This is a rating for Llylgamyn Saga’s Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord specifically: a fantastic aesthetic update and QoL port of one of the most foundational RPGs ever put to screen.

Unfortunately, Wizardry 1 still shows its age in a lot of ways ranging from its early randomness and grind, the cruelty and brutality of its trap and enemy designs, and the general lack of ways to engage with its dungeon encounters beyond killing everything in sight or fleeing for dear life.

But when Wizardry shines, it shines bright and pure—the essence of AD&D dungeon-crawling given video game form.