Wizard of Legend, the isometric dungeon crawler that we said "is probably the closest we're ever going to get to a good Avatar: The Last Airbender game," was a hit, selling more than 500,000 copies shortly after it launched in 2018. Now a sequel is on the way, revealed today by publisher Humble Games as "an entirely new" experience being developed by Children of Morta studio Dead Mage.
Dead Mage is "a perfect fit for what we want to do with the Wizard of Legend franchise," Humble head of content strategy Becky Sayers said during today's showcase. "Players are going to experience the same beloved charm from the original game, but this time with improved 3D graphics, an expanded storyline, and even online multiplayer"
Original Wizard of Legend developer Contingent 99 is also involved in the project, working with Dead Mage on a consultant basis.
"In continued collaboration with Contingent 99, the original creators of Wizard of Legend, we are bringing you an entirely new, exciting experience, which is authentic to everything the fans loved about the first game," Dead Mage lead designer Javid Najibzadeh said. "This time in 3D with a new multiplayer mode, which you can enjoy and share your adventures with your friends."
A brief teaser shown during the livestream provides a quick comparison of the old and new graphical styles, and on that front Wizard of Legend 2 has clearly come a long way from the original game. The core gameplay looks similar—fast-paced, element-based—while the 3D isometric world promises a richer, more vibrant, and frankly, with all due respect to diehard retro fans–more, interesting setting.
As good as Wizard of Legend is, I'm especially eager to see what Dead Mage does with it: Children of Morta is an excellent roguelike but it also tells a really good story, and it'll be very interesting to see what sort of narrative ideas the studio brings to this new game, especially with the co-op multiplayer option.
Wizard of Legend doesn't have a release date yet, but it's available for wishlisting now on Steam.
