I'm not going to focus this review on the merits of Wizard Wars' gameplay, beyond saying if you liked Magicka, you'll probably like this, and if you haven't played Magicka, you should play that instead, because it is MUCH better.

I purchased Wizard Wars because I found Magicka immensely entertaining, The ability to combine your core 8 elements in so many ways, along with the added benefit of specific spells which could be invoked, made for what was essentially a Combat Puzzle game. you had to know how an enemy attacked, what strengths and weaknesses it had, and how to exploit them.
Wizard Wars simplifies this system much by reducing the number of elements you can invoke at once to 3 (from 5), Having a seperate set of (4) spells you invoke by gaining some form of charge (gained slowly over time, or from kills), selected from a list of what it looks like will eventually be 6 each slot.

My primary issues aren't with the implementation of this system, or the core spell casting gameplay (it is fairly fun, but does somewhat lack both the depth and bredth of the original), but rather the way the game plays out (which I'll attribute to beta balancing issues, and leave for more toward the final release) the current implementation of the persistent leveling system, and the lack of any sort of player moderation.

As it is, it is incredibly easy to ruin the game for your teammates by simply killing them with friendly fire, and they have no recourse but to try and kill you back. No reporting system, no automatic punishment for teamkills, just TK for TK. By beta release there should have been features in place to penalize this kind of negative behavior, and improve the gameplay for those that actually want to play.

As for their persistent leveling system, it is completely circumventable, as any level and IGC items have an equivalent item which can be purchased with use of real money, and has no level requirement. Now, strictly speaking, any equipment you can purchase in game is no better than any other, but higher level equipment is more highly specialized.
In addition, their main system for allowing you to recieve rewards without purchasing them is HEAVILY stacked against you. There is a 'Secret Chest' which can be opened once daily, and allows you to get spell components, equipment, or currency. The quality of these items goes up as you win (not play, win) games, starting at one, then going to 2xafter one win, 3x after three, 4x after eight, 6x after 16(?) and 10x after 26(?). Problem is, the first 3-4 games will be reasonably easy to get, but getting that last game to get your 4x multiplier may take you 4, 5, or even 10(!) games. I can't say this is done intentionally, but it's incredibly frustrating to play so many games with nothing but a few coins and maybe 1 spell crafting component to show for it.

Ultimately the closest thing I can give to a reccomendation is "Go buy Magicka (and isn't Magicka 2 coming out soon...?)"

I'm not going to focus this review on the merits of Wizard Wars' gameplay, beyond saying if you liked Magicka, you'll probably like this, and if you haven't played Magicka, you should play that instead, because it is MUCH better. I purchased Wizard Wars because I found Magicka immensely entertaining, The ability to combine your core 8 elements in so many ways, along with the added benefit of specific spells which could be invoked, made for what was essentially a Combat Puzzle game. you had to know how an enemy attacked, what strengths and weaknesses it had, and how to exploit them. Wizard Wars simplifies this system much by reducing the number of elements you can invoke at once to 3 (from 5), Having a seperate set of (4) spells you invoke by gaining some form of charge (gained slowly over time, or from kills), selected from a list of what it looks like will eventually be 6 each slot. My primary issues aren't with the implementation of this system, or the core spell casting gameplay (it is fairly fun, but does somewhat lack both the depth and bredth of the original), but rather the way the game plays out (which I'll attribute to beta balancing issues, and leave for more toward the final release) the current implementation of the persistent leveling system, and the lack of any sort of player moderation. As it is, it is incredibly easy to ruin the game for your teammates by simply killing them with friendly fire, and they have no recourse but to try and kill you back. No reporting system, no automatic punishment for teamkills, just TK for TK. By beta release there should have been features in place to penalize this kind of negative behavior, and improve the gameplay for those that actually want to play. As for their persistent leveling system, it is completely circumventable, as any level and IGC items have an equivalent item which can be purchased with use of real money, and has no level requirement. Now, strictly speaking, any equipment you can purchase in game is no better than any other, but higher level equipment is more highly specialized. In addition, their main system for allowing you to recieve rewards without purchasing them is HEAVILY stacked against you. There is a 'Secret Chest' which can be opened once daily, and allows you to get spell components, equipment, or currency. The quality of these items goes up as you win (not play, [i]win[/i]) games, starting at one, then going to 2xafter one win, 3x after three, 4x after eight, 6x after 16(?) and 10x after 26(?). Problem is, the first 3-4 games will be reasonably easy to get, but getting that last game to get your 4x multiplier may take you 4, 5, or even 10(!) games. I can't say this is done intentionally, but it's incredibly frustrating to play so many games with nothing but a few coins and maybe 1 spell crafting component to show for it. Ultimately the closest thing I can give to a reccomendation is "Go buy Magicka (and isn't Magicka 2 coming out soon...?)"