Folly of the Wizards Review
Roguelite platformer Folly of the Wizards misses the mark.
Folly of the Wizards. UpFox Labs / Numskull Games
Folly of the Wizards from UpFox Labs and publisher Numskull Games is a comedic 2D roguelite that puts players in the shoes of a clumsy wizard apprentice and member of a weird wizarding cult. With four playable wizards, 130 relics/tomes/scrolls, and procedurally generated dungeons across nine biomes, Folly of the Wizards promises substantial variety but stumbles in its gameplay.
The game's whimsical tone and comedic atmosphere provide genuine charm. The story, while functional, exists mainly to support progression through the demon-infested dungeons rather than offering narrative depth. A relationship system makes conversations with NPCs alter your playthrough, though it doesn’t feel that meaningful.
Folly of the Wizards. UpFox Labs / Numskull Games
Where Folly of the Wizards fails is in combat. Its controls are unintuitive, forcing shoulder buttons for jumping with no remapping options; I understand the design choice, since the game requires you to aim with the right stick while platforming. In practice, it turned gameplay into a frustrating chore. Some of the boss encounters are genuinely interesting, but the controls didn’t allow me to enjoy them.
The game’s visual presentation is strong, with colorful character designs and polished environments. However, the art style feels derivative of other recent games, failing to establish its own identity. Unfortunately, nice art doesn’t make up for frustrating gameplay.
Folly of the Wizards. UpFox Labs / Numskull Games
Folly of the Wizards has lots of ideas and charm, but fails at its most crucial function: fun gameplay. There could be more here than what I’m seeing, but I was struggling so much with rewiring my brain to use the forced control scheme that it was a poor experience.
Follow of the Wizards is available now on Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.
Overall Score: 3/10
Played on: PS5
