A Nihon Falcom action-RPG where an entire family of adventurers explores a vast dungeon. Each member has unique abilities. Vast, ambitious, still fascinating. One of NES's most original RPGs.
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Category
RPG1 player12+
Description
Action RPG in which a family explores a vast labyrinthine castle to defeat a dragon. Published by Broderbund, released in the USA in 1989. Five family members with distinct abilities exploring castle floors and real-time combat. NES port of Falcom's Scion RPG on NES.
Legacy of the Wizard review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
The five family members are told apart at a glance by size and colour, from the massive father to the tiny child by way of the household animal. The single dungeon unfolds in square rooms linked by ladders, and each sector receives a dominant tint that serves as a mental landmark in a deliberately immense map.
Yuzo Koshiro composes here one of his first notable scores, broad melodies with rich harmonic progressions, far removed from a simple refrain. Each character receives a theme of their own, turning a change of adventurer into a change of musical mood, and the long explorations gain a rare continuity.
Gameplay
"Solid"
Fun
"Mild"
Addictiveness
"Engaging"
Difficulty
"Difficult"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Combing a huge castle-labyrinth with five family members, each with their own abilities, multiplies the time spent mapping the floors. Picking the right character to clear each obstacle and pushing on in real time demands persistence and a memory for the layout. That open, punishing structure, inherited from Falcom, earns the title its lasting reputation as a labyrinthine marathon.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
The US NES localisation of Nihon Falcom's 'Dragon Slayer IV', one of the few Falcom titles to reach the Western NES. The loose grey US NES cart stays accessible, but CIB in an intact box with dungeon map and manual has become an identified target for Western Falcom collectors, a deeply under-represented segment on NES. The cote climbs steadily, sustained by authentic CIB scarcity.
An underrated gem
Explore a gigantic labyrinth-castle by switching between members of one family, each with their own talents: this Falcom port to the NES offered a metroidvania of dizzying scope. Its cryptic side put off more than a few players. But fans of demanding exploration and action-RPGs will see a little-known classic.
Is Legacy of the Wizard still worth playing in 2026?
Legacy of the Wizard is a Nihon Falcom action RPG where an entire family of adventurers explores a vast dungeon. Each member has unique abilities: the son jumps high, the father is strong, the daughter swims, and so on. Vast, ambitious and still fascinating in its non-linear structure, the title asks for patience but richly rewards mental mapping. One of the NES's most original RPGs to absolutely discover today.
