Wizard Fire

I’m sure many of us know this feeling: You find yourself playing a game from your childhood. The only thing is that it’s more of a slog to get through than you remember. You still beat the game, of course, because the chance to remember the fun times you had with the title as a child are always great to reenact.

Still, you can’t help but think, “If I had played this game for the first time right now, I would hate it”. Wouldn’t it be a curious thing to watch a fellow gamer experience a game from your childhood for the first time? While playing Wizard Fire, I felt pretty confused. I wondered why others enjoyed this title so much. Nostalgia is not lost on me though, and I realize that Wizard Fire held a magic for others that I will (unfortunately) never understand.



Developer: Flying Tiger Entertainment, inc.

Publisher: FTE Games

5 Hours Played // Digital // Nintendo Switch Version – Review Copy // Price- $7.99

The gameplay of Wizard Fire is pretty standard, even for early arcade cabinet games. You choose one of four heroes, each being a different class. Other than some minor differences in reach, and special abilities, if you can master one, you can play the others. You are informed that evil is afoot, and your group must stop it, or evil shall dominate all. After a terribly-acted cutscene, you are on your way.

Monsters begin to fill the screen. With my weapon at the ready, I notice the first nostalgic “charm” of this title – the hit detection. It is horrendous. Even with monsters surrounding my character I find my hits missing far more often than they should.

Still, I press onward and reach the first boss. I am faced with a huge dragon! Of course it wouldn’t be complete without a ridiculous amount of health only found in quarter munching arcade games. And like many arcade gauntlet games, this process repeats until the end of the game. You will find no dodge or quick movements to defeat these giant bosses. What you do have is a basic attack and a magic ability that are unique to each playable character. Not many options, but this is a classic.

The sound in Wizard Fire could be considered nostalgic as well. It is a retro, fantasy soundtrack that comes out choppy at times. The voice acting, as i mentioned above, is terrible. However, considering the game was released in 1992, it’s actually quite a feat for the original time period. Much like the gameplay, the plot is nothing special. But it is true to the roots of arcade fantasy titles.

It should be no surprise that the graphics won’t wow anybody either. I really couldn’t say these graphics were all that great, even compared to other games from the classics era. The character models do their job. You are never confused as to what you are fighting.

That being said, it would be a crime to compare it to Golden Axe or Final Fight. The pixel art wouldn’t wow anyone new to this title, or even this generation. Those who would enjoy it are specifically those individuals looking for a classic feel.

The stability for Wizard Fire is incredible! They even managed to work in all of the original game glitches. After some research, I found that character models “blinking” in and out was a common affair. The sound cutting out when there was to much happening at once was just part of the experience. Still, the game never froze on me and the port was obviously handled with care.

So in conclusion, Wizard Fire is certainly not a title I would recommend to anyone who hasn’t played it. If I wanted friends to experience a gem, other titles would come first. As for favorites from the golden age of gaming, Wizard Fire wouldn’t be at the forefront of my mind.

Still, one must consider that this game wasn’t so much made for a newer audience. Instead, it was ported with love and is a love letter to those with special place in their hearts for this title. So for you classic gamers out there, rejoice! You have another staple of history to add to your Switch library.

Thanks, as always, for reading. My friend Fernando has just put out a review for a different type of arcade experience, so check out Soccer Slammers. If maybe you find yourself craving a JRPG until Octopath Traveler comes out, check out Mikey’s Review of The Lost Child. If you have more interest in hearing our voices, and our opinions on the latest E3, check out our Podcast as well, even if the podcast is on hiatus for now…