Rogue Wizards

Rogue Wizards is a turn-based dungeon crawler blending roguelike elements with RPG and town management aspects. Players explore procedurally generated dungeons, collecting loot, upgrading gear, and customizing their character through stats and magic schools. The game features charming, colorful 2D graphics with detailed animations and an isometric view that some players find immersive. Combat involves tactical decisions with various weapons, spells, and companions, though some find the magic system limiting due to resource constraints and turn costs for spell switching. The story mode offers quests and town building, while the Gauntlet mode provides an endless rogue-like challenge.

While praised for its polished presentation, addictive gameplay loop, and frequent developer updates, criticisms focus on repetitive combat, limited spellcasting, scaling issues that reduce progression satisfaction, occasional bugs (notably the mudslinger HUD glitch), and some UI inconveniences. The game is generally recommended as a fun casual roguelike with depth, especially if purchased on sale, but may not satisfy those seeking deep strategy or challenging difficulty.

Highlights

Players appreciate Rogue Wizards' colorful and charming 2D graphics with smooth animations and a nostalgic isometric style. The turn-based combat is tactical and engaging, requiring thoughtful weapon and spell use against varied enemies. The loot and gear progression system is well-designed, with equipment leveling up and affixes adding depth. The presence of companions, pets, and multiple magic schools enrich gameplay. The story mode with town building and quests adds variety, while the Gauntlet mode offers traditional roguelike challenge. Additionally, the developer's active support and frequent patches have improved the game over time.

Criticisms

Common criticisms include the magic system's limitations—spells require scarce reagents and switching spells consumes turns, making spellcasting clunky and less viable. The scaling mechanics cause loot and enemies to scale together, diminishing the sense of character progression and making combat feel repetitive. Some players find the combat slow or tedious, especially with knockback and status effects prolonging battles. The mud-on-screen bug causing HUD disappearance frustrated many, though it has been patched. Other issues include occasional UI confusion (e.g., building selection), limited companion control, and a lack of challenge at higher levels. Finally, some find the story and enemy variety lacking depth.