Legacy of the Wizard for NES - A Review | hungrygoriya

[@hungrygoriya]

If you love this game and would like a beautiful piece of fan art for your walls, please check out this video by @The Renesance and the links in its description to order your very own print of the castle scene: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zp2TomxqgJeXesk&ab_channel=TheReNesance

[@w.qualls7930]

Okay, assigning a theme tune to each region based on its ideal character was subtle and simple but very clever. Love touches like that.

[@hungrygoriya]

Right? I thought it was extremely meaningful and added an extra layer to this game that really kicked it up even higher in my books.

[@rrudeljr]

@@hungrygoriya I'm shocked, my family played it for hundreds of hours, mapping out every single tile, and we never even noticed the theme music changes based on the area and linked it to the different family members.

[@oneyewitness3823]

I played this game so much as a kid that the soundtrack imbues a nostalgic feeling cant explain...this was the very first game i beat...me and my dad would take turns and while he was at work i couldnt wait to show him what i had figured out ir how far i had got...a true masterpiece that doesnt get the credit or accolades it should

[@hungrygoriya]

It's great that you have those wonderful memories with it. Taking turns with your dad is really special too!

[@iami3rian394]

A very long time ago, back in fourth grade, my best friend and I were playing through this game. We talked about it one morning on the bus. Our bus driver had just finished Wizardry, and was looking for a game to play. He overheard us and started asking about it. The next morning he told us he was super tired, because he stayed up really late playing it all night. All told, it took the three of us working together and sharing tidbits of info around there months to beat this game. Lots of nostalgia here for me, on this one. This was WELL before the internet, and for another twenty years I'd never heard of anyone else who had played this one. In sixth grade, we went to middle school. Never saw that guy again, but for the rest of fourth grade and all of fifth we all kinda shared all kinds of stuff. We taught him about Metallica and Nivrana, he played all his Queen tapes, and we pooled our resources to beat master blaster and Battle of Olympus. I still wonder what happened to that guy. He'd have to be about 60 now. Could still be driving that bus. Well, he's probably got a new bus. = ) One of my life regrets is not finding out his last name, believe it or not. Would be nice to see what else he got up to.

[@hungrygoriya]

That's a really sweet memory... I wonder if there's a way to look him up. Bus drivers were such mysterious people. I don't think I ever knew any of mine by more than a first name, so I hear ya! I hope you can find him someday!

[@iami3rian394]

@@hungrygoriya I'd assume it would still be possible, if the resources could be spared. I doubt he's untrackable yet. Just find the name of the company, and backtrack from there. Even if every bus driver at the school was named John, there'd still only be like six people it could've been. = D Awesome stream tonight, BTW, and I like Redaux a lot too, so that's one more thing I have to thank you for introducing me too. = D

[@hungrygoriya]

@@iami3rian394 Thanks for dropping into the stream! It was nice to have you there. And you're welcome. There's a great community on Twitch that I've been incredibly thankful for... they're hard to beat!

[@paisleyboxers]

I thought I was the only person who ever had this game! Also I never had the booklet. I loved playing but was always lost. I don't think the purpose of the game ever made sense, I just loved it. You've inspired a real playthrough. Thank you so much!!!

[@hungrygoriya]

I hope you enjoy it! Best of luck :) I hope you'll let me know if you end up making it through.

[@voodoocustompickups2547]

I loved this game when I was a kid. I've never met another person that had it

[@hemangchauhan2864]

Love experimental ambitious NES games. This one clearly had some love put into it.

[@hungrygoriya]

It was really fleshed out despite some troubles around softlocking like I mentioned, but in a game where experimentation is at the forefront, it's hard not to end up there.

[@jrvbamafan1]

This game is so underappreciated. It's super hard and admittedly not for everyone, but so absolutely rewarding when you find a crown after searching for hours. I consider myself a pretty decent nes player having completed difficult games like ninja gaiden, castlevania, final fantasy and dragon warrior just to name a few, but I never could beat this game without a code. It wasn't for lack of trying though. No telling how many hours I spent crawling through those dungeons. One thing I can say is the music in this game is criminally underrated. This made me want to play this again. I may pick up another copy of it and try again to complete it without any help

[@hungrygoriya]

I think you totally nailed it... it's not for everyone, but it's definitely doable with some persistence and process of elimination. The hardest thing for me was getting started, and once I found the glove, I was off! I hope if you give it a go that you have a good time with it.

[@thewingedavenger1007]

This is the best review of this game. I had it as a kid and loved it despite being flummoxed at its puzzles. But years later with the magic of emulation, I finally beat the game. When I think of composer Yuzo Koshiro, the first game I think of is this one, although I do understand why most people consider Streets of Rage 2 to be his masterpiece. This game has a unique charm and the excellent (albeit underrated by most) music plays a big role in that. The gameplay is fun and original, and the graphics are fantastic. This was also released on the MSX2 as "Dragon Slayer IV: The Drasle Family", and yes, Faxanadu is related to it since it is basically an enhanced version of "Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu". Faxanadu is similarly good in that it's also a Metroid-like with superb music.

[@hungrygoriya]

I'm sad that I'm coming to this one so late, especially given how deep my love is for Faxanadu. Better late than never though! And the music in this game is really something else. I don't think my foot ever stopped tapping the entire time I played. There were more tracks I could've featured here but just didn't have room for!

[@TheMr77469]

Nice review! Love the manual art. Found it hilarious, the description of: " enemies that look like they bend over and wink at you".

[@nymalous3428]

Thanks for that bit of nostalgia. Legacy of the Wizard was one of our first games. We really didn't know what we were doing (as per your comment toward the end), but we had so much fun! My favorite was the daughter once we picked up the spike shoes. It made it feel a bit more like Super Mario (which we were all familiar with), and it was also so much cheaper to kill the enemies with (as far as magic consumption goes; i.e., it was free). We didn't finish it, but we did find a lot of cool stuff while we played, and we would take turns, switching out characters, roaming around, and just poking into stuff. I don't remember being frustrated by it, which we probably should have been, considering our huge lack of progress. At the end of the video, when you just have some of the music from the game playing, I was brought back. I just listened and I could hear each note in my memory before it was played. The last time I touched the game was over 30 years ago. I must have played it a lot to have the music still burned into my brain like that (especially after brain damage). Thanks again.

[@hungrygoriya]

I think I would've adored playing this one as a kid. Thanks for sharing some of your memories playing with your family back then. The music in games from my childhood seems to resonate straight to my soul. Stuff like Faxanadu, Super Mario Bros. 2, The Legend of Zelda, King's Quest V etc. take me back to much simpler times in my mind. It's a powerful thing!

[@RaccoonWithMatches]

Erin's Q and A video brought me here - this seems like a game I would've loved when I was a kid back when I had my NES

[@hungrygoriya]

Glad you decided to stop by! It was very kind of Erin to mention me

[@Yobama007]

Great review and spot on!! I played this as a child with no clue what to do then as a teen with an understanding of the game. I too got hard locked in Xemn’s area by pushing a block over a ladder. Yes the music is awesome and this game was just such an adventure! I’m glad I got the opportunity to play it back in the day pre-internet. I saw a while back someone was doing a “pixel upgrade” that looked really good, no idea what happened with that. Anyways keep up the good work! Cheers!!

[@hungrygoriya]

I think I can picture the area where you might've gotten stuck with Xemn. Was it beside the "teeth" room where you have to push blocks horizontally? I know a few people who got stuck there. I'd love to see that pixel upgrade project come to light. That sounds amazing! Thanks for checking out the video here. Glad you're enjoying the channel so far!

[@Harbinger28567]

I got this game for a Christmas present when I was in the fourth grade in 1989. Excellent sound track, but beyond cryptic. Me and my brother would take turns trying to figure out where to go, what to do, and which character could go into which part of the dungeon labyrinth. Slowly over the course of about 6 - 8 months we made progress little by little until one day we got the portrait of the dragon to come to life and start the final battle. When we defeated the dragon, it felt like we conquered an army. Good game for its time on the NES, but if you try to play it now without a guide, it won't be long until the blemishes in the design really become noticeable.

[@hungrygoriya]

I'm glad you two finally got through it! What a team! I played it without a guide or even looking at a map really, and I got so used to taking the same paths around the dungeon that I got used to it pretty quick. It's very overwhelming at the start though.

[@voodoocustompickups2547]

I loved this game when I was a kid. I use to watch my dad breeze through Mario, Zelda, Punch Out, Final Fantasy and all those great games. But he never completed this game. In fact it frustrated him to the point he would get angry at it. That alone intrigued me to explore this game.

[@hungrygoriya]

Did you end up making it through yourself eventually?

[@DougWilliams06]

I really enjoyed this game when I was a kid. I never knew anyone else who played this game and thought it was my own little secret.

[@hungrygoriya]

I wish I'd had it when I was little. I think I would've loved it!

[@johnpettigrew3056]

I love that game, rented it probably a dozen times as a kid but didn't finish it until I was grown. Yuzo Koshiro is one of my idols and he's a prodigy.

[@hungrygoriya]

It's a fantastic game. I never had the joy of playing it in childhood but I think I would've definitely fallen in love with the exploration.

[@johnpettigrew3056]

@@hungrygoriya it felt like a giant game when I was little and I could get all the crowns besides the Dad 😀 Long live the Draisle's !

[@blauesnavi3883]

how have I never heard of this game before?! this game is exactly my cup of tea, I'll try it out and it'll probably become one of my favorites from the NES. thanks for the video!

[@hungrygoriya]

You're very welcome, and good luck with it! I hope it meets your expectations because it certainly exceeded mine.

[@namae3]

This is one of the first games I fell in love with as a kid. Heading into the labyrinth really felt like it has high stakes, as there was no way to be sure if you'd make it back. Playing it again as an adult, it was much easier to see the underlying structure of what the developers wanted the player to do and accomplish it. Excellent review! Falcom were really killing it on the NES weren't they? Just take a look at the Ys 2 port - I think it's one of the most gorgeous NES games

[@hungrygoriya]

It's such a great adventure. I agree that it makes more sense with an adult brain, but I would've loved to see what this game was like when as a kid too. That aimless wandering and wondering would've been cool to experience. I haven't tried Ys II on NES but I have a reproduction cartridge. I should give it a try. I really liked Ys 1.

[@Bigmitch256]

Lyll is adorable!

[@hungrygoriya]

She is super cute and was my favourite person to play with by far. Her giant jump made things so much easier.

[@doombringer6669]

This was my absolute favorite game when I was a kid, me and my father spend hours upon hours, days upon days, over a couple of years trying to figure this out together. From like x-mas of 1989 until my SNES had taken over and all my NES games got put in a box because my NES no longer worked. I still have my copy and I don't think I beat it until I was in my early 20's. Finding the final store hidden behind a block was the key that we could never find when we player. Now I hold this game in great reverence and still say it's my favorite whenever anyone asks me now. It's definitely in my top 10 and always will be. I will always hold it close just because of the bonding it caused with my dad who has always been my hero and I have always wished I was nearly the man he is. Now I have my kids and I have tried to get one to play it with, but none of them seem to be interested in it, it's not Minecraft or ROBLOX hahaha. Thank You for your video, it brings back a lot of great memories and seeing someone else love this game as much as I have is wonderful... I have enjoyed all of your videos that I have watched so far and am working my way through your entire catalog and will look for you on twitch as well. I am a diehard NES and SNES player and have hundreds of games and love watching videos and reviews of them, you do a great job of it and your voice is beautiful and relaxing, so they are great to watch at night to help me relax and eventually go to sleep to. Keep up the great work

[@hungrygoriya]

There's so much to take in here! Thank you for sharing about your times with your dad, and also with your kids. Maybe your little ones will come around to the games you enjoy so much one of these days. Keep at it! I definitely have some fond memories gaming with my mom so it's always nice when you can bring that forward to a new generation and make new memories with them too. Thank you kindly about the channel. I'm glad I have a solid playlist to work back through. Thanks in advance for checking out the rest of the channel, and for your kindness as well.

[@miasmesia]

11:56☝🏽 This is the best LotW review I’ve seen, great job. I just found out about this channel and I really like it, cheers from Mexico.

[@hungrygoriya]

That's very nice to hear! Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy your time here :)

[@JohnZyski]

Legacy of the Wizard is one of my favorite all time games. Probably the game I have played through the most. I played through it with many of my friends and just myself. This need one of those modern upgrades.

[@hungrygoriya]

Have you seen the emulator called 3DSen? It's not necessarily the upgrade you're looking for, but it lets you play some NES games in three dimensions and LotW is one that's compatible with it! I haven't tried it myself but I've seen some gameplay using it, and it's something else.

[@webguy943]

I almost completely forgot about this game from my childhood.

[@hungrygoriya]

It's cool that you got to play it back then!

[@Appl908]

As a kid from a small town. I’ve always wanted to play this game. Small towns don’t get much variety of video games. The only taste I get is from magazines. Non of my rental place have this game and many others titles to. It looks like a game I would love it.

[@hungrygoriya]

It's a fantastic game. I'd say that if you can find a way to play it these days, it's still very much worth the effort to play.

[@Breakdafunklooseforever]

Yuzo Koshiro and Mieko Ishikawa implanted music in to my head I will never forget.

[@hungrygoriya]

Yes! They've made some of the most memorable music on the NES.

[@Breakdafunklooseforever]

@@hungrygoriya I probably hum a song they made at least once a day during my routine. So glad I grew up with this music!

[@Hashashination]

You have suddenly become one of my favorite people. Love your content, love your cadence. Keep it up please.

[@hungrygoriya]

That's very high praise. Thank you very much!

[@Obenfiquista81]

Oh those manuals... I remember watching those and feeling even more will to play. Always loved those designs. It's like a drug pushing you to play more hehe

[@hungrygoriya]

I try to never start a game without reading the manual first. The art alone is worth a glimpse!

[@Obenfiquista81]

@@hungrygoriya I used to love my Metroid manual. You are totally right. The art alone is worth buying the game!

[@hungrygoriya]

@@Obenfiquista81 I read through the manuals for Zelda 1 and Faxanadu over and over again when I was a kid... I'll have to look through the Metroid manual again. I loved the boss depictions!

[@donaldporr9682]

The hours I put into this game are mine to cherish.

[@hungrygoriya]

If you're asking me, they're hours well-spent.

[@SeveredLegs]

God this channel is a master class of good perspective. Always appreciate your analysis. Very fun, thanks Goriya!

[@hungrygoriya]

Too kind! Thanks so much!

[@philipschneider96]

I just found your videos. I really enjoy your work. A real gem in a rough mess of flashy game stuff. I appreciate the work you have put into your videos. Found several games I never knew about too! thank you so much. Hope you are doing well.

[@hungrygoriya]

Thanks for checking out the channel here and for your kind words. I've been trying to stick to the stuff that's less talked about, or games that I've played recently that really stood out to me. This is definitely a fantastic one! And things are good here. I've had a lovely Christmas, and I have a little extra time off for Boxing Day here in Canada. I'm just enjoying the rest of the holiday here. Happy holidays to you!

[@Cannotbetamed1]

This is cool, I like how you get to pick from a family of characters. It’s like a game from last year I played, Children of Morta. That had Diablo -style combat though.

[@hungrygoriya]

I'll have to check into that... I remember you mentioning it before in one of your update videos. I'm really excited for another game that is coming out called Orange Island that was made in the spirit of Legacy of the Wizard. That should be fun!

[@yogidemis8513]

LOTW is one of my favorite NES games, took forever to figure out how to beat the game but it was well worth it. On top of everything else the music is top notch. This game is a love hate relations with a lot of people but if anyone had troubles beating it don't give up. Take it as a challenge and beat the f****n game already. When you do finally beat the game, pat yourself on your back a few times, you deserve it!!

[@hungrygoriya]

Agreed! It's definitely beatable with a little persistence!

[@erdrickywg2356]

A timely video, as this game is on the recently released Namco Meseum Archives Vol. 2 for modern consoles. I have never played Legacy Of The Wizard but I certainly remember seeing it for rent as a kid. Will finally give this a shot sometime soon.

[@hungrygoriya]

I hope you have fun with it! There are lots of copies of the manual online in case the compilation doesn't come with one.

[@ryogo666]

Great review! I could never get into this game myself because I think it is way too confusing. BTW nice transition from the gameplay to the entire map at 1:13!

[@hungrygoriya]

Yeah, it's not going to be for everyone. I personally loved it being a big fan of Zelda 1 and Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap, among others like it! And thanks... I tried a few new things with this video and I was happy with how they came out. Glad you noticed :)

[@TheMultiGunMan]

I love your retro video game videos. Especially the RPG game videos. Keep up the good work.

[@estefencosta1835]

Oh my god I rented this game a couple times as a kid and could not fucking figure out what to do. It haunted me until a couple of years ago when I finally looked up how you were supposed to advance the game. Almost 30 years this game was lodged in my brain as a seemingly impossible puzzle.

[@hungrygoriya]

I'm glad you looked it up eventually! Do you think you'll ever go back and play it? It's quite challenging and very fun.

[@estefencosta1835]

@@hungrygoriya I think probably not (only time to play so many things after all). It was actually super cathartic just to watch parts of a playthrough explaining what you needed to do advance through the game, like some sort of long standing mystery in my life had been solved. I think the issue with renting it as a kid is it didn't come with a manual, so nothing at all was explained. But I did enjoy seeing it reviewed from an adult perspective on it's own merits as a game.

[@deconstructionjd514]

Wow, just stumbled upon this video. Fantastic in-depth review. Very well put together, thank you

[@ZBR_ProXP]

Killer review. Dead on. Glad you liked it!

[@hungrygoriya]

Thank you very much :) I'm glad I finally got to play this one since my love for Faxanadu runs as deep as the ocean.

[@ZBR_ProXP]

Hungry Goriya my experience was just as you said. Felt like everyone had this as a kid but no one knew how to play it. Flea market purchases with no manual, I guess. Once I finally sat down to try and learn it, I was in love.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@ZBR_ProXP I honestly don't know how you couldn't be in love with this with a little time and patience. It's honestly so good and the literal cheapest game I have in my NES collection. I think I paid $5 for this and it gave me hours and hours of fun. I was totally intimidated coming into it but I'm glad that it turned out to be as good as it was.

[@GSM22]

Love this game the graphics the music etc and the whole story

[@ti-guylesbarniques556]

Finished this game when I was young. Fun times.

[@hungrygoriya]

It's probably one of the best NES games that I've played since I was a kid. I was hooked!

[@ti-guylesbarniques556]

@@hungrygoriya Really liked it too, but I loved a lot NES games. Have many classics even if I'm not really nostalgic. I'm like you, I love Faxanadu a lot too. I always love old metroidvania style games like Battle for Olympus, Zelda 2, 8 Eyes and many others. I don't play a lot of AAA tiles these days, but a lot of indie games for that reason. Lot of good metroidvania. Just platinum Infernax and it was crazy good.

[@CaptainSpandex]

Love the review you did. I may need to do one as well. This game for some reason got buried deep w/in the recesses of my memory, just vague fondness

[@hungrygoriya]

A lot of folks have expressed similar sentiments. "I liked this game as a kid, never got anywhere, but I really liked it!" The more the merrier as far as I'm concerned... good luck with your review!

[@CaptainSpandex]

@@hungrygoriya pretty sure I beat it, but unlike other old games, this one I haven't thought of at all until recently. It was a revelatory flood of nostalgia that I rarely get anymore. And it's great someone competent did a review!

[@lurkerninethousand2591]

A new HG video must come out of lurk mode. HG nice job as always. Every video you release makes me want to play the game, or at least watch a let’s play.

[@hungrygoriya]

Thanks so much! This game's definitely worth a play if you can find the time and the patience for it. I think you'd really enjoy it. If you want to watch a let's play, here's one from TheReNesance's channel. You can see someone that really loves this game play through: kzbin.info/www/bejne/npTRqGedgJiYgqs

[@Sakanakao]

Noooo that map with the black line across it!!! It haunts me.

[@hungrygoriya]

The rest of them I could find looked like they were captured with a potato camera when I zoomed in so closely. I was thinking of you when I used that image though!

[@SaadAzim]

I'm probably focusing on the wrong thing here, but that artwork of Pochi in the manual is ... something.

[@hungrygoriya]

I think he's lovely

[@silverserpentor6710]

Great video. I never knew much about this game.

[@azuzastreet9087]

Wow! You're awesome. This is one of my favorite nes games and you've given an excellent review of this title. I also love how you mentioned Legacy Of The Wizard had one of the best soundtracks for gaming at the time. I agree completely and I still enjoy listening to this music off a USB drive as well playing the original game on my nes. Ooo you mentioned Faxanado too! Subscription added!

[@hungrygoriya]

Thank you kindly! I'm so glad you enjoyed the review and also have a love for the music in this game. It's so good! I've been listening to it for many months since I played the game, and I listen to Faxanadu's quite often as well. That game's one of my favourites and I try to play it about once a year!

[@azuzastreet9087]

@@hungrygoriya Legacy of the Wizard is definitely in a top 5 nes games for me. It was one of the first nes games I remember playing in the 1980s. The music has always had a special place on my heart. I'm so thrilled you have great love for this game...I thought I was the only one!

[@hungrygoriya]

@@azuzastreet9087 Honestly, I've met quite a few fans of this game online since I came to KZbin/Twich a few years ago. I was introduced to the game by a friend who had a whole, very comprehensive playthrough in his channel (he's TheRenesance, by the way) and I've seen him play it through on his stream as well. Just an absolutely delightful game, and even better that it's related to one of my favourite games ever.

[@mmoney9362]

I wised up and made a map to navigate and conquer the game. It took forever but was worth it.

[@hungrygoriya]

Mapping this would've been a good option, definitely. I couldn't imagine how to map it personally since you just scroll from screen to screen rather than having individual rooms like in Zelda... I'm not an artist and have no concept of space, so I think I would've really struggled. For me, I just wandered around areas enough to know where to go after a while. Lots of the paths feel "one way" anyway, so if you know how to get there, you're all set! It's such a big area though!

[@randywatson8347]

Hmm this gem is totally overlooked. It is an openworld kind of game and it's huge.

[@hungrygoriya]

It's such a fun game. I seem to be drawn towards those games where you get to search every inch of the place for secrets, map it, etc.

[@KairuHakubi]

more adventures need to be FAMILY adventures :D that, and we need more oldtimers. I wanna see one regular teen hero with his grandpa and like 3 of his grandpa's friends, traveling around and doing stuff.

[@spectre244mc]

Good review. We had this game when I was a kid. All of my cousins would get together and play it so much. We never could beat this game and we thought it was the most difficult game ever made lol. I could beat ninja gaiden but could not figure out where to go to beat this game.

[@hungrygoriya]

This kind of exploration is so hard when you don't know where to go. It took me a lot of time to figure out what to try and where, and who to take to the different areas. I loved it though! I'm glad you have some fond memories of it.

[@djzero5893]

Loved Faxanadu as a kid and it's probably why I was drawn to this, also never finished it. Wish I never sold my NES and the games. :(

[@hungrygoriya]

I'm sorry you parted ways with them :( Any chance you'd ever get another system? Legacy of the Wizard's also available in a Switch compilation if you have that. I think it's called the Namco Museum Archives Volume 2?

[@kchalu]

Absolutely loved this game as a kid!

[@hungrygoriya]

I only wish I'd played it when I was younger!

[@kchalu]

@@hungrygoriya If you want, it is included in Nampo Museum Archives 2.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@kchalu I have it on NES which is how I enjoyed it for the review here. But thank you!

[@horza_bg]

A great review HG! I feel like you did a great job not only pointing out why you enjoyed playing this so much, but pointing out the flaws in it too. I likely would never have picked up this game for myself had it not been for your highlighting it. Keep up the great work!

[@hungrygoriya]

Awww hooray! Thanks for your kindness :) I can't wait to hear all about your adventures through the dungeons, or maybe even catch them live sometime. I hope you haven't streamed this yet and I've accidentally missed it!

[@cam9144]

Loved this game, one of the best OSTs on the NES

[@hungrygoriya]

No doubt! All music in this game is more or less magical.

[@mariofisher6340]

i remember being 4 running around with the monster having no idea what i was doing.

[@hungrygoriya]

That must've been a fun time. I remember doing the same thing in The Legend of Zelda around that age too.

[@badplus0176]

Oh my gosh! I’ve been searching for this game for years. Played it when I was 4 years old and couldn’t remember the name!

[@hungrygoriya]

I'm glad you found it! It's a fantastic adventure. Do you think you'll play it again sometime?

[@raynwise]

I had this game as a kid but didn't have the manual 😄 I didn't know what I was doing😅 Once I got stuck and literally couldn't go forward or back, had to restart the game! But I still kept trying 🙃

[@hungrygoriya]

Argh! That happened to me a few times... I've softlocked and noticed a few other places where you can get screwed. It's fun once you get the hang of things though!

[@beauwalker9820]

This is a pretty good, and unknown "Metroidvania" game, back before "Metroidvania" was even a genre.

[@hungrygoriya]

Sounds like we should be calling games Legacy of the Wizard-likes then.

[@alfredocanas6802]

i need to replay this game, it has been haunting me not being able to finish it since I was a kid.

[@hungrygoriya]

Good luck to you! It's not bad once you get a feel for which characters can use which items. I did so much wandering that I never needed a map.

[@alfredocanas6802]

@@hungrygoriya the game has awesome tunes so that makes the game less frustrating, by the way I have just discovered your channel and it's a Hidden Gem and probably the best channel I have discovered in a while, I really like the smooth diction and detailed reviews, great work!

[@hungrygoriya]

@@alfredocanas6802 The soundtrack is one of my favourites on the system. No contest! And thanks so much! I'm glad you found me here. I've been at this for a long while at this point and it's always great to meet new folks. Thanks for your kind words :)

[@alfredocanas6802]

@@hungrygoriya I am on a watch marathon spree checking all the channel's published videos, it will take a while jeje. Last time it happened was when I discovered GameSack and it took me months to watch everything and catch up to the current videos.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@alfredocanas6802 Game Sack is awesome! Definitely a great channel to binge watch from the start.

[@BlastedMaster]

This is by far my favorite NES adventure game. I got it when it came out. ( I was 3 lol ) Just beat it 2-3 years ago for the first time. Manual is a must. Also this game 💯 needs a remake!!!!!

[@hungrygoriya]

I would love to see how they'd handle a remake for this, or at least something else in this vein... sidescrolling exploration is always a great time. Glad to meet another fan!

[@BlastedMaster]

@@hungrygoriya I think they should up the graphics to 16-32 bit but not any higher and keep the mapping of the labyrinth exactly the same. The only thing I would do differently is: A.) Home, Inns, and Boss completions are autosave points with option to quicksave in the inventory. B.) Add a Bestiary, Item Compendium, a Progress Journal, and Map Screen. C.) Tweak the perma-trap spots. D.)Make vertical sections one continuous screen. E.) And lastly, NewGame+ Mode with the Grandparents as unlockable playable characters. (Secret Side Quest by repeated dialog with them, or finding a "Mysterious 'Drasl' Heirloom" with a clue in it's Item Compendium description like "Isn't this Grandpa's?..", or fill-in-the-blank.) It's nice to dream about, hopefully some dev watches your video (and reads this 😁) and is inspired. 🤞🤞🧙‍♂️🧙‍♀️ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@BlastedMaster]

P.S.---- --Grandparents can teleport 2-block gaps with directional double tap. --Just a thought. 😁

[@hungrygoriya]

@@BlastedMaster If I could pin this reply, I would! This sounds like everything I didn't even know I wanted!

[@BlastedMaster]

​ @@hungrygoriya I remember when Super Nintendo came out when I was starting 1st grade in September 1991. My older brother and I were imagining all the possibilities; we were spit-balling ideas of all the upgraded sequels and what's to come in the near future. After seeing my Nintendo Power with the announcement of the new Legend of Zelda: (alttp) , Super Metroid, etc.. OMG!!🎆🎇🙌🤗🙌🎆🎇 I was losing sleep with anticipation! Those incredible memories from the care-free days ring radiant through me, even still, to this very day, albeit 30 years later. 😳 👴 Feeling like an old fogie who talks about the good old radio shows that the family tuned in for every Saturday Morning. (Ur only as old as u feel, am I right? lol) Sorry, I digress, Metroidvanias tap a root in my soul that lasers me right back to those memories.

[@tripperjoe1699]

Bought this when it came out think I was in 10 grade. Went in blind. No internet back then. My mom got good at it and beat it

[@hungrygoriya]

That's great! Some brute force here can definitely work. And the music's so good that wandering around probably didn't bother her too much.

[@phonotical]

You have such a masterful use of language 😂, a lot of people will use simple language and it just goes right through you, but yours really sink in, and, make you laugh 😊

[@hungrygoriya]

Thanks so much! I spend quite a bit of time writing for these videos so I'm glad it pays off.

[@phonotical]

@@hungrygoriya always 😁

[@MatthewYoungProducer]

Zeliard is a cool action adventure from the end of the 80s. Highly recommend it. Has a great soundtrack as well. PC only. Not released on consoles like NES or Mega Drive.

[@hungrygoriya]

I wonder if I could find a way to play it. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@MatthewYoungProducer]

@@hungrygoriya Install DOSBox (a respectable and well known way to play old DOS games) + get yourself a download of the game.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@MatthewYoungProducer Right right... I have DOSBox! I've played a few games that way. Thanks for the reminder.

[@galloe8933]

I got this and a copy of Dragon Warrior 3 from my sister's friend's mom back in the day. I was like 11, and for some reason that I'm unsure of beyond maybe my age at the time Legacy and DQ3 are two of my most favorite regular Nintendo games. Legacy was special in an odd way that I could never put a finger on... Also, never had the manual and 97 was still a few years before I understood the internet or comprehensive scans of NES instruction manuals had become a thing. I like this one better than Faxanidu or whatever it's spelled.

[@hungrygoriya]

Faxanadu's one of my all-time favourites, but Legacy of the Wizard also holds a special place in my heart now. The soundtrack is so beautiful and I really had a blast uncovering everything in the massive dungeon. It's nice that you have some great childhood memories of this game. I wish I'd played it back then! I have yet to play DW3 but maybe some day soon I'll get around to it.

[@galloe8933]

Heh, and Dragon Warrior 1 is not as good as most of the other Nintendo games but it's my favorite because I remember playing it when I was 3 or 4 because I remember not being able to read the words and kept yelling at my mom for help and she would show me how to use herbs after buying me some in the first town. Faxanadu is better than Legacy but Legacy was the last game I helped my older sister beat before she didn't need her little brother's help to play part of a game. Memories are funny how they can do that, huh? Make the good look darn near perfect.

[@MotherKojiro]

The flaws you've mentioned are totally legitimate, but this is still my second-favorite NES game of all time. I did spend a lot of time wandering with no real progress, but it's just such a fascinating world to drown in. I loved the strange dungeon backdrops and wild enemy colors that existed just for their own sake, and as you said, the soundtrack is incredible; Yuzo Koshiro does it again! It's a shame that the Dragon Slayer games are all so different from each other, because I would've loved another game like this. Or Faxanadu; I'd gladly take another Faxanadu.

[@hungrygoriya]

More Faxanadu and Legacy of the Wizard, please! And I loved my time with this game. The wandering and those aha moments made it really captivating for me.

[@DanielBurapavong]

Good review.

[@hungrygoriya]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@SPac316]

I got this as a birthday present when I turned 14. It was second hand so it didn't have the book with it. So I was confused when I played it.

[@hungrygoriya]

I hope you'll give it another try! It's pretty fantastic :)

[@chutton988]

Great job! As an adult I'm rather fascinated by the Falcom legacy, so I doubly appreciate this review. Not only is this a Falcom game, but it also stumped me a kid and I always like how well you clarify things. It looks like a more playable Milon's Secret Castle. Tangential, but do you have plans to play Y's 1&2 anytime soon? The topic of Falcom and great music brings those games to mind. I enjoyed them recently (and am going to play the Y's III remake after my Phantasy Star odyssey). :D

[@hungrygoriya]

Thanks so much! You know, I approached this review as a review of the game and its parts, but also with hopes of instilling confidence in people that have been on the fence about this one. It's such a wonderful game and I'm glad I finally got to try it out for myself. I played Ys 1 on the Master System several years ago and didn't love it because it was sooooo difficult compared to other releases (I didn't find this out until later). I've had a copy of Ys 2 for NES (a reproduction) for a long time now but after seeing a friend try it out, I wasn't too sure I wanted to play it myself. I did just get a TG-16 mini and the TG-CD versions of both are on there, and I've also got the PSP 2-game pack lying around somewhere... I just can't shake the torture of the SMS game! I do thoroughly adore the music from the first game and loved the SNES version of Ys III though! I hope you have fun!

[@chutton988]

Oh no, sorry the SMS Ys 1 left you traumatized! Now that you mention it, I do recall getting very lucky with a boss fight in the TG-CD version, so maybe it is more difficult than I was thinking. I like to spread the gospel of the early Ys games since I recently enjoyed them so much, but you do what's right for you! Thanks for giving me a summary of their place in your collection.

[@ianbraun271]

I'm surprised you didn't highlight the other major trap of this game. The poison potions. Been killed several times by them.

[@hungrygoriya]

I picked up a lot of poison too. I don't think it usually killed me since I got bread so much when my health was low.

[@Khardankov]

Ye gods, I love this game. I LOVE this game. And the "General" dungeon theme is easily the greatest single piece of music in 8-bit gaming. Yuzo Koshiro is a fucking wizard. And I suppose this is his legacy. [Crowd boos]

[@hungrygoriya]

It's a pretty phenomenal game, soundtrack included. And for the record, I was saying boo-urns.

[@Khardankov]

I was one of the many kids who got this in a bargain bin with no manual and couldn't figure it out. I could tell it was a deep and impressive game but I just couldn't crack it as a pre-internet NES kid. I only finally gave it a fresh crack after watching this video, and have enjoyed every minute of it in a way I haven't with an 8 bit game in years. So thank you for that 😎 Ps. You also did the same with Faxanadu - the eternal debate, is it fax-AN-adu or fah-ZAN-adu? - and that is also excellent, though Legacy is my preference of the two classics.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@Khardankov Hooray! I'm glad you got a little deeper into it and ended up having a nice time. I think technically it's Fah-ZAN-adu, but I will keep calling it Fax-AN-adu just because that's how I've always said it. I didn't know what a Famicom or a Xanadu were when I was a kid (which is what it's apparently named after).

[@Khardankov]

@@hungrygoriya yeah, and what kkd looks at Faxanadu and thinks "Fazanadu"? When I was younger, my friends and I played Dungeons and Dragons (actually AD&D at the time) and named our characters after RPG heroes - Cecil Harvey from FF2/4, Alis Landale from Phantasy Star... and Guy Faxanadu. Nobody could determine what his name was or if he even had one, so it stuck (he was also an elf wizard, if memory serves me.)

[@hungrygoriya]

@@Khardankov What a rockin' party! That's awesome :D

[@childofcascadia]

I love this game. Had it as a kid but it got traded or lost to time. Which is weird, because I still have every other game I had back then. But I just rebought it at PAX prime this year (aka tiny pax aka paxdemic). I also got Wizards and Warriors, too which I rented a lot but never owned. I never got anywhere as a kid in Legacy of the Wizard, probably because I didnt have the internet or a manual (I bought it used at the local video rental place)- just ran around nonstop trying to figure out what to do. Still very fun except for as you said those damn block puzzles are so annoying they used to cause me to rage quit as a kid. Im excited to play it now as an adult, with a manual and the internet if I need it.

[@hungrygoriya]

Oh congratulations on reacquiring the game! That must've felt good to get it back after so long. It's nice to see conventions slowly popping back up again. I hope it was fun despite the smaller size. I think you'll have a lot more luck with it this time around with all the resources you'll have at your fingertips. May the block puzzles smile upon you! Good luck :)

[@MetalHeadbanger7]

I played this when I was younger but never did get far. I didn't have the manuals for help, and I was too dumb to consider trying out other characters to see how far I'd get with them.

[@hungrygoriya]

Well I assure you, if you ever revisit this, it's a lot of fun when you have the manual and try out the other people. It's probably one of my favourite games I've found in my adult life.

[@MetalHeadbanger7]

@@hungrygoriya Maybe someday. I've lost my NES and game collection a long time ago, so I will have to find other ways of playing it.

[@E.Pierro.Artist]

One of the best nes games, along with faxanadu and go figure they're from the same series

[@ScaricoOleoso]

So I found some Namco Museum Archives Volume 2 thing for the Switch that has Legacy of the Wizard on it, played it for the first time in I don't even know, and beat it in one sitting. Yeah I used the rewind feature. What of it? :)

[@hungrygoriya]

Right on! Nice work :) I'm glad you made it!

[@suprshin]

HOLD UP! Are you telling me…. That wasn’t a dog I was selecting this whole time?!

[@hungrygoriya]

He's a little monster

[@suprshin]

@@hungrygoriya щ(ºДºщ)

[@Vampier]

Dragon slayer 4th entry :) the MSX version is exactly the same as the NES version.

[@hungrygoriya]

Haha I had a feeling you might pop in here. A friend played through the MSX version recently on stream and I really enjoyed watching some of that. Apart from a few item swaps, I think you're right. It's almost exactly the same! The title screen is way cooler on MSX too.

[@Vampier]

@@hungrygoriya I know the title screen is cooler - I used a NES walk through for my MSX recording. They are exactly the same as far as I know. The Falcon music is seriously great - the NES and the MSX almost sound identical, even though they have different sound hardware.

[@Vampier]

oh before I forget - great review!

[@joangrodio906]

Along with this game that was a smash hit breakthrough was Sunsofts..... Blaster Master

[@porbagkilla]

Wow, I havent played this game in over 20 years but now I want to try it again!

[@hungrygoriya]

I hope you enjoy your time with it!

[@leefischer5814]

I figured a manual would be helpful in that game, rather than stumbling around for hours upon hours like I've done a few times.

[@hungrygoriya]

It's definitely one of the better manuals out there. Do you think you might retry it with a manual some day?

[@leefischer5814]

@@hungrygoriya it is a daunting task, but I liked it even without the manual. So it's a solid possibility that I'll throw it back in for another go round in the future😁

[@vernscustoms]

Best soundtrack

[@hungrygoriya]

It's wonderful!

[@VJFranzK]

I was thinking: Is this game an early "metro vania"?

[@hungrygoriya]

Yeah it has that structure but it's a little less linear than most? As far as I understand, you can choose characters in any order.

[@JadedJester739]

So you mentioned the 5 people in the house you can take down to the dungeon, but i just bought this and multi clicked on the password guy when i started the game. And the password guy became playable in blue horned armor. What does this meeeaannn?

[@hungrygoriya]

You can take down the Meyna, Xemn, Lyll and Roas, as well as Pochi. The two grandparents stay put!

[@JadedJester739]

@@hungrygoriya I'm telling you after clicking the password grandpa a few times it lets you pick him and he just looks like the other guy on the left in blue armor. I literally just did it

[@JadedJester739]

@@hungrygoriya I wish I could post a picture in comments

[@hungrygoriya]

@@JadedJester739 Maybe it's some kind of glitch? I'm not sure!

[@Grant-H2O]

This game looks like fun but i would really like to see a remake

[@hungrygoriya]

I would adore one as well!

[@JavaBum]

This game was special. I was the only one out of all my friends who owned it, and the only one who beat it (we always lent out our games to friends).

[@hungrygoriya]

It's great that you made it through. Beating this game felt like a real accomplishment just because of how many pieces there were to put together. I loved it!

[@JavaBum]

@@hungrygoriya That euphoric feeling when you figure something out for the first time, and progress just breaks open.

[@hungrygoriya]

@@JavaBum I spent my first many hours trying to get around the map with Xemn and all the block manipulation, and the rest of the game felt like a breeze comparatively. I wish I could play this for the first time again!

[@kainemaxwell]

More pochi!

[@KTJohnsonkidThunder]

Great game. Too bad I can never get far. The music is the very best part of the game, especially given that the composer recently did the music in The Takeover and Streets of Rage 4.

[@hungrygoriya]

The music's great for sure... I hope if you try it again that you get a little further. The manual really helps!

[@KCUFyoufordoxingme]

I will say legacy of the wizard always had a clear place to go that you then had to figure out how to get their. No hidden doors or anything like that. An obstacle would always clearly present itself and is always solvable.

[@hungrygoriya]

Definitely. I liked that the game doesn't suddenly make problem solving beyond your toolset. That made the game feel like honing a specific skillset rather than bumbling around changing gears all the time.

[@porchtime504]

This game was torture as a kid

[@hungrygoriya]

I promise it's not much less torturous as an adult depending on what kind of games you like, but if you enjoy exploration like this, it's great.

[@firebro74]

Ok completely off topic have you ever played zelda 3

[@hungrygoriya]

A Link to the Past? A long, long time ago in my teens. It's the one Zelda I am not very fond of myself but I like watching other people play vanilla, or randomizer as well.

[@firebro74]

@@hungrygoriya I am very familiar with alttp I've played it for a long time since 1992, and some msu1 shenanigans a long side it

[@matthewparker4438]

I own this one and still can,t beat it

[@hungrygoriya]

How far have you made it? Were you able to find any of the crowns?

[@matthewparker4438]

@@hungrygoriya i have never been able to make it to any of the bosses

[@hungrygoriya]

@@matthewparker4438 Well, I wish you the best of luck with it if you try again. It took me a while trying to figure out where to go with which character, but I was able to do it after a lot of trial and error. I believe in you!

[@MurderWho]

I think beating this game is the wrong way to play it, honestly :) Exploring and enjoying and becoming familiar with the dungeon as though it were the woods in back of your house, running through its passageways as a form of play, I think that's how it's actually intended to be played. So many secret shops and secret-passage blocks, and so many different ways to use items and all, playing the game to beat it honestly feels like you've only seeing a small silver of it. My favourite was always to see if I sneak in characters to places they had no right being, sometimes with glitches. Learning how to use Xemn's glove to pull blocks towards you, and how to pull them up under you, effectively letting him fly. Figuring out which screens had monsters that Pochi could use, (or, technically, anyone, if you didn't mind the d-boost). Getting Mayna stuck in walls using her block-staff so that I could wall-clip. I'm not sure if I ever did work out a wrong-equip method, but damn, I tried! And while it's not like I don't enjoy Yuzo Koshira and Mieko Ishikawa's composing, learning that this was technically a sequel to Faxanadu makes me really sad that Jun Chikuma didn't compose for the game :p

[@hungrygoriya]

I wandered around this dungeon so much that watching other people play these days feels familiar still. I didn't do as much experimentation as you did, but I did take Xemn for walks among mimics and learned a horrible lesson... All said, I can see how getting lost in this world was amazing as a kid. I did the same thing with Zelda 1 and I'm still really fond of getting back to that world once in a while.

[@TheReNesance]

You took a game that confuses many and broke it down very nicely to make it far less intimidating. You know how I feel about this game, so this makes me so happy.. to present it in such a way to make people feel it is way more approachable than they might have previously thought is going to allow many more to give this wonderful game a shot and love it like we, (and so many others) do. Well, well done.

[@hungrygoriya]

I'm so glad I manged to get your LOTW seal of approval here. I was honestly among the scared and worried before finally tackling it, so thank you again, so very much, for encouraging me to play it and pointing me in its direction. I have you to thank for finding so many excellent gaming experiences.

[@TheReNesance]

@@hungrygoriya I had a strong feeling that you would jive with it, and it was so fun to get to watch you unravel the mystery of this game.

[@daveywavey1896]

So this one evaded me when I was a kid, but I could imagine I would've loved it back then! That being said, I just started playing it on Namco Classics Volume 2 and I'm totally hooked! It's super interesting & the music is great as well!

[@ihaveallthecoins2785]

I have tried this game a few times but I got overwhelmed every time. Good to know that reading the book helps. Great review, I think I can retry this game now. Also, that zoom out to show the entire game world was amazing!

[@hungrygoriya]

The manual will definitely help, and with a great soundtrack to keep you company, I'm sure you'll make it through this time. And thanks! I tried a few new editing things in this video and I was happy with how much of it turned out :)

[@johnsimon8457]

Oh yeah. Some games need a manual more than others. Like, you can figure out what's happening in Megaman or Ducktales, and you can suss out what's happening in Zelda, Dragon Quest and the SNES Final Fantasy or SaGa games. The exploration might be part of the fun, even. But this is a port of Dragon Slayer 4 for the MSX; the fourth iteration of a PC JRPG, there isn't going to be much ramp up time. Worse, you might be playing on an emulator and just jumping straight in with no context except what's on the screen. It's not as bad as a KOEI or Ultima game. TL;DR: Oh shoot! I really need to find some scans of the manual!

[@RussLyman]

holy cow that zoom back of the Map. god Damnnnnnn ha Thats great that the manual actually helps you. There are tons of places to look and find secrets. Not sure if I have the patients now to give this a full play-through. Great review

[@hungrygoriya]

At the very least, the music is good company and might lengthen your patience! If you do decide to play it, I hope you have fun.

[@gqazndood]

I love your reviews. You really bring back the 90's kid in me when you make them. I am brought back to the days where I would turn on the TV on a Sunday and watch Video Power. It was a video game show about games, reviews, and competition. Please keep up the good work.

[@hungrygoriya]

Awww I'm glad it sends you back to a fun time in your life. I'm so late to playing all these games myself, but I can just imagine how fun it was playing through some of them as a kid. I think we had a similar show here called Video and Arcade Top 10, but it was kinda weird... I've heard other shows like that were a lot better!

[@Komagb]

This was one of my best Nintendo experiences. I even took the time to hand draw the entire world map, twice! (at different scales)

[@hungrygoriya]

That sounds like a tremendous undertaking! Do you still have them hanging around somewhere?

[@solearesoul]

This was one of my favorite games on NES! Love this one! And Faxanadu is one of my other favorites! As a kid I never knew that they were actually related under the Japanese “Dragon Slayer” series.

[@hungrygoriya]

Yessss! Faxanadu's been my favourite NES game for most of my life, so I'm with ya! I'm glad I finally got to experience Legacy of the Wizard as well... there was something heartening knowing they were related to one another while I was playing through.

[@Bryan-eg6ej]

Great review! I always liked the music and spritework in this game. I actually laughed when you talked about not wanting the attack the cat-girls, as I felt the same way as a kid :-)

[@hungrygoriya]

I'm glad someone else understands! They were too sweet, especially with Pochi when they swarmed around him while he walked. At one point I had a pile of cat ladies following me and I loved every second!

[@NoName-md6fd]

Oh definitely a NES hidden gem in the RPG category. It's super maze like because of the NES limitations, the characters works like a metroidvania of sorts because of their special powers unlocking a specific part of the dungeon, but it works as a RPG nonetheless.

[@weeblespleen]

"That look like someone bent over to wink at you."

[@hungrygoriya]

... yep.