A somewhat gay review of Wizorb (PC and XBLIG)

Game: Wizorb

Genre: Brick-breaker

Developer: Tribute Games

Publisher: Tribute Games

System(s): PC, Xbox 360

Release date: 2011

In pretty much every post I've published about Wizorb thus far, I've described it as "Breakout with a smidge of an RPG." After spending some quality time with this downloadable title over the last week or so, though, I've come to the conclusion that I should have been calling it a Legend of Zelda-inspired brick-breaker instead.

Why? Because while the bulk of Wizorb's gameplay brings to mind titles like the aforementioned Atari release, its graphics, setting--named, ahem, "Kingdom of Gorudo"--and soundtrack bring to mind the game that's known in Japan as The Hyrule Fantasy: Zeruda no Densetsu. Wizorb's main town/hub area, the decimated Tarot Village--which the player can help rebuild by donating gathered gold--also recalls that Nintendo classic. (Said village is the only location players are able to explore freely, by the way. The game's five other locations, each of which houses 13 block-busting stages, are accessed via a board-game-esque world map.)

At the end of the day, though, this basically is a gussied-up Arkanoid clone, so how does its bat-and-ball action stand up to its predecessors-cum-competitors in that particular genre? Pretty darn well. Although Wizorb features a par-for-the-course paddle--although here it's supposed to be a wizard's magic wand--and ball, players can do more with the former than they can in most such games. For example: clicking the left mouse button (while enjoying the PC version, obviously) launches a fireball into the play area, while clicking the right one produces a gust of wind that blows the ball in the direction of the wand. Also, though most destroyed blocks drop coins, gems and potions that refill your magic gauge, some drop curses that shrink your wand or slow it to a crawl.

Another of Wizorb's inventive additions to the brick-breaker oeuvre: many of its stages include bonus rooms and shops that more often than not prove to be life-savers. All in all, Tribute Games' maiden release is refreshing, remarkably polished and well worth the price of admission (a measly $3) whether or not you're bonkers for Breakout and its ilk.

See also: Previous 'somewhat gay' reviews and previous Wizorb posts

PC version of Wizorb available now

OK, class. Raise your hands if you didn't buy Tribute Game's fantastic, Breakout-with-a-smidge-of-an-RPG XBLIG title, Wizorb, because you don't have an Xbox 360.

Great. Now, keep your hands up if you would have bought the game if it had been released for Windows-based PCs, too.

Well, I have good news for you guys and gals: A PC version of Wizorb is, as of today, available for purchase via GamersGate.com.



Those of you who didn't keep your hands up dropped them because you're waiting for Linux and Mac versions to be released, right?

Ah, I have good news for you, too! The guys at Tribute Games expect to release Linux and Mac versions of Wizorb in the next two or three weeks.

Don't worry, class, I'll let you know when they're available. Also, expect to receive a special homework assignment from me soon (as in, hopefully by the end of the week)--one that involves reading my long-time-in-comin review of this wonderfully retro game.

See also: Previous Wizorb posts

Ten questions with the guys who created Wizorb

While playing Wizorb, the RPG-tinged Breakout clone that hit the Xbox Live Indies Game service two weeks ago, it's easy to forget you're in 2011.

I say that in a positive way, as this three-dollar title brings to mind a number of things that I believe have been missing from games since the mid- to late-1990s.

For instance, it features beautiful, pixel-based graphics that bring to mind the best that the Sega Genesis had to offer. It also features a bouncy, blippy soundtrack that brings to mind the tunes that filled our ears while playing games like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

What prompted the guys at Tribute Games to create such a retrotastic title, and when can we expect it to hit other platforms (if ever)? I recently asked Justin Cyr, Jonathan Lavigne and Jean-François Major those very questions. Read on to hear their responses.

The Gay Gamer: What prompted the three of you to come together and make this game (and also form Tribute Games)?

Jonathan Lavigne: I've been serious about going indie since 2005, but it was only a matter of timing for us to make it offical this year. Just before the three of us started working on Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game, I was already working with Jean-François on Wizorb in our spare time. At first, it was only supposed to be a small project that would allow Jean-François to develop his game engine. Six months ago, I had just finished Ninja Senki while both Justin and Jean-François finished working on productions at Ubisoft and Eidos, so we decided it was time to join forces and finish Wizorb.

Justin Cyr: We're doing this entirely out of our own pockets, so it took a while to save enough money to allow ourselves enough time to make something good. It's always a little intimidating to give up that kind of security, but I think if we didn't make the jump when we did the moment would have passed us by.

Jean-François Major: We've always gotten along and had pretty similar tastes in games. Going indie really gives us this freedom to create the games we've always dreamed of playing.

TGG: Whose idea was it to make a game that combines elements of Breakout with those of an RPG?

Jonathan: I came up with the idea first, but it grew into something bigger [when] Justin and Jean-François added their own personal touches to it.

Jean-François: When we realized the game had great potential, we wanted to add a way to tell a story and give a bit more life to the game. We wish we could have fleshed out [the game's RPG elements] a bit more. Maybe we'll keep some room for improvement for a sequel?

All you really need to know about Wizorb (XBLIG): Breakout (gameplay) + Genesis (graphics) + The Legend of Zelda (music)

Oh, and it costs just 240 Microsoft Points ($3) and is available now on the the Xbox Live Indies Game service.

Not only is Wizorb--which was made by Justin Cyr, Jonathan Lavigne and Jean-François Major (who recently joined forces to form Tribute Games)--look, sound and play like a dream, but it's backed by a silly story, too.

Here's the gist of it, in case you're curious: The once-peaceful Kingdom of Gorudo is threatened by an evil presence. The only hope for salvation is Cyrus, a wizard versed in a secret magic art called Wizorb!

Wizorb is more than a Breakout clone covered with a cute, somewhat-clichéd, RPG-ish coat of paint, by the way. For starters, there are boss battles. Also, Cyrus' can call on magic spells that affect his "magic wand" (aka his Arkanoid-ish paddle) and/or the stage that surrounds it. Finally, keys can be collected and then used to unlock doors--which lead to bonus items and even Zelda-esque shops--that are located at the back of certain levels.

As cool as I'm guessing that sounds in theory, I can guarantee--after spending a good amount of time with the game last night--that it's even cooler in practice. Honestly, if this were a boxed-and-available-at-retail Genesis/Mega Drive title, I'd pick it up in a heartbeat regardless of the price tag affixed to it. It's that beautiful, charming and fun.

See also: 'Get your Xboxes ready, Breakout fans: Wizorb hits XBLIG on Thursday' and 'Wizorb has awesome box art'

Get your Xboxes ready, Breakout fans: Wizorb hits XBLIG on Thursday

What's Wizorb, you ask? Why, it's the Breakout-clone-slash-RPG that Justin Cyr, Jonathan Lavigne--of Ninja Senki and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game fame--and Jean-François Major have been working on for the past six months.

For those of you who haven't seen it already, here's the game's "debut trailer," which Lavigne shared with the world (via his blog, pixeltao.ca) a few months ago:



As the headline above suggests, the Xbox Live Indie Games version of Wizorb will be released this Thursday via Tribute Games. (A PC version is in the works, too, although its release date has yet to be announced.)

Here's hoping I can either secure a review copy of the game shortly after it's released or scrounge up enough dough to pay for it. Otherwise, it'll probably have to wait until my birthday (which is two months away).

See also: Wizorb has awesome box art

Wizorb has awesome box art

Which is funny, because this Jonathan Lavigne-developed Breakout-clone-slash-RPG is--or will be, once it's finally released--a download-only (for Xbox 360, via XBLIG) affair.

Sadly, Wizorb doesn't yet have a release date. It does, however, have a rather scintillating-looking trailer, which can be viewed on Lavigne's blog, pixeltao.ca.