WizardCraft

It would seem like the real-time strategy genre is slowly being forgotten nowadays, given the fact that fewer and fewer games are released every year. While you can still enjoy some of the classics, plus Blizzard’s Starcraft 2, there was a time when the genre was really thriving. However, maybe it’s not too late for it to come back, especially since there are plenty of fans left.

WizardCraft is a retro real-time strategy game with a pretty basic gameplay and not much depth when it comes to the actual strategy component. In fact, you can pretty much just forget about trying to devise intricate battle plans, because neither the mechanics nor the interface are built for it. On the other hand, you can experience some moderate amounts of fun with the game if you keep your expectation low.

The game features a handful of structures you can build in order to gain various bonuses, but you shouldn’t expect too much variety. Besides the houses that increase your worker population, you can also build more outposts to serve as alternative places for the peasants to drop off the resources, as well as a few military buildings. Defensive structures are available too, such as towers that attack enemies once they are in range.

One of the most important things in a strategy game is the interface, especially in fast-paced ones that reward quick reaction times. While this is not the case here, since everything is pretty relaxed, the interface is dodgy to say the best, especially when it comes to selecting units. Apparently you can keep selecting other units and buildings without holding down a specific key, which can cause confusion on numerous occasions.

Still, the game is not meant to compete with the giants of the industry, so it obviously targets casual players instead. The mechanics are simple enough for everyone to understand, and almost everything happens automatically, including the gathering of resources. Granted, you have to manually move your army in order to attack, but it’s only a matter of a few extra clicks.

All things considered, WizardCraft is no some kind of revelation in the genre, but it’s quirky enough to attract a bit of attention. However, it still has some interface and gameplay issues that need to be resolved, probably because the game is in a pretty early development stage.

Note: You can support the developer by voting for the game on Steam Greenlight.