Product Info

Platform

Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PC

Publisher

Clear River Games

Developer

City Connection

Genre

RPG

Players

1

File Size (Minimum)

2 GB

Release Date (NA)

Feb 19, 2026

Purchase From

eShop

PSN Store

Microsoft Store

Steam

WiZmans World Re;Try is a HD remaster of the Japan-only Nintendo DS game, WiZmans World. Its unique gameplay mechanics and story telling feel like something straight from the ‘90s era of role-playing games (RPGs). However, this remaster could benefit from a few more quality of life improvements.

Feeling Isolated

The story follows a young wizard named Claus, who lives in the magical city of Wizarest. Sealed off by a powerful magical barrier, it has been cut off from the outside world for at least a century. No one knows why or how this incident occurred. One day, Claus’s mentor and adopted mother, Giselle, disappears while trying to solve the mystery of the barrier. Motivated, Claus ventures into the labyrinth just outside of town, accompanied by three homunculi companions – magical creatures that resemble fairies, created by Giselle. Its original storytelling and visuals give off a reminiscent feel of RPGs from the ‘90s Sega Genesis.

Players will adventure through various dungeons outside the city, each laid out differently with a powerful beast waiting at the end. Dialogues are all text-based, with the option to skip and re-read in the game’s log; do not expect any voice overs in this updated version. You are also given game-changing options to either rescue a wounded non-playable character (NPC) or let them perish to “repair” the dungeon. It’s a risk-reward scenario that the game doesn’t clearly explain and is vague about the aftermath. For example, if you rescue the NPC, Wizarest will open up new stores, better equipment, and additional story content. Otherwise, you lose this option but dungeons are more open to a variety of different monsters to obtain new drops, souls for your homunculi growth, treasures, and more. This unique feature makes players want to replay the game in different paths to discover what they missed in their previous play. With the New Game+, you can carry over some of your progression.

There aren’t random battles; enemies are floating around in a patterned movement with generic sprite visuals. You can interact with the enemy to battle, or if they spot you, they will chase you down for a battle. At times, the hitboxes feel a bit off, as there are instances where you go in for a sneak attack and find yourself in front of the enemy, resulting in an ambush. This may cause frustration, and players will have to adjust their controls to aim more towards the center of the enemy sprite.

Battles are turn-based between your party and enemies on the battlefield. When your party initiates an attack in a row, the game offers a boost to their attacks and recovery but only for that turn. Go more than five turns in a row for your party, the greater the benefits. It’s a nice reward for players. Defeated enemies win the battle, if everyone perishes, game over. If one or all of your homunculi perish, they and everyone’s health points (HP) return to normal. Special Points (SP) do not replenish after battles for homunculi, however Claus’s does so players should take advantage of his skillset.

Fu…sion…HA!

One of the unique features WiZmans World offers is the ability to grow your homunculi through Anima Fusion. This feature allows you to transform your homunculi companion into forms that will benefit you in battle. To perform a fusion, players must gather souls from monsters by defeating them in battle. When fusing, not only does your homunculi change its form, but its stats and new moves also adjust. If you are switching to a new form, you will have the option to transfer up to two moves to your new homunculi form. You can swap between any soul as much as you want as long as you have enough souls in your inventory.

As you progress through the game, you will have the option to use Catalysts, which can be found in dungeons. These items act as a bonus to increase stats and new moves while your homunculi is fusing with a monster’s soul, adding more depth to the homunculi evolution mechanic. Using Catalysts also requires in-game currency that serves as a source to add Catalysts to your homunculi.

Players will need to understand these mechanics as they become beneficial in each dungeon, especially against each dungeon’s final boss. The setup you have created for each of your three homunculi is more likely to require a new fusion form for the boss. This gives players more of a challenge and forces them to think ahead and adjust their battle strategy, making it less of an easy ride despite their character’s levels. Knowing your enemy’s weakness will play a role in selecting your homunculi forms. Your human protagonist is already quite strong with his own set of skills and stats as long as he is at a high enough level.

A Good Start with Room for Approvement

Turning the original Nintendo DS game into a high-definition visual experience is no easy mission and requires a lot of work to accomplish. While games like the Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection simply adjust the dual screens to fit on one, WiZmans World Re;Try completely reworks the visuals and user interface for a fresh new experience. Despite the improved quality of life enhancements such as the ability to save anywhere, skip dialogues, easier menu setups, and a monster encyclopedia, the remaster could benefit from some additional features. 

For instance, adding a speed option for the turn-based battles to increase the animation process between enemies and party members would be a welcome addition. With so many monsters swarming in dungeons, speeding up the battle animations would greatly improve gameplay. While the game maintains its original pixel art style, it tends to lose some of its original design when viewed on an HD screen. Adding more details to character faces would help address this issue. Additionally, navigating maps in dungeons can feel like a chore, as players must open the menu to access the map and then hold a specific button on the controller to view detailed areas and monster locations. A simpler solution for map navigation would greatly enhance the player experience, especially considering the updated user interface for menus.

The character illustrations in the remastered version look much cleaner and more beautiful than those in the original DS version. The music and sound effects have also been remade to sound richer and offer better output than the original, which was limited by the capabilities of the Nintendo DS. Having players find stones in the dungeon to operate a savepoint gets annoying but having a feature to turn this on/off or a new difficulty can give players the choice for this. 

The Final Path

WiZmans World Re;Try is a hidden gem for hardcore RPG fans. With its strategic homunculi fusion mechanics, risk-reward dungeon choices, and quality of life improvements from the original Nintendo DS version, it offers a unique experience. However, the game could benefit from additional improvements to make its gameplay more fluid.

A PlayStation 5 review code provided for this review. WiZmans World Re;Try is available now for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Players can visit the game’s official website for more information and purchasing options.