I used to follow the Epic Dolls podcast while I was still playing World of Warcraft. Not long before I put the game on hiatus, the connected Epic Dolls guild disbanded. It turned out that the podcaster and guild leader was stepping back a bit from Wow and had taken up with other games. Leala Turkey's (former Epic Dolls leader) webpage mentioned that she played "Wizard 101". It seemed interesting and looked a bit like Harry Potter.
So when I purchased the Crossover software, I decided to try Wizard 101.
Wizard 101 is marketed for elementary school age children. It is a extremely sweet tempered mmorpg that gives the young set a taste of multiplayer gaming. Recently its surge of popularity is due to it attracting hardcore gaming teens and adults. The game does a good job catering to all ages.
The combat system is based on card games. The player can pick and choose who and what they want to fight. The game always provides safe areas so that players will not be jumped by the NPC enemies wandering around. These safe areas are little parks and sidewalks. But when the players is ready to fight, they only have to run up to an enemy to engage it. The characters will then automatically run to a combat ring which lights up for the fight. Up to 4 players can join any fight in progress. They only have to enter the combat ring. Once the fight starts, the player's screen will show a card hand from their shuffled deck of spells. Those are the spells that the player will work with for the fight. It will be reshuffled depending how long the fight lasts. The player can also pick wild cards, called Treasure spell cards, in lieu of their regular hand. The spells are powered by points which the player will gain or lose depending on the strength of the magic card they use. This is not a game that depends on hot keys, the player will be able to pick with their mouse. And each round the player will be given a timed count down to pick their move. The combat system is ingeniously structured so that the player can play as simple or as intricate as they want. Each spell has its own amusing and whimsical animation that I love to watch. The game also has options for PvP play which takes place in a special arena.
The quests are like quests in every game...go deliver this letter, kill so many of these enemies, collect these items. But they aren't designed to be painfully long. Collection quests don't turn into painful grinds. The areas are all well designed with wonderful art design. The characters in the game are inspired by various children's books which I love.
The game is free to play. However players will hit a wall very early, if they do not purchase access to another area. So look at the free to play option as the same any other game does to gather new players. This game will give you a taste with a few levels then you must subscribe or pay $1 to $5 dollars for each area. Most players will know whether or not they want to continue playing this game by level 5 and access to other areas becomes an issue.
Another area in the game that is well integrated is the character store. You can buy game money through the website which are called crowns. Then in game, you can go to stores to buy items such as houses, gear, furniture, pets, mounts, wings or potions. The housing option is very nice. The player will be given his/her own instanced home island. On that private island, they will be able to furnish and relax in their own Wizard 101 haven.
This game is very well designed and enjoyable to play. And it can be a fun time for the whole family. However, I don't think it is any safer for young ones to wander around in anymore than I would let them wander alone in World of Warcraft etc. The game designers have done their best to add in parental controls but that is in no way a substitute for parental guidance. The players your young ones will be interacting with will not be all their exact age. And not everyone your child will play with will have their game enjoyment in mind. They may even take advantage of them for game items or just behave nastily because they can. So please do not let them roam around alone. The game does allow the parent to control who contacts their child by turning off friend requests (from other players) and chat. However I've seen young players get around this by offering friendship to anyone they meet. Then, I suppose, they will be able to chat. Please understand that kids are impressionable and eager to create new friendships but the game worlds have legions of people who just like to bully. Don't let them make your child one of their victims. So play with them or have an older child guide them while in world.
This game is highly enjoyable and family oriented. I would recommend it to everyone looking for a few hours of casual gaming enjoyment.
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