Wizard 101 is a 3D MMORPG game that has grown exponentially in terms of popularity. Released in September 2008, this free game has managed to amass 20 million players as of July 2011 according to Wikipedia. This figure is expected to rise thanks to its obvious inspirations from the Harry Potter franchise. The latest Harry Potter film has grossed more than $1.3 billion at the box office. Since Harry Potter doesn’t have an MMORPG game of its own, Wizard 101’s fan base is expected to grow for many years to come.
When you first play the game, you have the freedom to name your future wizard. The game offers you many fun and wacky names for you to choose from. Some of the name combinations you can choose from include “Star Stalker” or “Spirit Sword”.
The game starts humbly as you are a young aspiring wizard who wants to learn how to use magic. Principal Ambrose is your tutor and he will teach you the basics of Wizard 101. When you start playing, the references to the Harry Potter franchise are obvious from the start. Ambrose even has a talking owl friend. This is a blatant reference to Harry Potter’s owl named Hedwig.
When you sign up for Wizard 101, danger looms to threaten the establishment. Ambrose’s main adversary named Malistare seems to attack you and Ambrose directly. From here, Ambrose takes you through a tutorial on how combat is handled in Wizard 101. Although enemies appear in real time on the game’s map, fighting is done via old-school turn-based RPG combat.
A magic circle appears in the middle of the ground that acts as your dueling platform. Since everyone in the game has access to magic, you can draw cards to summon the type of attack you want to unleash on your enemies. It plays a bit like a match seen in Pokémon. You can summon creatures of all shapes to attack enemies. At the start of the game, some of the animals you can summon include a fire tiger or even a thunderous snake, just to name a few. In terms of magic that helps you in battle, a beautiful unicorn appears to heal you and you can restore both your hit points and magic.
Once you’re finally able to defeat Malistare’s minions, he runs off and threatens to come back. Ambrose knows he’s up to something and it’s up to you to find out. Before he can do all of that, he’ll be taken around campus to learn more about what the young wizards can do in Wizard 101. It’s like he’s at school on the first day!
Once you’re taken around campus, you realize just how much effort has gone into Wizard 101. It’s hard to believe that this game is actually a free-to-play title. This game has all the elements for a high quality video game. There are real voices for almost every character you speak to, a great soundtrack, and sound effects that will make even some Hollywood movies envy. Although this game has nothing to do with Harry Potter, the game’s production values rival those of EA’s actual Harry Potter games released at retail.
Since Wizard 101 appeals to a younger audience, the gaming community and general atmosphere of the game is nice and friendly. Players are rarely rude to each other and there are several chat options you can use to communicate with other players. Not only that, but players can join any battle and help you out anytime you are walking away to take down the bad guys.
In order for players to be happy with their Wizard 101 experience, players cannot fight other players on the real Wizard 101 map. The only time you can fight other players is in a specific place called Arena. I really admire this feature since the last time I played an MMO RPG, I wanted to complete a mission, but another player kept pestering me to challenge him to a fight. Don’t expect annoying and challenging players here at Wizard 101 unless you visit the Arena.
One thing that might be a challenge for some players is that health and magic do not replenish after each battle. It is up to the player if he wants to continue fighting or retire home. You can always use items to replenish health or magic or pick up special wisps in the air that are floating.
As mentioned above, the production values in this game are really high. Graphically, the game resembles that of World of Warcraft. That being said, you will need a fairly powerful computer to run the game. It is recommended to have a computer with 512 MB of RAM to run it. Although a computer with 1 GB of RAM will ensure that the game runs smoothly.
Wizard 101 is one of the best free games I’ve come across. It’s much more fun to play than most games that you have to pay full price for. The Wizard 101 gaming community is friendly and helpful, and players of all ages can enjoy the game itself. I’m sure Wizard 101’s popularity will rise not because of its Harry Potter references, but because of the fact that it’s a great game on its own merits.