating enemies or found in treasure chests.

  • Keys: Kuros may need to find keys in each level to access separate areas. They come in three colors (Red, pink, and blue) and once found, can be used to open any doors or treasure chests of the same color for that level.
  • Potions: There are three types in the same colors as keys, and they change Kuros' color to match.
    • Red potions grant the player temporary invincibility.
    • Pink potions give Kuros the ability jump higher than normal, allowing him to bypass obstacles that normally require keys or to reach otherwise inaccessible treasure chests.
    • Blue potions allow Kuros to run faster than normal, providing similar benefits as the pink potion for different circumstances.
  • Consumables: Can be collected on the playfield by defeating enemies. They include food, coins worth 200 or 1,000 points, an exploding egg which destroys all onscreen enemies, and an old-fashioned clock which halts the movement of most monsters.
  • Tools: There are a number of useful objects that can be found in treasure chests throughout the game. Most are permanent upgrades, while one slot is reserved for Kuros' tertiary weapon (after his BrightSword and throwing weapon).
    • The Feather of Feather Fall grants the ability to float down from a jump slower than usual by holding the up button.
    • The Potion of Levitation lets Kuros hover a short distance above the ground before performing a jump, increasing its height.
    • The Shield of Protection blocks certain projectiles, provided Kuros is not swinging his Brightsword at the moment of impact. Since most enemy spells can be neutralized by weapons, it is not terribly useful.
  • Secondary Weapons (activated by pressing the B button when a projectile is not already onscreen)
    • The Dagger of Throwing is found in the first stage. It works like a boomerang, shooting away in a straight line from wherever Kuros throws it and then returns.
    • The Battle Axe of Agor is hidden in the third stage. It is twice as powerful as the dagger. In addition, after collecting enough small axes (items which ordinarily increase the Axe's range), Kuros can throw two Axes simultaneously.
  • Tertiary Weapons (activated by pressing Select)
    • The Boots of Force allow the player to kick open treasure chests of any color without possessing a key. The kick action can also be used as an attack, and has slightly more range than Kuros' sword. This attack is also the only way to kill the Skull Hives, which appear in great number inside Castle Ironspire.
    • The Boots of Lava Walk have only two short uses in stage three -- one is lessening the damage taken on the magma floors. As it is not too hard to avoid taking any damage from them in the first place, this item is practically useless. Though they also allow you to stand on top of and ride the spout of fire which moves back and forth across the magma floors, which can help you jump to out-of-the-way places.
    • The Cloak of Invisibility is a bit of a misnomer. It indeed alters Kuros' entire sprite to a near-transparent shimmer (making jumps particularly difficult), but enemies have absolutely no trouble seeing you. It does limit the amount of damage taken, but using it is more a novelty than anything else.
    • The Wand of Wonder shoots a small cluster of ice magic that freezes certain enemies for a few seconds. However Kuros can still be injured by coming into contact with them.
    • The Staff of Power shoots a spread of fire magic that damages enemies. It is just as powerful as the dagger and has a longer range.
    • The Horn of Odin is used in stage 4 to locate hidden rooms full of gems in the Purple Caves. It is found in the Red Caves (stage 3) and has to be carried to stage 4 to be used. When used it gives off a sound and reveals hidden rooms. Rooms can be also found by pressing up in certain areas when jumping or walking around though out the level. Was removed from the manual and game in later releases of the game.

[edit] Series History

[edit] Other Media

[edit] Television

Malkil appeared in an episode of Captain N: The Game Master called Nightmare on Mother Brain's Street, though here the world of the game was referred to as "Excalibur" and not the Kingdom of Elrond. Kuros also starred in the cartoon Power Team where Malkil also appeared. Kuros's appearance was modeled after the cover art from the games (as a half-naked barbarian, rather than the fully-armored knight he appears as in the games), giving him a strong resemblance to He-Man.

[edit] Novelization

Wizards and Warriors was adapted into a book in the Worlds of Power series of novels for children. A boy named Matthew who's having trouble using his imagination for a creative writing class accidentally brings his father's knight figurine to life. He is then spirited away to the land of Elrond to help Kuros defeat the evil wizard Malkil. One notable change was that in the book, all of the creatures that they killed were made from the lives of the people of Elrond. Thus, whenever a creature was slain, a person was returned to their normal state. Also along the way, they save Kuros sister in the pink caves. While Matthew was invulnerable at the start of the mission, as the two drew closer to the evil wizard, he became more vulnerable to the attacks of Malkils villains.

[edit] External links

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