
Play Wizard of Wor Online
Game Info
- Platform
- Arcade
- Multiplayer Game Modes
- Cooperative
- Player Perspective
- Top-down
- Developer Companies
- Dave Nutting Associates
- Publishers
- Astrocade, Inc. · Handic Software · Midway Manufacturing · Commodore Business Machines, Inc. · Commodore Japan
- Release date
- 31 December 1980
Summary
Wizard of Wor drops you into cramped, flickering dungeons where you control a brightly coloured Worrior—yellow on the right, blue on the left if you’re playing two‑player. The core loop is simple: blast every monster—Burwors, Garwors, Thorwors—out of the maze while avoiding their lethal contact, then move on to a bigger, more open corridor.
If you’re paired up, you can either team up (corner yourself and fire together) or turn on each other for extra points, even stealing lives. After the initial wave a fleeting Worluk appears; smash it for a score multiplier, then the titular Wizard of Wor may pop up and stick around until he’s dead or your teammate is. Tunnels warp you across the screen, and a tiny radar at the bottom keeps you aware of lurking threats.
The game earned rave reviews for its unique co‑op/versus mix, snagging an Arkie award for Best Multi‑Player, and it even showed up in the 1983 cult classic Joysticks before landing on modern compilations like Midway Arcade Treasures 2.
Storyline
In Wizard of Wor the player controls a lone "Worrior" tasked with blasting every monster that crawls across the maze. Player 1 pilots a yellow Worrior positioned on the right side of the screen, while Player 2 commands a blue Worrior on the left. In two‑player mode the duo can even turn on each other, shooting the opponent’s Worrior for bonus points and forcing a life loss. Skilled teams often hug a corner, standing back‑to‑back so their firepower covers every angle and the monsters have nowhere to hide. This cooperative‑versus‑competitive dance defines the frantic, maze‑shooting action that made the arcade classic a lasting favorite.
Edited by Maya Carter
Alternative Titles
- The Incredible Wizard Alternative













