Wizards & Warriors, titled in Japan, is an action platform video game developed by Rare and published by Acclaim Entertainment and Jaleco for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released in North America in December 1987, and in Europe on January 7, 1990. The player controls Kuros, "Knight Warrior of the Books of Excalibur", as he sets out in the Kingdom of Elrond to defeat the evil wizard Malkil. Malkil holds the princess of Elrond captive in Castle IronSpire, deep within the forests of Elrond. The player fights through forests, tunnels, and caves, while collecting keys, treasure, weapons, and magic items. It is Rare's second NES game, after Slalom (1987). In the months surrounding its North American and European releases, Wizards & Warriors was featured in several video game magazines, including Nintendo Fun Club News, Nintendo Power, and VideoGames & Computer Entertainment. It was praised for its graphics, sound, difficulty, and arcade-style gameplay. In 2010, Retro Gamer called it "a unique experience for NES gamers in 1987" that was "technically well ahead of other games for the console at the time", but attributed its relatively low difficulty to allowing unlimited continues without penalty. Wizards & Warriors was followed by three sequels: Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors II (1989), Wizards & Warriors X: The Fortress of Fear (1990), and Wizards & Warriors III: Kuros: Visions of Power (1992). Gameplay Wizards & Warriors is a platform game in which players control Kuros through the forests of Elrond to Castle IronSpire, where he must defeat Malkil and rescue the princess. Starting in the Elrond forest, players explore the trees to find items and to reach the caves and tunnels. There, various magical items and treasure are collected, and then caves filled with ice and lava are explored. Players fight through a second set of forests, and arrive at Castle IronSpire. It consists of a series of mazes in which players must use keys to open doors and possibly rescue other damsels. At the end lies the final confrontation with the wizard Malkil. Players use the control pad to move horizontally and to crouch. Kuros can attack enemies by using his Brightsword or with other weapons and magic. He can attack enemies while in the air or while standing by holding the sword in position. The objective of the game is to collect the various weapons, magic, gems, and treasure to overcome the enemies and