Wizard101is a 2008massively multiplayer online role-playing game(MMORPG) developed and published byKingsIsle Entertainment.Players take on the role of student wizards who must save the Spiral, thefictional universein which the game is set, from various threats. Players battle enemies by casting spells using a variety of different weapons in aturn-based combat system,similar tocollectible card games.
| Wizard101 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | KingsIsle Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | KingsIsle Entertainment |
| Director(s) |
|
| Artist(s) | Karl Holbert |
| Writer(s) |
|
| Composer(s) | Nelson Everhart[a] |
| Engine | Gamebryo |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows,Mac OS X,Chromebook |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Massively multiplayer online role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
Pirate101,a second MMORPG set in the same universe, was released in 2012.
Gameplay
edit
The fictional universe of the Spiral is divided into many worlds, each of which has multiple areas. The worlds of the Spiral are islands suspended in midair within spheroid atmospheres. The most recent addition to the magical realms is Wallaru, bringing new adventures and challenges to the game. The first world in the game, Wizard City, is auniversity citybased around the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts, which players join at the start of the game.
Players can unlock all areas temporarily via a paid subscription or unlock each area permanently with the game's premium currency "Crowns".A wizard first starting the game must choose a school: Fire, Ice, Storm, Myth, Life, Death, or Balance, each complete with their own set of unique spells and playstyles.
The game is based around "duels": two teams made up of one to four players or computer enemies on each team who take turns casting spells. Spells can be cast using "pips". A player gains one pip every round, and there is a chance that that pip will be a "power pip", worth two regular pips based on a percentage from the player's gear for spells that are of the player's class. Spells can reduce the health of enemy creatures, increase the health of players or their allies, add shields that damage, add blades or traps that modify the amount of damage done, and more. When a player reduces a computer enemy's health to zero, they are defeated; players with a health of zero can be healed by others on their team unless they "flee" the duel. When every player or computer on a team has zero health, the other team wins. When the players win a combat, they earn rewards, which are distributed automatically so players need not argue over spoils.[1]
As the player progresses, more worlds become available. There are many main worlds, with a few smaller side ones that are optional. When wizards level up, they gain new badge titles and automatic increases in their base statistics: health, mana, and energy. Most equipment also has level restrictions. Hobbies such as training pets, fishing, and gardening require energy; crafting instead requires various resources called "reagents". Players can duel each other in the PvP arena and some houses. As of December 2023, players can achieve a maximum level of 170 in Wallaru.[2]
Plot
editArc 1 (Wizard City, Krokotopia, Marleybone, Mooshu, and Dragonspyre)
editMerle Ambrose, the headmaster of Ravenwood school, summons the player character to the world of Wizard City. He explains that Malistaire Drake, the school's former Death Professor, has been driven mad by the death of his wife Sylvia and pursues unknown but dangerous methods to resurrect her. As the Wizard foils Malistaire's plots throughout Wizard City, they learn that Malistaire seeks the ancient "Krokonomicon" on the world of Krokotopia.
The wizard travels to Krokotopia to find the Krokonomicon, only to learn that an expedition from Marleybone has taken it to their world. The Wizard travels there and aids detectiveSherlock Bonesin foiling the schemes of the O'Leary gang, in exchange for access to the Krokonomicon. Meanwhile, Malistaire breaks the infamous thiefMeowiartyout ofNewgate Prisonin exchange for retrieving the Krokonomicon. The Wizard pursues them and defeats Meowiarty, but Malistaire escapes with the Krokonomicon.
Ambrose tracks Malistaire's trail to the world of Mooshu, where Malistaire has seriously wounded their Emperor and used his spiral key to enter the world of Dragonspyre. The Wizard defeats the four cursedOnisof Mooshu to heal the Emperor and earn the key to Dragonspyre. The player and Malistaire's brother, Myth professor Cyrus Drake, pursue Malistaire to Dragonspyre. They learn that Malistaire intends to use the Krokonomicon to awaken the slumbering Dragon Titan and force him to revive Sylvia. Cyrus attempts to use Sylvia's ghost to convince Malistaire to stop but fails, and the player kills Malistaire in a duel. His ghost reunites with Sylvia and departs into the afterlife.
Arc 2 (Celestia, Zafaria, Avalon, Azteca, and Khrysalis)
editThe Wizard aids a Marleybonian expedition in exploring the world of Celestia. They eventually encounter the Umbra QueenMorganthe,a former protégé of Ambrose expelled for practicing forbidden Shadow magic, who shares an ominious prophecy. While rescuingexchange studentsfrom the world of Zafaria, the Wizard witnesses Morganthe reclaim her "Deck of Shadows" and announce her intention to rewrite the Spiral in her image.
Ambrose sends the Wizard to the world of Avalon to obtain the legendary "Sword of Kings", hoping it can counter Morganthe's power. Avalon'sLady of the Lakeaids them in becoming worthy to wield it by attuning to five shrines throughout Avalon. The Wizard pursues Morganthe to the world of Azteca, where she has resurrected Malistaire and imbued him with Shadow magic, and sent a massive meteor,Xibalba,on course to destroy the world and fulfill her prophecy. Although the Wizard narrowly defeats Malistaire, they fail to prevent Azteca from being destroyed.
Aided by allies made throughout their journey, the Wizard infiltrates Khrysalis, Morganthe's homeworld. The Wizard aids local resistance groups against Morganthe's army, encountering the mysterious Old Cob, who helps the Wizard eventually reach Morganthe's Shadow Palace and best her in combat. Attempting to absorb more power, Morganthe overloads and falls into the depths of space. Having used the Wizard to eliminate his rival, Old Cob orders his "children" to "Marry and make war" across the spiral before departing.
Arc 3 (Polaris, Mirage, and Empyrea)
editAfter formally graduating from Ravenwood, the Wizard travels to the worlds of Polaris and Mirage, foiling the chaotic schemes ofRasputinandOverlord Xerxes.They are the disguised sons of Old Cob, who is actually Grandfather Spider, husband of Grandmother Raven. Raven chose to forsake her love for Spider and used his heart to create the spiral. Out of spite, Spider intends to reclaim it and destroy the Spiral.
Aided by Mellori,Baba Yaga's adopted daughter, the Wizard learns that the Cabal, secret agents of Spider embedded throughout the spiral, seek to help him claim the Sands of Time, which Spider can use to reset time and retrieve his heart. The Wizard defeats Spider but learns that killing him will destroy his heart and thus unmake the Spiral. Mellori reveals herself as Raven's biological daughter and attempts to kill Spider on Raven's orders, but he captures her instead. The Wizard pursues them to the center of the spiral, Empyrea, created by Raven to seal off Spider's heart.
There, the Wizard allies with Spider's turncoat son, the Bat, and rescues Mellori before she can be weaponized to reach Spider's heart. The trio eventually reach Spider's heart at the same time as Spider and Raven; their hatred and conflict has created the insane "Aethyr Titan", which threatens to annihilate them and the Spiral. The Wizard, Bat and Mellori defeat the Aethyr Titan, and convince Spider and Raven to forgive each other and exile themselves. In the aftermath, the Wizard is warned of a new threat: "Nothing".
Arc 4 (Karamelle, Lemuria, Novus, and Wallaru)
editIn the aftermath of the Empyrea events, the Cabal invites the Wizard for a peace summit in Karamelle. The summit aims to unite various factions under the leadership of the Enigma tic Old One. However, things turn dark when a mysterious Cavity swallows the Old One. The other Cabal members blame the Wizard for the appearance of these Cavities. As the story unfolds, the Wizard discovers that the "Nothing" —the same entity Sybil warned about—is behind these Cavities. The Nothing communicates with us through combat, taking the form of the Aberrant Paradox.
Having defeated the Aberrant Paradox, the Nothing assumes the guise of the Old One. It expresses curiosity about our world, and the Spiral, and seeks to understand more. The original Old One had constructed Lemuria using fragments from other worlds, using a powerful device called the world synthesizer. This device was locked away in the Arcanum. The Wizard's mission becomes clear: find the world synthesizer and prevent it from destroying the Spiral. Along this journey, the Nothing, now named Dasein, grapples with the concept of goodness. The Wizard encounters Heroes who play pivotal roles. Ultimately, the Wizard locates the world synthesizer, but the Heroes intend to reshape Lemuria in their image. A climactic battle ensues, and Dasein sacrifices itself by merging with the synthesizer to prevent its destructive activation. We return the device to the Arcanum, where it is destroyed.
Dasein’s sacrifice transforms it into a new world—Novus. Shards of Novus appear across various Spiral worlds. Four powerful civilizations—Valencia, Monquista, Marleybone, and Polaris—have already discovered these shards. Each shard reflects the cultural essence of its respective world. Dasein possesses the ability to grant desires, but each civilization seeks something different. Amidst this, the Cabal, including a mysterious member known as the Manticore, tries to manipulate Dasein to restore the First World. The Wizard confronts the Manticore’s vision of paradise, the Aeon of Atavus, and defeats it. Dasein grows disillusioned with the conflicting desires of others and rejects the Spiral, reverting to Nothing. The Spiral blames the Wizard for their alliance with Dasein.
Payment model
editThe game offers a choice of either a subscription or a "Free-to-Play" option withmicrotransactions.Free-to-Play customers can purchase access to different areas of content using an in-game premium currency calledCrowns.Such areas need to be bought only once. Crowns also can be used to purchase exclusive in-game items and access PvP tournaments. Crowns can be purchased with a game card, from the online store or earned in small amounts through SuperRewards.
Subscriptions unlock all playable worlds, as well as allowing players to compete in ranked PvP matches and ranked Pet Derby races, enter tournaments for gold, store more items in their backpack, and gain the ability to post on the Wizard101 Message Board, along with other minor benefits for the duration of their membership.
Online safety features
editParental controls
editWizard101has various parental controls available that can be managed by a "Master Account" through the game's website. Once a setting is changed on the Master Account, it goes into effect on all connected accounts in a family of accounts.[3]Parental control options include changing the chat settings to restrict the account from certain chat functions.
Player chat
editIf a player is under 13 years of age, they are not able to see text messages and are restricted to "menu chat", a selection of phrases that can be used to interact with other players (must have made a debit/credit card purchase). However, with a master password, the parent can allow a child under 13 to use text chat. If the player is 13 years or older, they can send and see text messages, but word filters are in place to censor profanity, numbers, and personal information such as emails or names. Filtered words are marked red while typing, and will be sent as three dots once sent.[4]If the player is 18 years or older and has verified their account via credit card, text messages become much less restrictive, allowing them to see and type some words that are usually filtered, though some are still restricted. Filtered words that are generally restricted by 13+ text chat is visible to 18+ chat, and are marked yellow. Those with 18+ chat can see them, but not 13+ chat.[5]
Names
editA player's name must be decided through predetermined names made up of a first name and a one-part or a optional two-part surname. The official game forums are also heavily moderated, and forum posts must be checked by a moderator before they are made visible.
Development history
edit| Location | Release date | Status | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | September 2, 2008 | Active | English Spanish French |
| Europe (Gameforge) | February 15, 2011 | Closed May 16, 2022 | English Spanish French German Italian Polish Greek |
| Europe (KingsIsle) | May 16, 2022 | Active | English Spanish French German Italian Polish Greek |
| Taiwan | April 27, 2012 | Closed October 15, 2015 | Traditional Chinese |
| China | Closed November 1, 2015 | Simplified Chinese |
The development ofWizard101began in 2005, soon after the founding of KingsIsle Entertainment. Company founder Elie Akilian hiredJ. Todd Coleman,who served as creative director of the game from its launch through 2013.[6]The game entered openbetaon August 6, 2008, and it launched successfully on September 2, 2008. On August 25, 2010, it was announced thatWizard101would be released in foreign territories later that year.
Wizard101launched a European Beta version on December 15, 2010, and then released the game on February 15, 2011, in partnership withGameforge.[7]This eventually included releases of the game in English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Polish, and Greek. It was announced on August 17, 2011, thatKingsIsle Entertainmentand Taomee Holdings Limited had an agreement to launchWizard101in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.Wizard101Taiwan officially launched on April 27, 2012, with the others to follow.
The Chinese version ofWizard101had changes made to the game to conform with laws or appeal to the gaming culture in the country. Any references to skeletons or death had to be censored or removed. Quests required more monsters to be defeated or more items collected. The game would suggest players take breaks if playing for long periods and after two hours, or the player will enter a "fatigued" state, where rewards and stats are cut in half, and after five hours, the "unhealthy" state would cut all rewards given completely.[8]
In 2012, KingsIsle Entertainment releasedPirate101,a sister game ofWizard101,also set in the 101 universe. It was described as "comfortable and familiar" toWizard101,but featuring "entirely new design, setting, and gameplay mechanics".[9]
In 2014, Taomee no longer advertisedWizard101.[10]In April 2015,Wizard101Taiwan announced that it would shut down on May 25, 2015, but the date was rescheduled to October 15, 2015.Wizard101China announced its shutdown date as November 1, 2015.[11]In September 2018, to celebrate the game's 10 year anniversary, the game was given a separate re-release on the gaming platform, Steam.[12]Prior to the ten-year update, the graphics for Wizard City, the starting area of the game, were revamped along with the character models and animations. When the update did appear on September 8, 2018, players were able to get two housing items and a wand (sparkler) to celebrate the ten years. To get one of the housing items, the players are forced to go on a short quest, in which the company, Kingsisle Entertainment, thanks to the supporters of its game through the use of well-established characters in the game. This was a limited-time event, which ended shortly before November 2018.
On February 15, 2022, both KingsIsle and Gameforge announced that the EuropeanWizard101servers would slowly transition to the KingsIsle and gamigo teams over the course of several months in the second quarter of 2022. It is "assured that game progress and Crowns balance will be maintained after the switch".[13][14]
Music
editIn 2008, composer Nelson Everhart was asked to write the music forWizard101.The team initially asked him to compose aHarry Potter-style track, which got him the job. That music eventually became the score for Marleybone.[15]
In 2010, the second world Celestia was released. In association withSelena Gomez's released single "Round and Round",a questline for the popstar was made and players who completed the quest were given a statue and portrait of Gomez. However, the questline has since been removed.[16]
In 2011, a campaign centered around a "mystery composer" was launched in anticipation forWizard101's upcoming Wintertusk expansion. It was finally revealed thatNick Jonaswas the mystery composer. He worked with KingsIsle for two months, writing a total of seven atmospheric tracks for Wintertusk.[17]
As of 2022, Everhart still actively composes music for the game's expansions.
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | 77.50%[18] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| GameShark | B |
| About | 4.5/5 |
According to KingsIsle Entertainment's press releases, the game has experienced a steady growth in the number of accounts: 2 million in April 2009,[19]5 million in September 2009,[20]10 million players by June 2010,[21]15 million by January 2011, 20 million by July 2011,[22]and 30 million by July 2013. As of November 2014, there are currently about 50 million accounts created.
The game currently scores an average of 77.5% from ratings onGameRankings.[18]GameSharkreviewer Toni Dimayuga noted the game's overall ambiance and graphic setting as well as the overall fun nature ofWizard101in the pro column, while the combat (in particular defeats) and the perceived restrictive nature of chat were criticized.[23]
Notes
edit- ^Additional music by Nick Jonas, Mark Packard, Krys Kozlowski, and Dennis Bestafka
References
edit- ^"RPG Vault Focus: MMOGs for Younger Audiences – Part 1".RPG Vault. September 28, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon September 29, 2008.RetrievedOctober 24,2008.
- ^"Wizard101 Update Notes".Wizard101.December 2023.Retrieved2023-12-01.
- ^Liang, Alice (August 12, 2008)."Wizard101 Beta Impressions".1up.Archivedfrom the original on March 6, 2009.RetrievedOctober 27,2008.
- ^Davison, John (June 19, 2008)."Wizard101: First Look".What They Play.Archivedfrom the original on December 17, 2008.RetrievedOctober 24,2008.
- ^"Largest Wizard101 Expansion Introduces Crafts, Bazaar, & More (Press release)".IGN. July 2, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon January 30, 2012.RetrievedAugust 22,2009.
- ^"Wizard101 (Press release)".GamesIndustry.biz. May 22, 2008.Archivedfrom the original on December 4, 2008.RetrievedAugust 25,2009.
- ^"KingsIsle Entertainment and Gameforge Partner to Bring Wizard101 to Europe".PR Newswire.Archivedfrom the original on October 4, 2011.RetrievedAugust 19,2011.
- ^Ohannessian, Kevin (February 17, 2012)."What" Wizard101 "Gave Up To Break Into China: Exposed Bones, Points, Gold".Fast Company.Archivedfrom the original on August 7, 2017.RetrievedAugust 6,2017.
- ^"KingsIsle Entertainment Proudly Unveils Pirate101".KingsIsle Entertainment.April 25, 2012.Archivedfrom the original on December 25, 2017.RetrievedDecember 24,2017.
- ^"Forgotten Community: Former Wizard101 Chinese player's experience | Wizard101 Amino".Wizard101 | aminoapps.Retrieved2020-09-18.
- ^"【 hệ thống thông cáo 】 ma đấu học viên 101 kết thúc vận chuyển buôn bán thông cáo"(Press release) (in Chinese).KingsIsle Entertainmentand Taomee Entertainment. April 10, 2015. Archived fromthe originalon May 21, 2015.RetrievedMay 19,2015.
- ^"Welcome to Steam".store.steampowered.Retrieved2019-02-18.
- ^"KingsIsle and gamigo cast a spell to acquire Wizard101 European Servers".KingsIsle.KingsIsle Entertainment. 2022-02-15.Retrieved2022-02-06.
- ^"KingsIsle and gamigo Acquiring European Wizard101 Servers and Community".Wizard101 UK.Gameforge. 2022-02-15. Archived fromthe originalon 2022-02-17.Retrieved2022-02-06.
- ^Everhart, Nelson."Biography".Retrieved2020-06-12.
- ^"Selena Gomez Comes to Wizard101!".Wizard101.KingsIsle Entertainment. 2010-09-09.Retrieved2021-10-12.
- ^"Superstar Singer/Producer Nick Jonas Revealed as Wizard101 Mystery Composer".Wizard101.KingsIsle Entertainment. 2011-05-01.Retrieved2020-06-12.
- ^ab"Wizard 101 for PC – GameRankings".Gamerankings.CBS Interactive Inc.Archivedfrom the original on November 2, 2011.RetrievedNovember 1,2011.
- ^"Wizard 101 Virtual World Surpasses Two-Million Player Mark, Launches Gift Cards at 7-Eleven (Press release)".IGN. April 30, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon May 4, 2009.RetrievedAugust 22,2009.
- ^"WIZARD 101 REACHES 5 MILLION PLAYERS(Press release)".September 10, 2009.Archivedfrom the original on September 23, 2009.RetrievedSeptember 15,2009.
- ^"Ten Million Wizards Join Forces to Save the Spiral in Wizard101(Press release)".June 22, 2010.Archivedfrom the original on February 7, 2011.RetrievedJuly 4,2010.
- ^"Wizard101 hits 20 million players!(Press release)".Forbes.July 14, 2011.Archivedfrom the original on January 15, 2014.RetrievedSeptember 11,2013.
- ^Dimayuga, Toni (March 11, 2009)."You have seen the TV ads on Nickelodeon – and what do you know? Wizard 101, the magical MMO for kids, is pretty darn good".Gameshark.Archivedfrom the original on March 23, 2009.RetrievedAugust 22,2009.