Wizard101

Wizard 101
Wizard 101
Developer(s)	KingsIsle Entertainment
Publisher(s)	KingsIsle Entertainment, Gameforge
Platform(s)	OSX, Windows
Release date(s)	NA September 2, 2008 EU February 15, 2011
Genre(s)	MMORPG
Mode(s)	Multiplayer, Online Free

Wizard101 is a massive multiplayer online role-playing game created by KingsIsle Entertainment. Players take on the role of students of Wizardry to save the Spiral, the set of worlds in which the games is played, and battle a variety of creatures by casting spells using a turn-based combat system similar to collectible card games. Players advance in the game by accepting quests to learn new spells, gain equipment, and collect gold. The game holds a rating of "Everyone 10+ (E10+)" from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board for crude humor and mild fantasy violence. Although its target audience is 8 to 14-year olds, the game appeals to all ages.

At the beginning the player controls a level 1 novice wizard, who is named by the player using a set of words at the start of the game. That wizard joins the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts, a school of wizardry located in a fictional town called Wizard City. Rather than the traditional character classes, Wizard101 allows players to choose one of seven schools of magic (Fire, Ice, Storm, Life, Death, Myth, and Balance) as their focus school. There are also Astral Schools of magic (Star, Sun, Moon), but these can only be learned as secondary schools at level 50 and higher. See Schools of Magic The highest level that a wizard can be is 90, at this time.

In Wizard101, the Spiral is divided into several worlds, each of which has multiple areas. Upon character creation, only a part of Wizard City is opened to access. As the player progresses, more worlds become available, until they reach the max level of 90. All but the first few areas require payment to access.

Wizard101 spawned a sister game called Pirate101.

Plot

Departing from the relatively open-ended nature of many massively multiplayer online games, Wizard101 follows a relatively linear storyline that revolves around the player's character, a novice wizard joining the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts (it is hinted that the character is from Earth when it is stated by Ambrose that they are "from a world that does not even believe in magic"). Upon arrival, before even beginning with his or her enrollment, the new wizard comes face to face with the main villain in the game, the previous death teacher, Malistaire Drake. Throughout the game, the main storyline involves discovering Malistaire's plans, and trying to foil them.

In the second arc of the storyline, the player's character enters Celestia where they're faced with a whole new enemy: Morganthe (based on Morgan Lee Fay). This villain wants to take over the fictional string of worlds, also known as the "Spiral", using the Deck of Shadows. The end of this arc is yet to be known.

Schools

All wizards, enemies, and spells have a school, which determines many of their properties.

Every wizard has a school of focus, chosen during character creation. A short quiz can be taken at character creation, which will suggest a school of focus. The possible focus schools are Fire, Ice, Storm, Life, Myth, Death, and Balance. The three astral schools of Star, Moon, and Sun cannot be chosen as focus schools, but rather are learned as secondary schools. A wizard's focus schools determine which spells they will learn, what equipment they can use, and their base stats. Despite having pros and cons, all schools are equal overall.

Wizards receive training points every 4 levels until level 20, and every 5 levels thereafter, and from some quests. These training points are used to learn spells outside of one's school of focus.

Characters

• Merle Ambrose - The headmaster of Ravenwood and found of Wizard City, Merle Ambrose hails from the world of Avalon. He is the one the main player typically goes to at both the beginning and completion of a world. He is also a member of the Council of Light. His backstory begins when he helped King Artorius to become king of Avalon, he then worked for him and lived in his castle with his owl Gamma and his apprentice Morganthe. However, Morganthe's brother Malory infiltrates the castle and sabotages the King's battle with a knight wishing to join the Knights of the Silver Rose by weakening his armor. Artorious then learns of his betrayal and this leads to a battle with him. While at his weakest, Morganthe has mastered the power of the Horned Crown and tricks the king into wearing it, which turns him into the Pendragon. Believing the king to be dead, Ambrose leaves Avalon and meets Bartleby and opens up The Ravenwood School of Magical Arts in Wizard City Merle Ambrose is seen as kind, humble and even humorous at times, but he is serious when necessary. His character is heavily based on the characters Merlin from the legend of King Arthur, Gandalf from the The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit, and Albus Dumbledore from the Harry Potter series.

• Dalia Falmea - The Fire Professor at Ravenwood, Dalia Falmea is seen as very suave and polite towards her students. On occasion, she is called "The Fire Lady" by Manders and Water Moles due to her fire-shaped hair. She can also become very serious, especially with issues in the Spiral. It is currently unknown where she is from, but it is possible she is from the world of Darkmoor as she addresses herself as "Madame" in the beginning and there is a character in Pirate 101 game who goes by Madame Vadima who is from Darkmoor and bears a similar appearance to Falmea. In other theories she is an elf from Avalon (considered by her ears) but still is not known how she gained her height. She is loosely based on Minerva McGonagall from the Harry Potter series.

• Lydia Greyrose - The Ice Professor at Ravenwood, Professor Lydia Greyrose has a very cheerful and sweet personality but is also stern at times. She is an elderly fairy from Candyworld and has two half sisters who are not fairies and are evil because they eat the children inhabiting the world (which is similar to the story of Hansel and Gretel). Her half blood was what made her good-hearted and learned the art of Ice magic through extinguishing the flames under the pots where the children were being cooked. At one point, she left her homeworld and went into teaching at Ravenwood. She so far plays a minor role in the plot, being one of the members of the Council of Light.

• Halston Balestrom - Hailing from Marleybone, Professor Halston Balestrom is an anthropomorphic frog and the Professor of Storm magic. He is seen as rather eccentric but does care about his students. His old friend is Sir Thurston Plunkett who went missing on an expedition to Celestia which gives Balestrom his important role in the Morganthe storyline. As well as teaching Storm magic, Balestrom also instructs the students in science (As some Storm students have a reputation for being great inventors) and potions. He also gives players a quest to go to a place and defeat a tower of monster and creatures. He is based on Professor Flitwick from the Harry Potter Series.

• Moolinda Wu - An anthropomorphic Cow from MooShu, Professor Moolinda Wu is the Professor for Life Magic or Theurgy. She is very calm, cheerful, and positive which probably landed her the job as Life Professor in place of Sylvia Drake. She is what you expect out of a Theurgist, loves flowers, very softhearted, and cares about nature, she so far has played no significant role in the story but might in the future. She is based on Professor Sprout from the Harry Potter Series.

• Cyrus Drake - Brother to Malistare, Professor Cyrus Drake teaches Myth magic. Very cruel, Professor Drake rarely teaches the students and instead has them do his bidding, such as fetching his laundry. He also looks for excuses to fail or punish students and shows and especially strong hatred toward the player, this was all caused by his brother leaving him after Sylvia's death. However, toward the end of the Malistare storyline, Professor Drake softens up, he then challenges the player to a duel to see if he/she is strong enough to face his brother. He then helps you to reach the Crown of Fire and attempts to convince his brother to stop his plan by casting an illusion of Sylvia begging him to stop, but it doesn't work and he is forced to abandon the player. After the player defeats Malistare and goes back to Headmaster Ambrose's office, Cyrus admits he should have shown more respect to the player when he first met him/her. He also plays a large role in the Morganthe storyline. He asks you to go somewhere, where you find a Quetzal, a creature from Azteca. At the end of Azteca, when it is destroyed, he follows you to Headmaster Ambrose. Then you learn that he is one of the Council of Light just as you are. Cyrus is based on Severus Snape from the Harry Potter series.

• Dworgyn - Originally the assistant Death Teacher, Dworgyn takes charge as main Death teacher after he and most of the Death students were transported to NightSide by Malistare. He is a hunchback with a lantern and has been working as a servant practically his whole life, including his job as the assistant Professor. He even revealed that he used to work for Dr. Katzenstein as an apprentice since he began working for him after he graduated from "Hench School" which also reveals his original homeworld was Marleybone. His personality is a Stereotype of a Death wizard, loves very little light, can get offended easily, and, even as a henchman, very intelligent. He is based on Igor from Frankenstein.

• Harold Argleston - The librarian at Ravenwood, Harold is an anthropomorphic gray hound from Marleybone and is seen as very booksmart and polite. However, he is very strict when he needs to be which is stereotypical for a librarian. He also is a vendor for treasure cards and mainly helps the player in quests involving books. Also, just like in the Harry Potter series, his library has a restricted area where students can only enter with special permission, the restricted archives has not become an area so far in the game. He so far plays no big role in the plot. Harold Argleston is loosely based on Irma Pince the librarian in the Harry Potter series.

• Diego Santiago Quariquez Ramirez III - Diego Santiago Quariquez Ramirez III (or simply known as Diego the Duelmaster) is the Swordsmaster of Ravenwood who teaches students about dueling. Diego is a humanoid black unicorn hailing from Valencia and is a very talented fencer but still has proper manners. He seems to be related to the Swordsmaster at Pigswick Benedict Glendemming as they both hail from the same worlds. He is a member of the Council of Light and so far plays no significant role in the plot. He does indeed teach a few spells though if you buy them with training points.

• Mr. Lincoln - The registrar at Ravenwood. He is an anthropomorphic stork who registers the students into Ravenwood. The students can also go to him to refund Training points. He enjoys The Tempest and peanut butter on toast and it is currently unknown where he is from although he might be from Cool Ranch due to his accent. Mr. Lincoln so far plays no major role in the plot.

• Arthur Wethersfield - The Balance instructor at Ravenwood, Arthur is an anthropomorphic dog sporting a suit, a top hat, a cane, and a monocle. Arthur comes from Marleybone and seems to be very experienced in Balance magic as he revealed he has spent ten years in Krokotopia which is home to Balance magic and since Marleybonians are not practitioners of magic. He so far shows no significance to the plot.

• Malorn Ashthorn - A student who teaches Death Spells. He began teaching the spells after Malistaire Drake disappeared.

• Alzhared - An old Krok in Krokotopia, Alzhared is the Balance teacher who's classroom is beneath the Kroko-Sphinx. He is seen as very wise and kind due to his age. Alzhared is also the leader of The Order of The Fang, a society of pure-hearted Kroks who owned the Krokomicon. The main player helps him reunite the members of the Order of the Fang, excluding Krokhotep since after they're all reunited, Alzhared reveals Krokhotep betrayed them by giving the Krokonomicon to Queen Krokopatra. Besides this role in the Malistare storyline, he teaches Balance students and is the only professor who does not have a schoolhouse in Wizard City. He teaches many types of spells and their opposites.

Villains

• Malistaire Drake - Malistare is the final boss and the main antagonist of the Malistare Storyline. He is the former professor of the School of Death at Ravenwood, brother to the Myth professor Cyrus Drake, and husband to the former Life professor Sylvia Drake, forming the trio of Spirit School professors. After making an account, the player has to battle him while (s)he is assisted by Merle Ambrose. The battle with him is the first battle a player does on Wizard 101.

• Morganthe - Morganthe is the second main boss in the story line, and is also known as the Umbra Queen and the Shadow Queen. She leads a legion of insect-like creatures known as the Shadow Weavers. Morganthe is originally from the world of Zafaria, and in Avalon where she apprenticed under Merle Ambrose. When she was denied access to greater power, and stealing it was foiled by Gamma, she fled Avalon after toying with the fate of King Artorius and became ruler of the Shadow Web before being driven out.

• King Amadeo - An anthropomorphic Water-Lurker who usurped King Heinrich Thermidor VIII in Crab Alley.

• Lord Nightshade - Lord Nightshade is an Undead that resides in Stormdrain Tower at the end of the Haunted Cave. He fell under Malistaire's influence and controlled the Undead in Wizard City.

• Meowiarty - Meowiarty is an anthropomorphic cat and master thief who is in allegiance with Malistaire Drake ever since he sprung him from Newgate Prison in a plot to steal the Krokonomicon. He has caused problems around Marleybone which kept the police busy. He is a parody of Professor Moriarty.

• The Coven - A group of six governing Ravens that want to bring a Winter Armageddon to Grizzleheim. They have commited plots throughout Grizzleheim ranging from taking advantage of the civil war between the Bears and the Wolves, planning to envoke the Everwinter Ritual, and even plotted to wake Ymir the Ice Titan in Nastrond to envoke the Everwinter throughout the entire spiral.
  • Othin Stormfather - Leader of the Coven.
  • Eitri Shadowmirk - Member of the Coven. He joins up with the Coven at Nastrond.
  • Kol Shadowsong - Member of the Coven.
  • Mord Runechanter - Member of the Coven. He possesses shapeshifting abilities.
  • Munin Mistweaver - Member of the Coven. He is sent by The Coven to deceive the Wolf King into continuing his war on the Bears.
  • Sadric Duskwing - Member of the Coven. He joins up with the Coven at Nastrond.

• Grubb - The final boss of Sunken City.

• Krokopatra - A Queen who is an anthropomorphic crocodile and the final boss of Krokotopia. She is a parody of Cleopatra.

• Jade Oni - The final boss of MooShoo who has inhabited the body of Emperor Yoshito and who is an anthropomorphic Indian elephant.

Other characters

• Emperor Pontus - The ruler of the Crustaceans on Celestia.

• Emperor Yoshito - An anthropomorphic cow who is the Emperor of MooShu and a member of the Council of Light.

• Mayor Pimsbury - An anthropomorphic dog that is the Mayor of Marleybone.

• King Heinrich Thermidor VIII - An anthropomorphic crab that rules over the Crabs of Crab Alley. He was usurped by King Amadeo, but was restored to the throne after King Amadeo was defeated.

• Nick Jonas - Like his real life counterpart, he is a musician. He is stationed in Grizzleheim near the Wintertusk ship by the plants. He is seen teaching a choir or orchestra of plants to play the themes shown in Wizard101. He wishes you enjoy Wintertusk. He helped to make the Wintertusk soundtrack.

• Professor Winthrop - A dog archaeologist from Marleybone. He is the head of the archaeologists who have been excavating in the Pyramid of the Sun. Professor Winthrop has uncovered intriguing hints of a secret order hidden somewhere in Krokotopia.

• Prospector Zeke - He is in every world and in each world he gives you a quest to find something, for example, the Smiths.

• Selena Gomez - For a brief period of time, Selena Gomez appeared in the once promotional area of Crab Alley in celebration of the first release of her newest album at the time. She first appeared there when she was kidnapped by the King of Crab Alley. A few of the quests within her short story line where named after her songs, "Round and Round" and "A Year without Rain." Selena's songs could also be heard during the quest. She even played a concert for you! She is no longer a part of the game; however, the area she appeared in was re-added to the game.

• Sherlock Bones - An anthropomorphic bloodhound who is the head detective of Marleybone. Sherlock Bones helps the players in finding out how to stop the O'Leary Gang and Meowiarty. He is a parody of Sherlock Holmes.

• Thurston Plunkett - An anthropomorphic frog who is the head of the expedition to Celestia.

Schools

All wizards, enemies, and spells have a school, which determines many of their properties. Every wizard has a school of focus, chosen during character creation. A short quiz can be taken at character creation, which will suggest a school of focus, or wizards can just choose their own school after the test if wished. The possible focus schools are Fire, Ice, Storm, Life, Myth, Death, and Balance. The three astral schools of Star, Moon, and Sun, cannot be chosen as focus schools, but rather are learned as secondary schools. A wizard's focus schools determines which spells they will learn, what equipment they can use, and their base stats. Despite having pros and cons, all schools are equal overall. Every wizard also has the opportunity for a second school, but cannot obtain all of it's spells. The following schools consist of:

Elemental

The Elemental schools are Fire, Ice and Storm. They were created by the rulers of the Days Before, the Dragons, the Ice Giants, and the Tritons.

• Fire - Fire is the opposite school of Ice. The Professor is Madame Dalia Falmea. Fire is notable for having strong Damage-over-Time spells, which are good for getting through enemy shields. Like storm, its weakness is low health and accuracy.

• Ice - Ice is the opposite school of Fire. The Professor is Lydia Greyrose. Ice is notable for having the highest base health of any school, and for its high level of defense. Its weakness is being unable to do high amounts of damage.

• Storm - Storm is the opposite school of Myth. The Professor is Halston Balestrom. Storm is notable for its spells having the highest power. Storm's weakness is low health and accuracy.

Spirit - The Spirit Schools are Life, Death, and Myth. They come from the body, spirit, and mind of the wizard.

• Life - Life is the opposite of Death. The Professor is Moolinda Wu. Life specializes in healing, both themselves and allies. Their attack spells have the highest accuracy and lowest power.

• Death - Death is the opposite of Life. The Professor was Malistaire, but his assistant Dworgyn took over after he left. Death specializes in life-stealing (attacks that heal the user by 50% of the damage dealt).

• Myth - Myth is the opposite of Storm. The Professor is Cyrus Drake. Myth specializes in summoning and powering up minions.

• Balance - Balance is the combination of all other magics, illustrated by moves such as Hydra (damage from each elemental school) and Chimera (damage from each spirit school). It is notable for changing the rules of battles.

Astral

Astral spells can only be learned as secondary spells once the player has reached level 50 and reached Celestia.

• Star - The Star school is made up of Auras that affect one wizard for four or six continuous rounds. Auras include bonuses such as additional outgoing damage, or additional resistance to incoming damage.

• Moon - The Moon school is all about Polymorphs, or Transformations, that affect nearly all of a wizard's attributes for 6 rounds. The wizard is transformed into a creature based on various enemy types, such as Draconian, Gobbler, etc.

• Sun - The Sun school consists of Mutations and Enchantments. Mutations change the school and power of a spell, and enchanting a card can increase its accuracy or damage.

World access

Players can play for free or obtain a subscription. Free to Play Players can purchase different areas of the Spiral with the In-Game currency called Crowns (like the Danish money currency is called in English). When a player approaches a street or area they cannot access as a Free to Play player, they will be asked if they want to enter this Premium Area. The player can purchase the Premium Area with Crowns. Once a player has purchased an area, it's accessible to all the characters on that account who have completed the quests to enter that area. Crowns can be purchased by a game card or from the online store.

If a player decides to begin a subscription they are not only free to roam about the whole 11 worlds during their timed subscription days but are also able to: participate in ranked PvP matches, Ranked Derby races, buying Castles and Lands (or after reaching Level 15), advanced Crafting, Gifting capabilities, True Friends, faster Energy regeneration, larger backpack, larger friends list and faster Crafting timers. Also outside of the game, players will gain the power to post on the Wizard101 Message Board.

Worlds

• Wizard City - A Renaissance-themed world populated mostly by humans that has sprouted around the grandfather tree called Bartleby. This is the first world where wizards visit and easily the most diverse world.

• Krokotopia - An Egyptian-themed world populated mostly by Kroks (a race of humanoid crocodiles) and Manders as well as some Marleybone Canines that are excavating the ruins.

• Marleybone - A Victorian era-themed world that is populated mostly by humanoid dogs, humanoid cats, and humanoid rats. The city has all the trappings of a modern society built upon scientific foundations.

• Mooshu - A Feudal Japan-themed world populated mostly by Samoorai (a race of samurai cows), antagonist Oni (which resemble Indian Elephant-headed humanoids), and antagonist Ninja Pigs. Blooming cherry trees, carefully maintained gardens, and tall mountains can be found everywhere. Although this is a place of knowledge and tradition, there is a great mystery here.

• Dragonspyre - A world based on the eruption of Mount Vesuvius as well as Greek and Byzantine architecture (but the humans there all have Russian accents). Once an advanced militant society, Dragonspyre had an esteemed Academy rivaling that of the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts in Wizard City. The inhabitants once held a special interest in Fire Magic, which may have contributed to the destruction wrought upon the area.

• Celestia - A world is based on the Greek and Roman legend of the underwater civilization of Atlantis. It is inhabited by Pisceans (a race of humanoid sharks), Lophians, and Crabs.

• Grizzleheim - A Scandanavian-themed world inhabited by Bears, Wolves, Boars, Ravens, Wolverines, and Grendels.
  • Wintertusk - An island that is part of Grizzleheim which serves as an expansion to Grizzleheim. The area of Nastrond is where Ymir the Ice Titan is kept asleep.

• Wysteria - Wysteria was once a trading post and pleasant enough small town in the Wizard City cluster not too far away but of little consequence in the overall scheme of things until a magical incident occurred that caused a crawling vine to grow and completely overrun the town.

• Zafaria - An African-themed world that his home to humanoid Elephants, Gorillas, Lions, Jackals, Rhinos, and Zebras.

• Avalon - A world based on the medieval period in Great Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, and Italy, Merle Ambrose was born here. It incorporates many elements from Celtic mythology (especially the elements from the Matter of Britain). It is a land of Knights, Dragons, Fairies, Witches, Goblins, Ogres, Giants, and Spriggans.

• Azteca - An Aztec and Mayan-themed world populated mostly by the Aztecosaurs (a race of humanoid dinosaurs consisting of the Parasaurolophus-like Parasaurs, the Pterosaurs, the Raptors, and Triceratops-like Tritops), the Monquistans (a race of Conquistador monkeys), the Jaguars, the Caimans, the Quetzals, and the Other Birds (the type that are based on parrots and toucans).

Potential Worlds

• Bunaria- A World War I-Themed world mostly and also the home to the Bunnies, the Wharf Rats {a race of Rat Pirates} and the Unicorns {From Valencia} Bunaria is not confirmed to be the next world in Wizard101 when players are level 90 but also has a dictator and is where you fight Morganthe.

• Polaris - Polaris was a world, or land, cut off from the rest of the spiral, more like a territory. Unlike any other world or area in the game, Polaris is not a world in which you walk, but a world that essentially is set in the actual spiral. It is set in the space, or empty darkness, between other worlds and lands.

Combat

Combat is a battle between your wizard and an opponent which might be an enemy in PvE or another player in PvP. You have to use spells from your deck to defeat them. PvE combatants are assigned a rank from 1 to 12. After you defeat them you receive experience and any combination of the following: Equipment/Gear (Hats, Robes, Wands, etc.), Treasure Cards, Pet Snacks, Plant Seeds (for Gardening only), Pets or Reagents (Used for Crafting). These items can be dropped in combat from bosses or even regular 'mob monsters' wandering about the various streets in the 11 worlds. Clothes, jewelry, and other equipment can also be helped to boost attacks and shield against attacks, and can also be bought with crowns or gold.

The combat system is turn-based. The player chooses a card from a deck they have assembled from the cards they have and casts it, damaging the opposing player or enemy and costing them health points, providing a buff to incoming or outgoing healing/damage, healing themselves or friends, or completing another function, usually in the form of buffs to oneself or de-buffs on the opposing player/enemy. The strength of the card is dependent on the number of magic pips it costs; these pips accumulate over the course of combat every turn.

Player housing

KingsIsle released a player housing feature named "Castles" on May 6, 2009, enabling players to edit and customize their own virtual space. Higher level players can also Craft a house if they so choose.

Pets system

Pets are obtained throughout play. A wizard can receive a pet egg from shops, boss drops, playing mini-games, purchasing a gift card or the Crown Shop.

On May 26, 2010, the Pet Pavilion was added, accessible from the Commons by players level 7 or higher. In this area players can train their pets in various mini-games. Ranked Pet Derby matches are found in the Pet Pavilion. In Pet Derbies the player's pet races against other players' pets for a prize of Arena Tickets/Gold.

Crown Store

In the crown store, wizrds can purchase upgrades for their wizards, clothing, better houses, cards, gold, minions (when in battle), potions, and even temporary transformations. Crowns can be purchased with a game card, or online, just as a membership. Crowns come in increments of 5000 with a $10 membership and 10000 with a $20 card.

Player interaction

Due to its young core audience, Wizard101 restricts player interaction when compared to other games in the massively multiplayer online genre. There are three different types of chat: Menu Chat, Open chat and Text Chat. In Menu chat, what a player types can be seen by every other wizard in the area either from a word bubble on top of the speakers head or in the chat box. Text Chat is when a wizard wishes to speak in private to another wizard. This appears on the screen in a transparent box to the left. The age of the player directly correlates to the communication allowable. When typed, words that appear in white are words that everyone is able to view. Yellow words can only be seen by players who have their account set to "Open Chat". Open chat is obtained when you have a credit card and you are 18+. Red words are not allowed and can be seen by no one, not even the player themselves. If an adult chatter types yellow words, young wizards will see dots (...) in place on the word.

Aside from the different levels of chat filters available depending on player age, duels between players are available only in a special player versus player arena designated for the purpose. The PvP arena can be found upon entry to Unicorn Way from the Commons in Wizard City. The PVP arenas are also found in SOME crowns houses and all of the Bundle houses. (This is your private arena, and can only be used when you and other players are in your home.)

Rewards for combat or completing a quest are distributed equally among the party, so players need not fight for spoils. Players may trade a special type of spell card called a treasure card, which is a spell card that can be rearranged by clicking the golden card icon in your spellbook and then can be used in battle when you delete cards (right click) and then click draw.These cards can only be used once, and can be used by any school of Magic. Be warned, this spell will disappear from your treasure deck once it is used. So far they are currently unable to trade items between one another (it is possible, however, to trade items to one's other wizards on the same account, through the use of a shared bank).

Online safety features

Several features have been implemented to protect younger players in the online world. Parents must activate controls for players under 13, including setting levels for interaction with other players in the world. Three different levels of chat are available. At the most restricted level, players select from a menu of pre-defined phrases, and players using this option can only see menu chat from other players. At the next level, players may type what they want, as long as the words are available in the game’s dictionary. If a word is not present in the dictionary, or part of a forbidden phrase, such as asking another player’s age, it will not be visible. If players know each other outside the game, they can use a true friend code to allow looser chat inside the game, however it is subject to some restrictions. Additionally, players choose names for their characters from a list that allows selection of a first name and a one- or two-part surname. You can also choose to not have a surname, and just have a first name. Names for in-game pets can also be selected from a list, though dropped pets start with names you don't get to choose, you must pay gold to change their names. The official game forums are filtered and moderated. Finally, at player request, KingIsle Entertainment added open chat for players aged 18 years and above, an age limit verified through credit cards, which allows everything except profanities.

Other features have been designed with a pre-teens audience in mind, for example opponents in combat disintegrate or vanish, and there is no blood.

History

According to a press release published in May 2008, the development of Wizard101 began in 2005, upon the founding of KingsIsle Entertainment under the creative direction of J. Todd Coleman. The game entered open beta on August 6, 2008, and it launched successfully on September 2, 2008. On August 25, 2010, it was announced that Wizard101 would be released in foreign territories later that year.

Wizard101 launched a European Beta version on December 15, 2010 and then released the game on February 15, 2011, in partnership with Gameforge. This eventually included releases of the game in English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Polish, Greek and Turkish.

It was announced on August 17, 2011 that KingsIsle and Taomee Holdings Limited had an agreement to launch Wizard101 in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. This has been the company's biggest move since launching the game in Europe. Wizard101 Taiwan officially launched on April 27, 2012, with the others to follow.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	77.50%
Review scores
Publication	Score
GameShark	A+
About.com	10/10

According to KingIsle Entertainment's press releases, the game has experienced a steady growth in the number of players: 2 million in April 2009, 5 million in September 2009, ten million players by June 2010, 15 million by January 2011, and 20 million by July 2011. In terms of reception, the game currently scores an average of 10 (out of 10) from ratings on IGN.com's GameStats. GameShark reviewer Toni Dimayuga noted the game's overall ambiance and graphic setting as well as the overall fun nature of Wizard101 in the pro column, while the combat (in particular defeats) and the restrictive (at the time of the review) nature of chat were seen as the major minus points.

External links

• Official website