Over the past few years, we’ve seen countless remasters take back the reins of the gaming world, regaining their original popularity and bouncing back into the cultural zeitgeist with a vengeance. There’s an art to remastering, with a very necessary balance between nostalgia and the new, and the most successful remasters are the ones that nail this balance.
Nearly sixteen years from its first release on the Nintendo DS, and a year on from its exclusive release on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4/5 in Japan, WiZman’s World Re;Try is one such remaster, soon to reach an international audience. Developed by CITY CONNECTION and published by GRAVITY, the JRPG incorporates turn-based combat, an elemental system, and buckets of charm.
The game tells the story of a young mage who grew up in an isolated city – a quiet, isolated place where dangerous dungeons, laden with enemies, have barricaded the residents inside for 100 years. You play as the mage, charged with forging a path through the dungeons with the help of three homunculi – not only to find a way out, but to bring life and memory back to your home in the process.
Hanging with your homunculi
One of the most energising aspects of WiZman’s World Re;Try is the combat, particularly given the incorporation of the mage’s three homunculi friends. Modelled as beautiful fairies, these allies can transform and grow as you battle your way through the dungeons, via an anima fusion process that blends them with the souls of your fallen enemies.
This process enables you to develop the synergies between your party, increasing stats and developing thrilling combo chains that can decimate your foes (if you strategise right, that is). It also allows the homunculi to take on elements of the appearance of these foes while in combat, which provides an engaging visual marker for the player to really see their growth and development.
With both the mage and the homunculi trio able to be given custom names, playing through WiZman’s World Re;Try can quickly make you feel invested. Name the mage for yourself, and the homunculi for your three closest friends, and suddenly the stakes feel just that little bit higher as you strive to defend, upgrade and protect your buddies.
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Updates, upgrades, and the upcoming release
Getting down to brass tacks, WiZman’s World Re;Try has been remastered in a way that not only feels familiar, but also fresh. The updated graphics, for instance, are imbued with a vigour and vibrancy that helps align the game with more contemporary pixel art releases. There’s still the energy of the original, but a fresh coat of paint really does go a long way.
On top of that, the updated background music breathes new energy into WiZman’s World Re;Try. Incorporating new and rearranged tracks by soLi, the tunes help propel you through the game, and frankly, they also provide an excellent soundtrack to everyday life if you complete the adventure and choose to leave the game playing while you go about your day. Check out the main theme below.
So what’s next for WiZman’s World Re;Try? Following its successful launch in the Japanese console market, the Steam version of the game is now set for an international release. Perhaps most excitingly, though, is its inclusion in the upcoming Steam Next Fest. From 9-16 June, the demo of WiZman’s World Re;Try will be available to download on Steam for free, so you can check out the adventure for yourself.
