As a huge fan of roguelikes of all sorts, it’s almost always exciting to check out new ones on the eShop, especially when they make an effort to deviate from the norm in some way. My initial reaction to Folly of the Wizards was actually pretty excited, given its side-scrolling shooter style that reminds me quite a bit of Neon Abyss, one of my absolute favorite roguelike shooters of all time. Alas, the honeymoon didn’t last terribly long as I realized my expectations for it were too high and needed some dialing back.

What does help set the game apart from the competition is a mix of its colorful style, pretty distinctive artwork, and the variety of relics and tomes that will help you make your build unique. These vary a bit, with many giving you elemental attacks of some kind, but there are also more oddball perks that can be amusing. Given that the game’s bosses in particular can be a challenge to deal with, you’ll really want to explore every block in the mini map before hitting each one of them, working to try to get everything you can to help you prepare for your bigger battles, but while hopefully not weakening yourself too much before having to face off with the big bad.

My issue with the game is that it doesn’t feel entirely ready for prime time in my mind. There are aspects of it that are pretty polished, including the game’s colorful visuals, but in terms of core play I’d consider it a rockier implementation than I’d like. Granted, one problem could be a difference in philosophy where I’d prefer to not start out quite so weak, letting me get serious about my builds and trying to grind as far as possible rather than needing to take a little time to get to what I’d consider that more ideal baseline. There’s still a challenge and some fun to be had here, for sure, but some other classics in the genre on the system still make it merely look like a wannabe.