Preview: Wizard with a Gun, Devolver’s Next Big Hit

Wizard with a Gun is an online cooperative sandbox survival game. Its combat consists of slow-paced twin-stick shooting. Although, the game itself has incredibly deep mechanics centered around crafting upgrades and base-building. Wizard with a Gun comes from a small team with just over 10 employees at Galvanic Games in Washington state. It is published by Devolver Digital and will release on PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, and PC later this year.

Passes the Vibe Check

If I were a TikTok influencer, the first thing that I would say about this game is that it passes the vibe check. With the title alone, Wizard with a Gun gives subtle hints of humor that create a tone where it never takes itself too seriously. It is going to fit right at home in your library of Devolver games alongside Cult of the Lamb, Deaths Door, and Enter the Gungeon. Plus the hand-drawn art style, with a contrast of dark and light tones, complete the atmosphere visually. 

Then there is the music, wow, the music here is fantastic. The music and the visuals together eradicate the idea that you are playing a game made by a small handful of people. The music is this blend of folk-blues-alternative-melodic rhythm that feels like the score to a AAA game while still fitting the theme here. 

How Does Wizard with a Gun Play?

As for the gameplay, we did not have a chance to play the co-op so we can not speak to what that is like, the demo is single-player only. What we do know is, that there are deep crafting and base-building mechanics. From the beginning you will get the chance to make slight changes to your appearance, there are not a lot of options but there will be enough to have you stand out when playing online. From there you use the right stick to move, the left stick to aim, the right face button to dodge, and R2 to shoot. The combat is smooth on both the controller and keyboard, as well as in ultrawide. 

As you play through the game’s action-adventure elements, you will pick up resources along the way. This will take you to the crafting mechanics where you will build new spells, craft or upgrade ammo, and create upgrades to your home base. The crafting and base-building give a simple top-down indie shooter a ton of depth. 

Wizard with a Gun seems to check every box. It has deep gameplay mechanics, it is a simple but fun action-adventure game. The art style and score are fantastic. If you think it could be for you, you must check out this demo. I look forward to playing more Wizard with a Gun later this year. You can check out the demo now by heading over to Steam. As well as wishlist the game for more updates. We think this game will be a lot of fun when it comes out especially if you are looking for something on your Switch, Rog Ally, or Steam Deck, this will be a great grab-and-go game that is light on your battery but deep with gameplay.