Waltz of the Wizard Review
Summary: Waltz of the Wizard is a fun VR experience for anyone whose ever daydreamed of spending their time tinkering away at the Unseen University.
3.6
Sorcerer's apprentice
Waltz of the Wizard is the kind of toy box VR experience I have a soft spot for.
Any VR game that lets me use magic is usually my jam. The idea of being able to summon bolts of lightning or toss fireballs from the palm of my hand is the kind of power fantasy I can get behind. The fact I’ll look like Gandalf by the time I’m 50 probably helps, too.
Now on PSVR2, Aldin Dynamics’ magical job simulator puts players in the well-worn robes of a wizard pottering around in his tower.
It’s a short but sweet experience that opens with you being instructed by a talking skull we’ll call Murray on how to cast spells with your cauldron. (And then chides you for the resulting chaos) It’s as simple as it sounds: find something in the environment, dump it in the pot, and see what happens.
There are all sorts of spells to use, too, from fireballs to gravity spells, and once unlocked, you are free to cause chaos by blasting your tower apart.
There’s a nice suite of locomotive options, though I would opt for full room if you have the space, as being able to just move around the space and play about with whatever you find is a ton of fun.
Pick up your crossbow, and a series of targets spring up so you can sharpen up your shooting skills, drink the potion that says smaller on it to see the room from a mouse eye view, or play some tunes on your xylophone to teleport to other realms, including a labyrinth where you have to avoid a group of knights while hunting for a powerful magical item.
The presentation is solid, and the spells look suitably impressive, while the tower itself, though a fairly small environment, has plenty of detailed objects to examine and interact with, from spell books to potions and even a trumpet to give a quick blast. The rumble in the PSVR2 is also put to good use as the helmet rumble reacts to more violent spells and explosions.
Meanwhile, the microphone is put to great use as a means to bellow spells at the top of your lungs like some kind of crazed sorcerer, and the PSVR2 eye tracking lets you select items at a glance.
Another nice addition, and a fairly rare one in the VR space (offline anyway), is the addition of coop play, with a second player acting as your assistant using a pad to pass you ingredients and generally help cause chaos.
To track your progress, there’s a trophy cabinet on the wall that fills up once you’ve completed various challenges. However, once it’s full, there is little else to bring you back to the wizard’s tower.
Final Thoughts
Waltz of the Wizard is a short, sweet, and spellbinding sandbox that doesn’t outstay its welcome. Although it’s very much a one-and-done kind of game for less than a round of drinks, there’s certainly fun to be had tinkering in the wizard’s tower.
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