Technical Information

Developer: Dylan White
Publisher: Dylan White
Release Date: July 6, 2020

Completely inspired by retro games, Rift Wizard is a roguelike with strategy elements in which you control a wizard and must pass through 25 levels to destroy your rival.

Final Considerations – Analyzing the Work as a Whole

When this review was written, the game was in early access. It is possible that things have been improved or modified since then.

Graphics and UI

The pixel art graphics are reminiscent of NES games.
The animations are equally simple, with only two frames.

There aren’t many variations in environments (in terms of tilesets), but since all levels are procedurally generated, the aesthetic ends up being somewhat secondary, as each run is unique.

Unfortunately, even in fullscreen mode, the game’s screen size is small.
Players who have difficulty seeing things up close may struggle to play. :/

There is an option that teaches you how to play and control the wizard.
There is also a save slot, but if you die, you won’t be able to access it again.

Soundtrack and Sound Effects

There’s nothing extraordinary about the sound. The music fits well with the mysterious atmosphere, but that’s about it.
It’s calm, and you may end up not paying much attention to it.

Gameplay

The game features various spells and abilities to unlock, but you need to accumulate Special Points to do so. The number of possible combinations for creating a build is quite high, encouraging players to diversify their strategies.

All levels are procedurally generated (meaning nothing repeats between playthroughs), and despite having only 25 stages, the game is absurdly difficult, so much so that runs can last less than five minutes! hahaha

The entire map is divided into squares, similar to a chessboard. You can move diagonally or horizontally, but only one square at a time.

Rift Wizard is a purely strategic game, you’ll need to think carefully.
Plan your movements, decide which spells to unlock, and choose the best moments to use them. Mana must be managed with great caution, as it runs out quickly.

To move on to the next stage, you must eliminate all enemies on the screen. If you die, you’ll have to start over from scratch.

Replayability and Game Retention

The high difficulty serves as a stimulus to keep playing. As you continue trying, the early phases gradually become less complicated.
Because runs can end very quickly (often in under five minutes), the game works very well for casual gaming sessions.