Maroc - 3RD-STRIKE.COM - A La Une - 22/12/2024 00:01

W.A.N.D. Project – Review

W.A.N.D. Project is an anime-inspired roguelike that combines magical girls with bullet-hell gameplay. Bullet-hell and roguelike are two genres that mesh very well and that’s exactly what’s on today’s menu. Describing itself as a mix of Vampire Survivor and Balatro, W.A.N.D Project sets a very high bar for itself. Now let’s discover if they were able to hit their target or fell short.  Story Being a roguelike, the game’s story isn’t present during gameplay but takes center stage during the cutscenes between stages and at the beginning and end of a run. This also means that the story usually isn’t overly convoluted, which is the case for W.A.N.D. Project, where you must protect Tokyo from an alien-robot invasion. You play as one of three magical girls, each with a connection to a magical wand that enables them to cast spells. These spells are controlled by Hiro, a contact who informs the girls about their powers and the unfolding situation as the game progresses. Each character reacts differently to the new information, but they all start with the same knowledge of the situation: none. During their journey to repel the aliens, they fight through three areas of Tokyo and defeat each area’s alien general. Graphics As an indie game, W.A.N.D. Project uses a pixel art style for the main game, supplemented by a spell-crafting UI that evokes retro nostalgia while also embracing a Sci-Fi aesthetic. The spell-crafting interface incorporates a neon sign-inspired design with its black screen and colored tiles. When the characters engage in dialogue for story progression, beautifully rendered, high-resolution character art overlays the pixel art background, creating a striking contrast. The only complaint about these character illustrations is that when they change emotions, the character vanishes and reappears with different artwork, which lacks any form of smooth transition. The playable characters are also distinctly differentiated in both personality and outfit, making them easily recognizable, even in pixel art form. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the enemies. Most of them feature predominantly black bodies with colored accents. While these accents make the enemies easy to distinguish individually, problems arise when they cluster together, such as in the later levels or as a level progresses. In these situations, it becomes difficult to determine the number and types of enemies gathered in a specific area. Sound The sound design left us wanting a bit more. While the game menus, such as those for spell-crafting and character or wand selection, feature calming music reminiscent of LoFi beats, the actual levels have much louder music. Unfortunately, there is no smooth transition between these two; the music simply stops abruptly and is replaced, which further emphasizes the stark contrast. Adding to the issue, while the in-game music does a great job of conveying the pressure and chaotic situations the characters face, it is less effective at helping you maintain focus. Gameplay Inspired by bullet-hells, W.A.N.D. Project focuses on two core controls: moving and dashing. While simple on the surface, this foundation is expanded upon through the spells you can create in the spell-crafting section between levels. These spells form the roguelike element of the game, as you must purchase their components during each run. To do this, you collect Essence from defeated aliens and use it to buy spell components or unlock extra spaces on the spell-crafting board to place your components. These spell-crafting boards are unique to the various wands you can unlock, offering another layer of experimentation and allowing you to develop your own playstyle. Beyond spells and wands, your choice of character is yet another way to personalize your experience. Let’s start with the spells and their components. These spells are modular and consist of at least one green casting node, which determines the action that triggers the spell, such as standing still, dashing, or automatically casting at regular intervals. In addition to the casting node, you need at least one spell component – a Spawner node – which defines what the spell actually does, such as launching fireballs, summoning lightning strikes, or creating enemy-trapping circles. These two components are the minimum required to create a functional spell. Beyond these, there are also blue additional effect nodes, which add miscellaneous effects to your spells, such as healing you, adding flat damage, and more. All these nodes fit together like puzzle pieces, and the spell-crafting menu reflects this with its intuitive layout. Nodes can also be connected indefinitely, with additional effect nodes modifying the last Spawner node in your chain. Spawner nodes, in turn, have conditions and chances to trigger the next Spawner in the chain. You can even combine two identical nodes to create an upgraded version. This system allows for a wide range of creative combinations. Want to build the longest spell chain possible? Go for it! Want to have 10 spells running simultaneously? Nothing’s stopping you! Your only limits are your imagination, the space on your board, and the modules available in the shop. However, while the system is easy to grasp, it can quickly become cluttered, making it difficult to keep track of which nodes belong to which spell. Thankfully, there’s no time limit for spell-crafting between levels, so you can experiment freely. Next, let’s discuss the wands. In the story, you wield a single wand named “Wand,” which has four forms: Ignacio (the default), and three others – Parappa, Zordi, and Omni. These are unlocked through gameplay. Each wand significantly impacts your playstyle in various ways. They have unique stat focuses, such as casting speed or the number of casts, and they also affect the types and quantities of nodes you can find during a run. These distinctions make each wand suited to specific playstyles, and they even feature unique elemental Spawner types, further enhancing their individuality. The final layer of customization comes from the magical girls themselves: Yumi, Maki, and Rina. Each has a distinct personality that makes the cutscenes entertaining and gives you three different narrative experiences. Beyond their story differences, they also bring unique mechanics to the game. Yumi, the starting character, is faster than the others and has a passive chance to dodge attacks. Maki is slower than Yumi but starts each run with two spells that can be enhanced, offering a stronger but slightly more restrictive playstyle. Finally, Rina starts with more health and a reduced dash cooldown but moves more slowly, making her the tankiest option. These three customization options – spells, wands, and characters – allow you to endlessly tweak and optimize your team to face the alien threat in a variety of ways. While heavily inspired by bullet-hell games, W.A.N.D. Project goes beyond simple “survive for X amount of time” missions. Many levels feature alternative objectives that require you to fulfill specific victory conditions. These objectives encourage experimentation with different playstyles and builds. One common element across all levels is the “overtime” phase. During the final moments of a level, your spells are boosted and cast continuously, and your cooldowns are essentially zero. At the same time, enemy spawns taper off. This phase gives you an opportunity to “clean up” the battlefield and collect additional Essence before the round concludes. Conclusion Despite the spell-crafting board easily becoming cluttered, W.A.N.D. Project delivers on its promise of being a perfect combination of bullet-hell and roguelike. With its straightforward premise of bullet-hell gameplay combined into short roguelike areas, the game offers quick runs of high-octane action where you can experiment and discover what suits your playstyle best. The characters have endearing personalities, and despite their individual stat lines, they all feel enjoyable to play. W.A.N.D. Project has certainly earned its place as a relaxing and entertaining game on the Switch.