Wizard Of Wor
Encyclopedia
Wizard of Wor is an arcade game
from 1981 , developed by Midway
. Other systems it was ported to include the Atari 800, Commodore 64
, the Atari 2600
, Atari 5200
and the Bally Astrocade
as "The Incredible Wizard". The title of the game is often misspelled as "Wizard of War". The game was released as part of the compilation game Midway Arcade Treasures 2
in 2004.
-like dungeons infested with monster
s. The players' characters, called Worriors, have to kill all the monsters. Player one has yellow Worriors, on the right, and player two has blue Worriors, on the left. In a two-player game, the players are also able to shoot each other's Worriors, earning bonus points and causing the other player to lose a life. Team-oriented players can successfully advance through the game by standing back-to-back (such as in a corner) and firing at anything that comes at them.
Each dungeon consists of a single-screen rectangular grid with walls and corridors in various formations. The Worriors and the monsters can travel freely through the corridors. Each dungeon has doors at the left and right edges, which connect with each other, making the dungeon wrap around
. Whenever a door is traversed by a player or monster, they deactivate for a short period, making them impassible. A player who exits the door can pop back through the door immediately when the Worluk or Wizard is in the dungeon.
The various monsters include the following:
Normally, each dungeon starts filled with six Burwors. In the first dungeon, killing the last Burwor will make a Garwor appear; in the second, the last two Burwors are replaced by Garwors when killed; and so on. From the sixth dungeon on, a Garwor will replace every Burwor when killed. On every screen, killing a Garwor causes a Thorwor to appear. There will never be more than six enemies on the screen at once. From the second dungeon on, after the last Thorwor is killed, a Worluk will appear and try to escape through one of the side doors, ending the level. Killing the Worluk turns the next level into a "Double Score Dungeon."
The Wizard of Wor will appear in or after the 3rd dungeon once the Worluk has been killed or has escaped (depending on how many men you have lost). After a few seconds the Wizard will disappear and teleport
across the dungeon, gradually approaching a Worrior. The Wizard remains in the dungeon until he shoots a Worrior or is killed. Killing the Wizard of Wor will also create a double score dungeon for the next dungeon. He uses a speech synthesizer to taunt the player.
Through levels 1-7, the player is referred to as a "Worrior". After dungeon 7 the Player is referred to as a "Worlord". The "Worlord Dungeons" are more difficult because they have fewer walls. Eventually, with Dungeon 13, there are no walls.
There are two special dungeons with increased difficulty. The 4th dungeon is called "THE ARENA" and the 13th dungeon is called "THE PIT." The Arena has a large open area in its center, while the Pit has no interior walls at all. A bonus Worrior is awarded before each of these levels.
Each dungeon begins with a dramatic rendition of the five-note
opening from "Danger Ahead"—the theme to the radio and television series Dragnet—with the fifth note only playing on the "double score dungeon" screen.
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
from 1981 , developed by Midway
Midway Games
Midway Games, Inc. is an American company that was formerly a major video game publisher. Following a bankruptcy filing in 2009, it is no longer active and is in the process of liquidating all of its assets. Midway's titles included Mortal Kombat, Ms.Pac-Man, Spy Hunter, Tron, Rampage, the...
. Other systems it was ported to include the Atari 800, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, the Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
, Atari 5200
Atari 5200
The Atari 5200 SuperSystem, commonly known as the Atari 5200, is a video game console that was introduced in 1982 by Atari Inc. as a higher end complementary console for the popular Atari 2600...
and the Bally Astrocade
Bally Astrocade
The Astrocade is an early video game console and simple computer system designed by a team at Midway, the videogame division of Bally. It was marketed only for a limited time before Bally decided to exit the market. The rights were later picked up by a third-party company, who re-released it and...
as "The Incredible Wizard". The title of the game is often misspelled as "Wizard of War". The game was released as part of the compilation game Midway Arcade Treasures 2
Midway Arcade Treasures 2
Midway Arcade Treasures 2 is the second collection of classic arcade games published by Midway for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. This compilation includes 20 games that were not in the 2003 release of Midway Arcade Treasures or the 2005 release of Midway Arcade Treasures 3.The game plays...
in 2004.
Gameplay
Wizard of Wor is an action-oriented game for one or two players. The game takes the form of several mazeMaze
A maze is a tour puzzle in the form of a complex branching passage through which the solver must find a route. In everyday speech, both maze and labyrinth denote a complex and confusing series of pathways, but technically the maze is distinguished from the labyrinth, as the labyrinth has a single...
-like dungeons infested with monster
Monster
A monster is any fictional creature, usually found in legends or horror fiction, that is somewhat hideous and may produce physical harm or mental fear by either its appearance or its actions...
s. The players' characters, called Worriors, have to kill all the monsters. Player one has yellow Worriors, on the right, and player two has blue Worriors, on the left. In a two-player game, the players are also able to shoot each other's Worriors, earning bonus points and causing the other player to lose a life. Team-oriented players can successfully advance through the game by standing back-to-back (such as in a corner) and firing at anything that comes at them.
Each dungeon consists of a single-screen rectangular grid with walls and corridors in various formations. The Worriors and the monsters can travel freely through the corridors. Each dungeon has doors at the left and right edges, which connect with each other, making the dungeon wrap around
Wraparound (Video Games)
Wraparound, in video games, is a gameplay variation on the single-screen in which space is finite but unbounded; objects leaving one side of the screen immediately reappear on the opposite side, maintaining speed and trajectory...
. Whenever a door is traversed by a player or monster, they deactivate for a short period, making them impassible. A player who exits the door can pop back through the door immediately when the Worluk or Wizard is in the dungeon.
- Burwor: A blue Wolf-type creature. It also looks somewhat similar to a squirrelSquirrelSquirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
. - Garwor: A yellow Tyrannosaurus rexTyrannosaurusTyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
-type creature. Has the ability to turn invisible, thus it can only be seen with the radarRadarRadar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio... - Thorwor: A red scorpionScorpionScorpions are predatory arthropod animals of the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by the pair of grasping claws and the narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back, ending with a venomous stinger...
-like creature. Also has the ability to turn invisible, thus it can only been seen with the radarRadarRadar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
. - Worluk: An Insectoid-type creature.
- Wizard of Wor: A blue wizard.
Normally, each dungeon starts filled with six Burwors. In the first dungeon, killing the last Burwor will make a Garwor appear; in the second, the last two Burwors are replaced by Garwors when killed; and so on. From the sixth dungeon on, a Garwor will replace every Burwor when killed. On every screen, killing a Garwor causes a Thorwor to appear. There will never be more than six enemies on the screen at once. From the second dungeon on, after the last Thorwor is killed, a Worluk will appear and try to escape through one of the side doors, ending the level. Killing the Worluk turns the next level into a "Double Score Dungeon."
The Wizard of Wor will appear in or after the 3rd dungeon once the Worluk has been killed or has escaped (depending on how many men you have lost). After a few seconds the Wizard will disappear and teleport
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
across the dungeon, gradually approaching a Worrior. The Wizard remains in the dungeon until he shoots a Worrior or is killed. Killing the Wizard of Wor will also create a double score dungeon for the next dungeon. He uses a speech synthesizer to taunt the player.
Through levels 1-7, the player is referred to as a "Worrior". After dungeon 7 the Player is referred to as a "Worlord". The "Worlord Dungeons" are more difficult because they have fewer walls. Eventually, with Dungeon 13, there are no walls.
There are two special dungeons with increased difficulty. The 4th dungeon is called "THE ARENA" and the 13th dungeon is called "THE PIT." The Arena has a large open area in its center, while the Pit has no interior walls at all. A bonus Worrior is awarded before each of these levels.
Each dungeon begins with a dramatic rendition of the five-note
Note
In music, the term note has two primary meanings:#A sign used in musical notation to represent the relative duration and pitch of a sound;#A pitched sound itself....
opening from "Danger Ahead"—the theme to the radio and television series Dragnet—with the fifth note only playing on the "double score dungeon" screen.