Most early Sega CD games leaned on video and cinematics, but Dark Wizard, released in Japan in 1993 and in North America the following year, is a deep turn-based strategy game instead. Every campaign begins with the death of the King of Cheshire, after which the player's chosen leader becomes ruler and must take the kingdom back from the wizard Velonese. Battles take place on a hex map, with towns and cities that can be captured to buy items, recruit unique characters and gather information.
The player picks one of four leaders, each with different stats, abilities and units, and two are aligned with Law and two with Chaos. Alignment affects how units are promoted and which spells and equipment they can use, so each leader changes the experience. GamePro praised it for avoiding the Sega CD's habit of heavy cinematics and thin gameplay, and EGM gave it 7 out of 10. The English manual was criticized for leaving out explanations of some statistics.
Tips for Dark Wizard
Capture towns early; they provide recruits, items and information that make later battles far easier.
Try each of the four leaders, since their alignment changes the units and spells available.
Protect your leader and best units by advancing as a group on the hex map instead of spreading out.
How to Play Dark Wizard
Click Play Now to launch Dark Wizard directly in your browser — no downloads or plugins needed. Arrows move the cursor across the hex map, Z selects units and confirms orders, and X cancels. C opens the command menu, and Enter is used for the main menu. You can also connect a USB or Bluetooth gamepad for a more authentic feel.
Save states let you save your progress at any point. Create a free account to sync saves across devices. Press F11 for fullscreen mode.
Playing Dark Wizard is easy: press "Play Now" above and the game starts right in your browser window. Our emulator handles everything — no extra software needed.
Is Dark Wizard free to play?
Absolutely! Dark Wizard is 100% free on RetroVault.GG. No subscriptions, no hidden fees — just open the page and play.
What console is Dark Wizard for?
Dark Wizard was originally released for the Sega CD. On RetroVault.GG, you can play it online in your browser without needing the original console.
What genre is Dark Wizard?
Dark Wizard is a action, rpg, strategy game. It was made for the Sega CD.
Can I play Dark Wizard on my phone?
Dark Wizard is fully playable on mobile devices. Open this page in your phone's browser and tap Play Now — touch controls appear automatically.