Action roguelite Wizard of Legend 2 has only been in early access on Steam for a hair over two months, but it's evolving quickly. As revealed in a trailer at today's PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted, next week developer Dead Mage is dropping the Sky Citadel update, adding a new biome, a new magical ability set built around dashing, new enemies, more character customization options, and new run-shaping relics.
I'm not sure if calling the original Wizard of Legend a sleeper hit is quite right, but it definitely took me by surprise. A friend grabbed the 2018 roguelite on the Nintendo Switch when it came out, and we ended up spending most of a weekend co-oping our way through its vicious boss fights. It was one of those punchy, fast-paced combat games that just felt great in the hand, and the option to play co-op was my favorite thing about it, so I was happy to see this year's sequel lean further in that direction when it launched in early access in October.
Wizard of Legend's developer is seemingly walking a similar path to Motion Twin, which made a strong debut with 2D roguelike Dead Cells before going 3D (and early access) with its follow-up Windblown. Wizard of Legend 2 is structurally much like the first game, but now in quite spiffy 3D.
I loved the first game's pixel art, but I imagine the switch to 3D will pay off in the long run and make it easier for Dead Mage to expand on the variety of levels and elemntal abilities at your mage's disposal. This is definitely your game if you want to see how many different spins on earth, fire, water, and lightning attacks one developer can cook up.
Alternately, you could play Captain Planet and the Planeteers for the Nintendo Entertainment System. But I'm pretty sure you'll have more fun with Wizard of Legend 2.
The Sky Citadel update lands on December 11. Further down the road in early access, Dead Mage is planning to add four-player co-op (two's the current limit), adjustable difficulty levels, and as needed in every roguelike, more stuff.
