Wizardry
JRPG ancestor
The 1981 Sir-Tech dungeon crawler that defined first-person RPG mechanics and directly inspired Dragon Quest and the entire JRPG genre.
Overview
Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord (1981) was the dungeon crawler that defined RPG mechanics for decades. Its first-person perspective, party-based combat, and permadeath influenced nearly every RPG that followed, with Dragon Quest’s creators citing it as direct inspiration for the JRPG genre.
Fast Facts
- Released: 1981
- Developer: Sir-Tech
- Platform: Apple II (originally)
- Creators: Andrew Greenberg, Robert Woodhead
- Legacy: Inspired all JRPGs
Mechanics
| Element | Implementation |
|---|---|
| View | First-person dungeon |
| Party | 6 characters |
| Combat | Turn-based, front/back row |
| Death | Permanent (permadeath) |
| Mapping | Player-drawn required |
The Series
| Game | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wizardry | 1981 | Original |
| Knight of Diamonds | 1982 | Sequel |
| Legacy of Llylgamyn | 1983 | Trilogy complete |
| Wizardry IV | 1987 | Infamously hard |
Japanese Influence
| Effect | Result |
|---|---|
| Dragon Quest | Horii cited Wizardry as inspiration |
| Final Fantasy | Party-based combat |
| Japanese ports | More successful than in West |
| Japanese sequels | Series continued there |
Legacy
Wizardry established the template for party-based RPGs: first-person exploration, turn-based combat with formations, character classes, and dungeon mapping. Its influence on Japanese developers created the entire JRPG genre.