Why You Need to Buy Waltz of the Wizard (VR)

Ashley Huffman
3 min readJun 23, 2021

Have you ever wanted to have superhuman powers? Of course, you have!

Waltz of the Wizard is still one of the best VR games ever! Photo via www.aldin.io

Books, film, and VR do a spectacular job at letting us explore the bounds of reality and fiction. For fantasy-loving fans of films like Harry Potter and TV fans of The Magicians and The Witcher, the VR experience Waltz of the Wizard is a must-try. Waltz lets you feel what it’s like to be a wizard with very magical powers.

As part of the gameplay, you’re tasked with crafting new spells which unlock enchanting skills. There are 12 whimsical skills like Fireball, Puppeteer, Giant, Conductor, and Reanimator.

Story Time —

Imagine you’re within a room of an old wizard tower. Thankfully it’s not creepy, but the room is filled with various trinkets and treasures like vases, sculptures, and gems. You can grab all these items and examine them up close or toss them across the room if you feel like it.

At your trusty wooden work table, sit your cauldron, potions, and materials. Not to mention some instruments and toys you can play with. The cauldron is always enticin gto tinker with, as the perfect recipe will unlock a new magical spell.

So, you grab the gem-looking object and throw it into your cauldron. Nothing happens. You then grab the jug with a strangely colored liquid inside. As you pour it in, you can almost feel the jug get lighter. Then, the cauldron begins to bubble and whirl. You toss in the giant’s eyeball and take a step back.

The outcome of this madness? A new skill called Fireball. It does exactly as it sounds. To test it out, you put your hands out with your palms up. A small flame sparks in each hand. With a bit of concentration, you watch and feel the flames get bigger. At the max size you can hold, they glow brightly and pulsate, almost like you’re holding mini Suns. You know what to do next. Throw them! *loud crashing sounds*

Waltz of the Wizard utilizes visuals, sound, and haptics in very clever ways to accent the realism of what your brain perceives that spell and interaction should be like. That in itself is magical and rare in many VR content being released today.

BUT IS IT A GAME?

I personally wouldn't categorize Waltz of the Wizard as a game. There are game-like elements, but I very much appreciate it for being an interactive experience. It’s the definition of short and sweet, with a price to match at CDN $11.48.

All that said, Aldin Dynamics, the company behind the title, is set to release an expansion called Natural Magic, which they say is 'going to expand the depth and mechanics.’ If you already own ‘Waltz of the Wizard,’ you won’t need to pay for the expansion.

To learn more about the expansion, check out this post by Road to VR and this video preview below by Upload VR.

There’s still no other experience like Waltz that I’ve tried that captures what it is like to be an all-powerful wizard. Plus, it’s a fantastic way to lose yourself in having fun.

As one of the very first experiences I tried in VR, ‘Waltz of the Wizard’ is still one of my favorite VR titles to this day.

I can’t wait for the July 6, 2021 release date. If you need me that day, sorry, I’ve already taken the day off.

Ashley’s Calendar

--

--

Ashley Huffman

Founder of All Things Haptics newsletter. Host of The Haptics Club podcast on Spotify. Writes about tech, VR, startups. Drives fast as a hobby.