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Classic first-person caster Wheel of Time is resurrected by Nightdive
As a Wheel of Time aficionado, it’s safe to say that when I found out that your Wheel of Time game had Launched on GoG (opens in new tab) Remastered, courtesy of Nightdive Studio.
The Wheel of Time was originally released in 1999, based on Robert Jordan’s series of epic fantasy novels (opens in new tab). The game puts you in the role of Elayna Sedai, one of the most powerful groups of sorceresses in the fantasy world. Elanya isn’t powerful herself, but she’s a master swinger Angell, a magical artifact of widespread influence. This comes in handy when someone breaks into the White Tower and tries to free the Dark One (aka King Sauron) from his otherworldly prison. When the attacker absconds, Elayna’s task is to track him down in the land of the Wheel of Time and find out what the hell he’s up to.
It’s all a baffling excuse for squeezing the massive and complex fantasy world of The Wheel of Time into a traditional linear FPS.You don’t collect guns, you collect Angell, which allows you to unleash up to 100 different magical powers on your enemies. As the game progresses, you’ll visit some of the world’s most iconic locations, such as the White Tower and the cursed city of Shadar Logos.
The remake’s press release quotes GameSpy (RIP), describing Wheel of Time as “one of the most underrated games of all time”. This is a bit of an exaggeration. At launch, it was considered a decent but a bit overly ambitious thing, probably not suitable for the FPS format, and that’s exactly how I rate it today. Even compared to contemporary games like Half-Life and Unreal, Shooting feels basic, and the whole effort feels like a missed opportunity in the shadow of Baldur’s Gate, which was released the same year. Having said that, the various ter’angreals are fun to play and the levels are varied and enjoyable to explore. In short, it’s an unassuming and slightly quirky fantasy shooter from the late ’90s that’s totally in my bag.
Nightdive has done a great job with the remaster, adding features for HD and 4K resolutions, supporting widescreen, and ensuring that pre-rendered cutscenes work without crashing the game. It’s as smooth and effortless as launching any modern game. GoG is also currently offering 10% off the suggested retail price of £6.99, which I think is worth checking out, especially if you like retro shooters or extremely long epic fantasy stories.