Image via Clear River Games
Us getting a localized version of WiZmans World about 16 years after its 2010 Japanese debut on the DS is wild. A part of me wants to suggest people grab it and try it to help show there’s a demand for these sorts of releases and see what this snapshot of past JRPGs is like. Fortunately, WiZmans World Re;Try is mechanically interesting due to the Anima Fusion system, though it does get incredibly repetitive due to grinding to conquer dungeons.
In WiZmans World Re;Try, a whole town is kept captive. Everyone in Wizarest is dealing with memory loss and finds themselves trapped in a town surrounded by dungeons. Those who try to challenge those labyrinths face untimely ends. However, as the adventure begins, a witch named Giselle discovers a child in the forest. He’s unable to speak, but she brings him to Archmage Adan and states she’ll raise him. Years later, he’s meeting with that same authority figure after Giselle’s disappeared into one of the dungeons and is about to start his own journeys into the depths. When he does, he learns she succeeded in creating artificial lifeforms called homunculi, an objective she’d had for years, and joins forces with Aen, Doe, and Toori to conquer these trials and find out the truth about the world and the apparent collapse that is leading to the influx of monsters and dangers.
In terms of gameplay, WiZmans World Re;Try is a rather typical turn-based JRPG. There will be Main Quests that come from the Archmage and involve going into each of the dungeons surrounding Wizarest. However, you can (and should) also take on Sub Quests from villagers that provide opportunities to grind levels and gain rewards. Fights are traditional affairs in which a timeline on the top of the screen shows the order in which allies and enemies will act and you can opt to attack, use a skill, guard, use an item, or escape on your turn. An auto function is present, which is handy given this is a very grindy game. Dungeons and towns feature an overhead perspective, and the character and monster sprites generally look fine. You can also see the enemies on the map, making it possible to avoid or seek out encounters.
The unique element to WiZmans World Re;Try is the Anima Fusion system. When you defeat an enemy, you might get their soul as a reward. Going to your lab in town lets you fuse that with Aen, Doe, and Toori to change their in-battle appearance and abilities. I suppose I’d say it is similar to the fusion mechanics with demons and Personas in Atlus’ Shin Megami Tensei and Persona series. You pick a homunculus, then select a soul. This then determines the boost in stats, Ex Attack, Skills, and appearance after they’re combined. Once done, you see the Anima Status with up to two combined and the results. The final appearance ends up looking like a female humanoid version of the monster souls used in the process. There’s a standard option, but it is possible to get manastones and other materials for more advanced ones involving catalysts that result in better final results.
The thing is that system is great and does encourage WiZmans World Re;Try dungeon diving, but also ties into the parts that get pretty tedious. This can be a grind-heavy game. Especially if you want Aen, Doe, and Toori to be at their best and capable of covering every elemental base when attacking due to a rock-paper-scissors sort of system. (Fire beats wind, wind beats earth, earth is better than water, and water will put out fire.) The fights themselves aren’t all that enthralling. If you can get into a routine, maybe put on some music or a show and play in handheld mode, it’s fine. But it doesn’t really challenge you beyond knowing you probably need certain extra souls to be prepared for a boss or some stronger fusions, so you better grind a bit to prepare.
WiZmans World Re;Try isn’t the most exciting JRPG, but it is great we finally get to experience it after about 16 years. The Anima Fusion system is interesting, and there’s some pretty intricate spritework involved for some characters. The game is something of a grind though, so be prepared to work for your best combinations and to take down some bosses that appear in later dungeons.
WiZmans World Re;Try is available on the Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC, and the original game appeared on the DS.
WiZmans World Re;Try
WiZmans World Re;Try isn’t the most exciting JRPG, but it is great we finally get to experience it after about 16 years. Switch version reviewed.