''Wizorb'' is a video game created and published by

Tribute Games Tribute Games is an independent video game development studio located in Montreal, Quebec. It was founded on 9 May 2011 by former Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher hea ...

. It was released on the

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...

Xbox Live Marketplace on September 29, 2011. The gameplay is a cross between a ''Breakout'' clone and a

role-playing video game A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...

. ''Wizorb'' was ported to

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

Mac OS X macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. Within the market of ...

, and

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. It was released for Windows through

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on March 14, 2012, with added achievements and cloud storage. Upon release, ''Wizorb'' saw favorable reviews from critics, with ''

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''s Jacob Siegal listing it as one of the top 10 independent video games of 2011.

Gameplay

''Wizorb'' is a cross between ''Breakout'' and a role-playing game. The core of the game takes place in a ''Breakout'' clone where the player can use magic to control the ball and help destroy the bricks and enemies. The RPG elements concern rebuilding a town, restoring its citizens and leadership, and fighting mini-bosses and bosses within the primary block-breaking gameplay.

Development

''Wizorb'' was developed by

and first released for the

through the Xbox Live Marketplace's Xbox Live Indie Games section on September 29, 2011. The game is the first title by the independent developer

. ''

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''s Jordan Devore noted that high quality Xbox 360 indie games are often ported to the PC, praising, "''Wizorb'' is one such game". A

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

for Microsoft Windows was released on November 7, 2011, through the digital distribution website

GamersGate GamersGate AB (formerly Gamer's Gate) is a Sweden-based online video game store offering electronic strategy guides and games for Windows, macOS, and Linux via direct download. It is a competitor to online video game services such as Steam, GOG ...

. The computer version can be controlled by a gamepad, keyboard, or mouse. The entire game can be played using only a mouse, and the developer recommends this method as it "makes Wizorb rely even more on reflexes which feels great and makes the game a tad easier." Even before the Windows release, the developers were working on porting the game to

and

. On October 29, 2011, the developers stated they were considering porting the game to a

smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...

platform, to which '' GameSetWatch''s Eric Caoili exclaimed, "This thing needs to be on every device ever!" Using the

MonoGame MonoGame is a free and open source C# framework used by game developers to make games for multiple platforms and other systems. It is also used to make Windows and Windows Phone games run on other systems. It supports iOS, Android, macOS, tvOS ...

programming library, ports were released for OS X and Linux. The Windows version was made available through the

digital distribution platform on March 14, 2012. The game was later released for the

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on October 6, 2022.

Reception

The game received "favorable" reviews on all platforms according to the

review aggregation A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

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. The Xbox 360 and PC versions were rated as one of the top 10 independent video games of 2011 by ''

''s Jacob Siegal.

Legacy

Cyrus was supposed to appear as a playable cameo character in the then-upcoming

Wii U The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. The W ...

and PC game ''

Hex Heroes ''Hex Heroes'' is an unreleased party, real-time strategy game. Originally in development for Wii U since 2014, the console's eShop closed in March 2023. The game remains unfinished, with plans to release on Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux. It ...

'', before the Wii U version was canceled, and there is no indication that the game will ever be completed.

References

External links

Official website
*{{moby game, id=/wizorb 2011 video games Breakout clones Indie games IOS games Linux games MacOS games Microsoft XNA games Nintendo Switch games Ouya games PlayStation Network games PlayStation Portable games PlayStation Vita games Retro-style video games Tribute Games games Video games developed in Canada Windows games Xbox 360 games Xbox 360 Live Indie games