Unreliable Wizard

Open Sesame

Unreliable Wizard is a Japanese game from 2022 getting its new English language print in 2024. Salt and Pepper games are really shining with their solo and two player games at the moment from the critically acclaimed, head-to-head Watergate to the recent solo smash Resist which is soon to be revamped as Witchcraft. This new addition to the portfolio is a dungeon crawler presented in the style of an old 8-Bit computer game. This art style could quite easily be a love or hate element of the game from the off but for me, the nostalgia it taps into brought a smile to my face as soon as I opened the box. So what’s in the box? The game is made purely of cards. In this edition there are a number of different decks all signified by their different backs and a set of sleeves to put them all into. There is also a wooden wizard meeple and an acrylic monster standee, both unnecessary touches but fun all the same!

Abracadabra!

From a narrative standpoint, it is pretty simple. You are an apprentice wizard tasked by the King with destroying the Demon Lord, Terra, and thus saving the Princess. As you advance along the troubled lands you will need to fight enemy minions and gather new magic and traveling companions to assist along the way.

You will move your wizard meeple (weeple? wizple?) along the map taking damage for certain types of terrains you move across, with some even healing you if you are lucky. Each terrain type will do more damage with the more northern locations doing up to 3 hits just to move through them. You will keep exploring until you reach an encounter space. Here you turn over a monster card and throw some spells their way until they are defeated. There are three colours of spells, Red, Green and Blue which can be combined to create power moves as shown in your grimoire. During each battle you draw a number of cards from your spell deck taking one damage for each one, after all casting spells takes it out of you! Then you add up your spell points, take away any of the monster’s defence points and that’s how much damage the minion takes. If you manage to kill them you take a health boost bonus, a random spell/companion card and move on, if not, you take some damage and try again. The system is simple but as you build your spell deck and upgrade your grimoire it can become an interesting puzzle as you figure out which spells will do the most damage. Along your way you will pick up companions like the Paladin or the Monk or even the Hero and Princess who will help you by adding extra attack points and additional powers. Once you reach the top of the map you will have to battle with Terra himself and with a lot of health he will continue to regenerate the longer it takes to kill him! Once defeated, the game is won.

Hocus Pocus

In this pack you will also get an expansion titled The Unstable Spirit Towers which adds a whole load of extra material. The biggest addition is an alternate map that will give opportunities to collect powerful items like staffs and cloaks that will boost your power and crystals that can be spent for certain abilities. There are also a whole new set of minions that consist of multiple cards offering even more powerful rewards when they are defeated. I think this pack adds a lot of welcome content. I have really enjoyed the base game but after a few plays I have noticed it becoming a little repetitive. The addition of more minions and the magical items in particular have really spiced up the gameplay and although I wouldn’t play with them all the time, I am glad they are there to throw into the mix every now and again.

If you fancy a compact solo experience then this is a great addition to the collection. Just a pack of 32 cards that can slip easily into your pocket and can easily be played in 15 to 20 minutes. The art style will not be for everyone but for those old enough to remember when 8-Bit wasn’t a stylistic choice but a technological marvel, it hits all the right feels. If that sounds like you…just bibbidy-bobbidy-buy it.

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