Wizard101

Mechanics

Magic is one of the basic elements of Wizard101. In the game, players can learn the arcana of magic by following one of seven available schools – fire, ice, lightning, life, imagination, stars, and death. This decision affects what kind of spells a character can master.

All the learned spells are added to the deck, from which players draw them when battling monsters serving Malaistaire and his ally – Morgantha. For each victory, a player is rewarded with experience points, as well as new items, and precious ingredients.

During the game, players get the chance to visit numerous locations – apart from Wizard City; there are such places as Marleybone, MooShu, Dragonspyre, Grizzleheim & Wintertusk, Wysteria, Celestia, and Zafaria. Each location features its own background linked with the main story, as well as unique types of adversaries. Those among the players who become bored with fighting Malaistair can rest at their house (or a castle) and decorate it.

An interesting feature in Wizard101 is training one’s own familiar spirit – these feature dragons, pixies, leprechauns, ghouls, etc. All of the familiar spirits can be obtained during one’s adventures or at the special store. The experience points a player gathers result in new abilities of the spirits making them more powerful allies during all the battles. The developers have also implemented the option for the familiar spirits to fight among themselves.

Technical aspects

All the interactions between players have been limited, as Wizard101 puts a strong emphasis on the safety of the young players. PvP battles can only take place in designated areas – special arenas. Other community options feature creating teams and monitored chat.

The game features very colorful visuals – even though the quality is far behind the modern standards, the low system requirements are an advantage – Wizard101 can be run on older computers with no difficulties.

The game is based on the free-to-play business model with optional micro transactions for some of the items and facilitations. In practice, all players can enjoy all the locations available for characters below level 50. To enter locations designed for more advanced players, one has to pay for it with the in-game currency purchased with real money.