Today, XSEED Games announced that they will release the next generation of the Wizardy series in partnership with Japanese developer ACQUIRE. Wizardy: Labyrinth of Lost Souls is the latest entry in what is considered the “granddaddy” of RPGs and is the first one to make its way onto the current generation consoles. It is slated for Spring 2011 release and will be only available via the PlayStation Network. Jun Iwasaki, President of XSEED Games, remarked:

“Having the opportunity to work with ACQUIRE to bring over Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls is truly an exciting one for us. We’ve long admired the Wizardry series as a pioneer of the RPG genre, so with our upcoming release players will be able to experience a defining moment in gaming history.”

Since the series first premiered in 1981, Wizardy had been among the first to utilize the grid-based dungeon crawling gameplay and secured a battle system that had been implemented into many titles for years to come: a classic system that used static monster images in battle. Not to mention, the first-person perspective which is used in a whole slew of different gaming genres. There is also the fact that Wizardy introduced a staple in modern RPGs; the concept of prestige classes.

The latest submission into the classic series will feature a cunningly basic game system partnered with a complex and expansive dungeon design. Hardcore gamers should be pleased to find an experience in high-definition with hand-drawn characters and sprites done by the famous commercial artist Yuki Hayabusa. Parties will have up to six characters that can be customized from five races and eight classes. Over 120 different monsters will await those willing to battle.

Currently Wizardy: Labyrinth of Lost Souls is in production and we’ll keep you posted as we learn more about this Spring title from XSEED Games in the coming weeks.

[Source: Press Email]