Wizardry II: The Knight of Diamonds
- For the titular character, see Knight of Diamonds (character).
Wizardry II: The Knight of Diamonds is a second game in the main series and expansion of the first game for home computers and ported into several different consoles, it was first released on Apple II in 1981 published by Sir-Tech.
Plot
The Knight of Diamonds takes place not too long after the events of the predecessor. In order to retrieve the Staff of Gnilda, the heroes who had successfully fought the evil magician Werdna before, are summoned. They enter the Temple of Gnilda, where they learn that the staff was taken away by Gnilda as the Llylgamyn city appeared unworthy of its protection. An apparition of Gnilda tells the heroes to find the five parts of the Knight of Diamonds's armor, which are hidden in the temple. They are to return them to him to show that the characters are worthy of regaining the Staff of Gnilda.
The Staff of Gnilda protected the Llylgamyn city against every outsider with evil intentions. However, the artefact did not protect the city against the evil within. Davalpus, aided by the lords of Darkness, overthrew and killed the royal family with the exception of Princess Margda and Prince Alavik. The siblings quested for the armor of the fabled Knight of Diamonds. After they had found the armor, they challenged Davalpus in the royal castle. Eventually, Davalpus was killed, but he managed to curse the city with his dying breath. Then, the castle collapsed, leaving only a hole in the ground. Alavik wearing the Knight of Diamonds's armor, Davalpus, and the Staff of Gnilda were gone. Without the staff, the city would fall.
When a characters succeed in assembling the armor and gaining the staff, the player may choose one of them to become the next Knight of Diamonds.
Gameplay
The gameplay is largely the same as the first game with new monsters and items. The maze has six levels rather than ten, there are now riddles that require the player to type in the correct answer, and the party must collect the five pieces of armor belonging to the titular Knight of Diamonds. Only then can the character equipped with all five items enter the Temple of Gnilda to complete the game.
In the original computer releases, the game only allowed characters who had been created in the first Wizardry game, presumably characters with whom the player completed the game. The game is balanced around the assumption that the player will be bringing in high-level characters. Once a character is imported, they can no longer be used in the original game. The effective deletion of these characters from the first game can be avoided by making backup copies of the character disc.
Console ports of the title removed the requirement to transfer existing characters over, and rebalanced the game for starting with first-level characters although in some cases you were still able to transfer characters from other games in the Llylgamyn Saga.
Characters
Console Ports
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The Knight of Diamonds received several versions in Japan. Similar to the NES version described above, these versions often had improved graphics and added music along with the option to create new characters.
Nintendo Entertainment System
Similar to its predecessor, The Knight of Diamonds was the only non-computer port to be released in the US, it was labeled as the second game for localization whereas in Japan labeled as the third game. The main differences between this NES port and the PC original are full-color dungeon graphics and textures as opposed to simple lines (One can also choose "line" for graphics closer to the original versions), rebalancing the enemies so that the game can function as a standalone title; this was necessary because the NES had no way to transfer data from one game to the next. While the Japanese release allowed both creating and importing characters, the latter option required an additional peripheral, which was available in Japan. When the NES version was released in the West, the import function was removed. However, the Japanese release allows user to switch between original English text and Japanese translation, so it is possible to play this version in English and use import function with an emulator capable of emulating the needed peripheral.
PC Engine CD
- Main page: Wizardry I•II
Compilation of the first two titles on one CD with improved graphics and Red Book audio. While this version has import function, it lacks the option to play in English.
Game Boy Color
Released in Japan for the gameboy system was labeled as the 3rd part instead of being second in the series.
Super Famicom
- Main page: Wizardry I•II•III: Story of Llylgamyn
Compilation of the first three Wizardry titles on single cartridge. These versions are based on the NES releases, although with improved audiovisual presentation. Similar to the earlier NES releases player is allowed to select between the enhanced graphics or those closer to the older computer versions. However, the monster graphics aren't customizable. Import function is done through in-built battery save, although the interface "mimics" the import function of the earlier NES releases. While it was released only in Japan, it has the support for English text, although the menus and messages exclusive to this version are still in Japanese.
Llylgamyn Saga
Another compilation of the first three titles. The games have improved graphics and added music, although it is still possible to use graphics closer to the older computer releases. In this version this option is also available for monster graphics. It also has an optional automapping function. This release uses the storage mediums of its respective platforms for saved data and has the import function.
Fan translation
A finished English translation for Game Boy Color port was made by Opus since August 22, 2001.[1]
Trivia
- Several allusions appears on subsequent series/entries such as Wizardry Renaissance series and Blade & Bastard that first appeared on volume 3 in the light novel series.
Nomenclature
| Names, etymology, and in other regions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Name | Definition, etymology, and notes |
 English (United States) |
• Wizardry II: The Knight of Diamonds |
• The Knight of Diamonds refers to the titular character and bearer itself. The subtitle also simply known as Knight of Diamonds. |
 Japanese |
• ウィザードリィII ダイアモンドの騎士Uizādorī Tsū Daiamondo no Kishi |
• Wizardry II: The Knight of Diamonds |
 French (France) |
Sorcellerie: Le Chevalier de Diamant |
Sorcery: The Knight of Diamonds. Also known as Sorcellerie II: Le Chevalier de Diamant. |
