Wizard101: FREE Multiplayer Online Game for the Whole Family!
Entertainment, Product Reviews, Tech-Related, Toys & Games — By Lindsey on February 20, 2010 at 11:56 am
Get ready for the adventure of a lifetime – an adventure that your entire family can take part in!
I’ll have to admit that before being introduced to Wizard101, I didn’t know much about online multiplayer games except that they looked intimidating (to me), and that people love them. My husband has played them before, and I’ve watched over his shoulder and wondered what the draw was. I even tried his game once (DAOC), and although I enjoyed it, I was annoyed by the people who would come over and try to friend me or talk to me when I was trying to adventure. Hello! I was busy! I figured maybe I wasn’t the type of person who should be playing the online games after that and gave up. ;-)
I recently joined the wonderful Game Review Network, and was excited when I was given the opportunity to review Wizard101, a game I had never heard of but appealed to me for the following reasons:
- It is totally FREE to play on your PC!
- It won MMORPG.com’s Best Family Game of 2009 Award!
- It involves wizards and magical worlds (sweet!).
- Your characters get to go to wizard school (Harry Potter immediately jumped into my mind, of course).
- It is family-friendly, easy enough for a kid to play, and has settings that allow you (the parent) to control all of the social aspects of the game.
So here is my full experience and opinion of the Wizard101 online multiplayer game…
Getting Started
In this online multiplayer adventure game, you create a student wizard character and immediately are thrown into Wizard City, where you begin schooling at The Ravenwood School of Magical Arts. “The magic of Fire, Ice, Storm, Life, Myth, Balance, and Death are taught here by the school’s esteemed faculty of full-fledged Wizards.” When you create your character, you choose a primary school of magic (Fire, Ice, Storm, etc) – and each one has its own strengths. This gives the game a major boost in replayability since you can change things up with your next characters.
You can customize your character completely, something I enjoy doing. I probably spent too long customizing mine. ;-) Here she is:
Game Quests & Wizard Duels
“In your quest to save Wizard City, you’ll make friends, duel with creatures, solve puzzles, play minigames, and collect pets while exploring the many worlds of Wizard101.”
There is definitely a lot to do. In the game, people who need help with quests have a yellow question mark over their heads. You can stop and talk to them, and accept or deny the quest. Right in the beginning, I found three people who needed help with something, mainly fighting off the “bad guys” who were roaming the streets. Fighting gives you experience and you earn gold and other special items, so its very rewarding.
Dueling, or fighting off the bad guys, involves using magic spells that you’ve learned at the wizard school. These come in the form of a card game, and you and the enemy take turns casting spells. The special effects while dueling are fantastic! I was totally thrilled by the scenes and love watching the duels.
Friends can duel with you to take out a monster, and you can duel against other wizards as well. And, as with many similar games, you can run out of mana (the energy you use to perform spells) and life. It’s nice to have a friend nearby when this happens because they can help heal you if your mana or life are depleted.
Controls & Ease of Navigation
I was relieved to find that the controls are easy to learn. You can click the mouse or press “x” to talk to people, and the navigational controls are the arrow keys on your keyboard. Getting around the map, talking to people, and walking through doors, etc. is a cinch!
How Many People Can Play At Once?
The whole family can play together if you have enough computers! There is a lot of opportunity for interaction between players, making it a blast to play with your friends and family.
Replayability
This is definitely a game that is something you your kids won’t want to stop playing. It is probably going to be great as a reward system!
Why Kids Will Like It
- Customizable characters and living quarters
- Mini games, player versus player dueling, player versus monster dueling, and questing galore
- You can earn clothing, equipment, pets, and badges
- You can friend other players online, start or join groups, and chat live as you play
- The graphics are impressive and the music is superb!
How Safe Is It For My Kids to Play?
You can control and oversee all aspects of your child’s social interaction with other players online.
- All usernames are pre-generated (your child can choose from a variety of different names from a drop-down menu)
- There are two chat options – menu chat (pre-generated options like “That was fun.”) and actual text chat.
- Password-protected parental controls
- Moderated message boards
- Full control over what your child sees while playing (see image below)
Although it says Crude Humor and 10+ in the rating box, I’m not entirely sure why. I’ve been playing this game for over a month now and I haven’t come across anything crude at all. In fact, I was pleased to find that there aren’t any revealing costumes and that there isn’t any “adult” humor to shake my head at or hope my child didn’t see/hear. It is a very decent and clean game. I have heard that children as young as 5 and 6 are playing the game as well, and I’m not surprised.
Cost:
I know, I know, I said it was free. And it is – at least your access to most of Wizard City is. You also get to participate in player versus player dueling practice and are able to decorate your dorm room or a Wizard City house as a free member. For full access to this extensive game, you have a few great options:
1. Pay as you play using Crowns. This means you will pay $1 to $3 per area and will be able to eventually buy all access to all areas with individual one-time purchases. You’ll also have your own castles and lands to decorate and will have access to numerous other features. You can also earn crowns by inviting friends! I recommend emailing the invite to yourself and copying the url so you can send it to anyone or embed it in a blog post.
2. Become a monthly subscriber for $9.95 a month and have access to everything. This will be for hard-core gamers – families who play a lot and love it.
There are also family plans, $6.95 per account (for individual family members who want to play together and have access to everything) for two or more accounts in a family, and awesome discounts when you purchase subscriptions of six months or more at one time (I would recommend that).
And in my opinion, it is worth the money, and it’s a good deal (according to my husband, who would definitely know). Wizard101 is a lot of fun, and a great alternative to many of the game system games that are SO spendy – the ones your child will be bored of after a week.
To find out more about the plans available, visit Wizard101′s Help Me Choose page.
Final Thoughts:
Wizard101 is an addictive, fun-filled online multiplayer wizard game that I think you and your children will enjoy. Its a genius alternative to the popular but expensive online (and game system) games available nowadays, and I love that parents can control all of the online interaction and keep their kids safe. This is doubly a great game to introduce to your family because adults and children alike love it!
I like that it is free to play online even if you don’t have access to everything – it is still a lot of fun, and its nice that you can try before you buy for as long as you want! I recommend giving it a try!
If you’re ready, sign up here! <——- If you use that link (using my friend code), you’ll get a special gift when you sign up, a rare pet dragon!
Giveaway over – winners posted here!
I received a subscription to this game thanks to the Game Review Network and Wizard101. This review is 100% my own opinion, my own experiences with the product, and in my own words.
161 Comments
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Wizard 101 is unlike any other MMORPG–not only does it have great graphics, sound, and duels, but it actually makes you think in planning what card to use next to finish that enemy (especially when you’re low on power pips)! The great thing for parents is that there isn’t any blood or obvious violence like there is in some other computer and video games, so no one has to worry about suddenly having their child see gore splatter on the screen.
I first got into Wizard 101 after seeing the ad and some of my friends referred it to me. I registered, initially thinking it would be a waste of time, but from the first quest, I was hooked. After playing it for a few months and reaching level 16 as a pyromancer, I decided to get my parents in. I made my dad register first, and though at first he didn’t understand why Headmaster Ambrose had one strange eye, he loved it later. My mom has never played a computer game before, but she’s also getting the hang of it and is starting to like it. Her only complaint is that she now wants to change her wizard name, since it has the word Death in it and she’s a Life wizard. :)
I do hope I will be able to win the crowns as I am stuck not getting in to Krokotopia and my parents are still level 3 so they do not want to buy crowns for me (I don’t have a credit card), but if not, I hope someone reads this comment and will be inspired into playing Wizard 101, the greatest adventure game ever!
E-mailed to three friends :)
I think this game is one of the best MMOs I have ever played.
I found this out when a friend from school told me about it back in November 2008. I tried it out and it was very fun. It had amazing graphics, very nice gameplay, the storyline was cool, and it wasn’t like those MMOs that has a lot of bad players or hackers.
A month later, I found a site called wizard101 central. Its the #1 fan site for wizard101 and even Kingsisle workers had accounts on there. I met a lot of good people such as the beta players, legendary wizards and admins of wizard101. Because of it, I could see new updates and other fun stuff about wizard101.
I have been playing for a year and a half now. Before, I used to play other MMOs but I quit because the game wasn’t that good and the company was greedy or didn’t care about players. Kingsisle is very different. They actually care about their players, listen to them, and love to accept new ideas. Thats the kind of company I like to see. Thats why I choose wizard101. Kingsisle is a great company to manage wizard101.
I have 2 grandmasters now and a couple others working their way to grandmaster as well. I’ve met a ton of cool friends on the game and they really helped me a lot. I also got all my other good friends in real life to play too. We had much more fun playing wizard101 than we used to on gaming consoles.
I think that this game is very special, unlike other MMOs. I would highly recommend this game to anyone, no matter what age, no matter how good of a gamer you are to play this game.
Created For Kids, Fun For Adults
While the game is made for kids, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. First, it appeals to me as an adult. Wizard 101 has done a nice job of scripting a comprehensive storyline with tons of side quests that, so far, have kept me engaged. The combat mechanic and group dynamics of team fights are simple enough for the kids to understand but deep enough to allow for complex thinking and strategic planning. They’ve also loaded in a lot of subtle humor and references that you may not pick up immediately, but will get after the second or third reference. Secondly, it’s a game that I feel very comfortable playing with my kids. The game itself is quite sticky, with various rewards and achievements sprinkled throughout a wizard’s career, which will make you want to stay on just a little bit longer each time you play. Definately one of the better deals I’ve come across.
i think this game is the best online game i ever played. its safe to your computer, family and friends. wizard101 has great details in the story mode and creative worlds and sound effects. if you want to live your long life dream as becoming a wizard than wizard101 is the perfect place to start your adventure. i reckon this game to any ages. overall wizard101 earned that award.
I’m a mother of older kids who have long ago left the house and gaming. I got into this game by accident; I have never done anything like this except for the old Zelda series which we played as a family. I’ve only been at this for a week, but I’ve seen some nice things happen: strangers collaborating or jumping into a battle to help me. I am encouraged by this spirit of cooperation when I witness it. But I have also seen too many things I don’t like: incivility, poorly masked cursing and name-calling in public places, gossip. Worse:A guy followed me into a tower (conversations can’t be viewed by the public)and asked inappropriate personal questions. And too much fighting; not enough problem solving. Graphics and wizardry are seductive;I would think twice before I used this as a reward for my kids.
The nice thing about this game is that parents can disable the chat settings and protect their kids from that kind of thing. :-)
Thanks for your thoughts on the game!
We have been playing Wizards since the week after it was released. Our youngest son originally saw the game advertised on TV and asked if he could try it out. He and my husband played as free players for a couple of days then decided to join and created family accounts.
I joined a few days later after watching them play … which was different for me as I had never really been interested in games before. Since then we have spent many hours having fun, making new friends and working our wizards towards Grandmasters (Level 50, currently the highest level).
It’s an awesome game filled with many worlds and challenges, both to young and old alike.
I started playing this game after my son discovered it. I have been playing now for over well over a year, and love the game. I have two grandmasters, another two very close to grandmaster, and have just started two more wizards. I have made many friends in the game – alot of adults and some children.
I also discovered Wizard101 central not long after starting the game, and am a member there also. There is a wealth of information on the site, and it is as family-friendly as the game.
I play along with my son and two nephews, and am helping them level their wizards.
I can highly recommend this game to anyone – easy enough for small children, but challenging enough for adults.
I love this game because it always keeps me entertained! Between the mounts, worlds, and all the kind people who play, what’s not to love? The graphics in this game are outstanding, and the look of your wizards and their equipment are just great! I started playing back in March of 2009 and have been hooked ever since (: The great holiday treats KI gives us keeps us pretty busy and always excited for something new! The PvP matches are always there for us if we get bored, or just need something to keep us occupied. KI updates very often making things that much better. Overall, this game just cant be beat!
~Megan Blue
~Megan Bluespear
~Megan Spiritspear
Btw, great review!!!
Thanks for the excellent review!
My daughters (ages 10 and 7) love this game. I dubiously accepted their gift to me this Christmas – a storm wizard named Diana Spellsinger.
Much to my surprise, I’ve really enjoyed the game. It’s a fun activity that we can do together, especially during the winter, and we enjoy helping each other. We have two subscription accounts: my husband and seven-year-old daughter on one account, and me and our 10-year-old on the other.
As a parent, I like the focus on working together on quests, the kid-friendly atmosphere, and the ease of use.
As for who plays it? all of us… including my three-year-old daughter, who likes to run around Wizard City!
Hey lindsey!
You did a great job on the wizard101 review!
i discovered this game when i was watching tv, and the commercial for it came on. So long story short, after that commercial i ran to the computer and tried it out. it was a blast! i fell in love with it. i havent stopped playing it since. Winning these crowns would help me so much, i really want one of the new crown weapons they just released! the phosporescent maul *i think thats what it is called*. i know alot of people that play this and its a great experience no game player will want to miss out on.
Good luck to all,
Johnny!
i enjoy this game because of the multiplayer aspect and the fact that we can replay it over again on other wizards. both me and my sister play and we have a blast!
I have played w101 since May of 2009. My son was the one who got me started because he needed my help, little did I know I’d get into it, too! Now, 9 months later, I have three grandmasters and am working on my fourth character. My younger son also enjoys playing.
Wizard101 is a totally awesome game that rules MMo’s
I found this game on advert and decided to check it out.
Once i started playing I couldn’t stop.
Everything you need in a game Wizard101 covers it.
It has adventure, puzzle , animation , battle and it is a game of challenge.
This game is suitable for everyone. It is time of fun of joy when you start playing.
I have one grandmaster.
Everyone who is bored or who has nothing to do should play this game. Once you start playing you cant stop.
I have been playing for a year now. I am working on a storm who is master right now.
The other cool thing is this game is multiplayer. You can make friends with people and they can help you and you can help them.
The storyline is awesome. You have to defeat the villian named Malistaire and stop him from his fiendish plots. Merle Ambrose guides you.
I would rate this game 10 out of 10
I would recommend anyone to play this game