History VideoGame / WizardsandWarriors

Kuros and Malkil were also regular characters on the cartoon segment of ''WesternAnimation/VideoPower'', with the latter also appearing in the ''WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster'' episode "Nightmare on Mother Brain's Street". The first game was adapted into a book for the ''Literature/WorldsOfPower'' series as well.

* FighterMageThief: The third game requires you to join all three guilds to proceed, complete with appropriate outfits.

* ContemptibleCover: The boxart of the second game features Fabio in barbarian garb. Kuros is fully-armored and sports a beard.

* BubblyClouds: An eagle will take you there in the second game.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpaNHdYmcJs The second game's ending.]]

* NintendoHard: The first isn't particularly hard due to infinite continues. The sequels, respectively, give you two continues[[labelnote:*]]One of which is ''removed'' after the third level even if you haven't used it yet![[/labelnote]], and NO continues.

* ElementalEmbodiment: In ''W&W 2'', the bosses you fought were embodiments of the four classical elements: Wind, Water, Fire and Earth. In order to defeat them you had to find a particular spell with which to enchant your sword.

* TheFaceless: Played straight in the first two games, as Kuros is always wearing a helmet. The Knight and Wizard classes of the third game also play it straight, being helmeted and hooded, respectively, but overall subverted by Kuros' thief appearance, which depicts him as sporting a beard. He's also shown helmetless in the intro after Malkil blasts him off the top of the mountain and when he acquires a shortsword from a creature that attempts to ambush him.

** Kuros will not take fall damage but long falls will stun him for a few moments.

* TheFaceless: Played straight in the first two games, as Kuros is always wearing a helmet. The Knight and wizard classes of the third game also play it straight, being helmeted and hooded, respectively, but overall subverted by Kuros' thief appearance, which depicts him as sporting a beard. He's also shown helmetless in the intro after Malkil blasts him off the top of the mountain and when he acquires a shortsword from a creature that attempts to ambush him.

Kuros and Malkil were also regular characters on the cartoon segment of ''WesternAnimation/VideoPower'', with the latter himself also appearing on the ''WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster'' episode "Nightmare on Mother Brain's Street". The first game was adapted into a book for the ''Literature/WorldsOfPower'' series as well.

** In the second game, you start with a rather puny, weak sword, and get progressively longer, more powerful swords until you finally assemble the Ironsword, the best weapon in the game[[note]]Not because of the size, but rather because of the fact that it can shoot infinite projectiles without draining your magic[[/note]]. However, this trope is subverted in the third level (the level after the Air Elemental battle), where, if you stockpile enough money, you can get the Diamond Sword, which is as big as the Ironsword and does the most damage in the game. It's possible to lose it by buying a weaker weapon, but if you can keep it, it will carry you through the next 6 levels easily enough, after which you'll have the Ironsword.

Released in 1987 by Creator/{{Acclaim}}, developed by British company Creator/{{Rare}}, ''Wizards and Warriors'' features KnightInShiningArmor Kuros hopping through the kingdom, in search of his beloved (and nameless) [[SaveThePrincess Princess]], abducted by token EvilSorcerer Malkil. Along the way, he'll rescue any OTHER [[DamselInDistress Damsels in Distress]] he happens to stumble over, along with picking up a variety of magical odds and ends.

''Wizards and Warriors'' is a platformer with both dungeon-crawler and mild RPG elements. Players have to roam through large levels looking for enough gems to pay their way to a boss fight and could collect keys, treasure, and special items along the way, while dealing with a limited inventory.

The other games in this series are ''Ironsword: Wizards and Warriors II'', released for the NES in 1989, ''Fortress of Fear: Wizards and Warriors X'', released for the UsefulNotes/GameBoy in 1990, and ''Wizards and Warriors III: Kuros: Visions of Power'', for the NES in 1992.

* ColonCancer: The title of the third game: ''Wizards and Warriors III: Kuros: Visions of Power''.

* NonstandardGameOver: Accepting Malkil's offer at the end of Wizards and Warriors 3 treats you to a small cutscene of Kuros chained to the floor in front of Malkil's throne, wearing nothing but his knightly skivvies, as Malkil laughs. While that scene is the standard game over, the non-standard part of that is when you actually accept Malkil's offer. You walk over to the other end of the throne room, when Malkil blasts you with some sort of spell and says "Ha ha! The fool."

* GainaxEnding: For the third game. Malkil explodes, leaving a PortalDoor. Kuros jumps into it and ends up in the future, with the implication that he'll be fighting Malkil throughout time.

Not to be confused with an unrelated RPG with the same name designed by David W. Bradley of ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}}'' fame, which was released in 2000. Or with the Series/WizardsAndWarriors TV series]].

* BottomlessPit: Subverted in the third game. If Kuros falls over the side of the castle, he'll end up back in the city.

* ChangingClothesIsAFreeAction: In the third game, a separate pause menu is used by pressing the select button, allowing the player to switch classes on the fly. [[GoodBadBugs It also provides a split second of invincibility that can be exploited during the final boss battle]].

* [[GiveMeYourInventoryItem Give Me Your Gems]]: The knight guarding the door to the boss in each level can only be placated by handing over the indicated amount of money. [[InvincibleMinorMook No, you can't kill him, no matter how much you may want to]]. But, the gems aren't actually subtracted from the player's total.

** This is much more apparent in ''Ironsword'', since many of the items collected do absolutely '''nothing''' to improve Kuros' abilities, [[CosmeticAward they just change his appearance.]]

* RandomDrops: Present in the first two games.

** Having to agree to marry all three princesses in a ButThouMust moment is a direct reference to the TropeNamer, ''VideoGame/DragonQuestI''.

* WeCanRuleTogether: Malkil makes this offer to Kuros at the end of the third game. If Kuros accepts, [[SchmuckBait it results]] in a NonStandardGameOver.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpaNHdYmcJs The second game's ending]].

Not to be confused with an unrelated RPG with the same name designed by David W. Bradley of ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}}'' fame, which was released in 2000.

* {{Bizarrchitecture}}: The city of Piedup from the third game is a lot more vertical than your average city would be. It's handwaved by the manual as having been built as an experiment in space conservation, though this doesn't really explain how a city of houses on wooden platforms is able to support a massive castle on top without collapsing under its own weight. Special mention should go to the throne room, which is only accessible through a passage in the deepest part of the dungeon, requires four gems to open, and has can only be scaled through magical levitation.

* ButThouMust: To get jewels to unlock the king's prison, Kuros has to promise to marry the princesses who keep them. All three princesses. Part of him might be glad to be catapulted into the future after beating Malkil.

** The boss's health is measured in blue symbols.

* ButThouMust: To get jewels to unlock the king's prison, Kuros has to promise to marry the princesses who keep them. All three princesses.

Kuros and Malkil were also regular characters on the cartoon segment of ''WesternAnimation/VideoPower'', with the latter himself also appearing on the ''WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster'' episode "Nightmare on Mother Brain's Street".

* SortingAlgorithmOfWeaponEffectiveness: In the second game, you start with a rather puny, weak sword, and get progressively longer, more powerful swords until you finally assemble the Ironsword, the best weapon in the game[[note]]Not because of the size, but rather because of the fact that it can shoot infinite projectiles without draining your magic[[/note]]. However, this trope is subverted in the third level (the level after the Air Elemental battle), where, if you stockpile enough money, you can get the Diamond Sword, which is as big as the Ironsword and does the most damage in the game. It's possible to lose it by buying a weaker weapon, but if you can keep it, it will carry you through the next 6 levels easily enough, after which you'll have the Ironsword.