I got Xemn's Crown!!

[Graham Mitchell]

I've been chipping away at Legacy of the Wizard for 20 years or so, and today I achieved a major feat. I solved all the horrible, punitive block puzzles to get Xemn's crown. Of course, the boss made short work of me so now I have to do it all over again.

Despite that, just getting crown was a major achievement for me, and I have a nice sense of accomplishment.

Sometimes I wish more modern games were this brutal. Nothing requires perfection like this anymore (except maybe Catherine and Mirror's Edge).

Anyway, I just felt like sharing my achievement with everybody today.

[Edmond Dantes]

*Bows down* I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy!

[bb_hood]

I love Legacy of the Wizard, it is a really challenging game. Ive played it since I was a little kid and never beat it. Your sense of accomplishment is well-earned!

[bigbacon]

problem is ruthless difficulty is often just not fun. Probably why I gave up on Legacy forever ago. At some point it just becomes absurd.

[Daltone]

That is bloody impressive.

[bigbacon]

know what sucks......reading this has made me want to fire up the game now....

that and guardian Legend for some reason.

[Graham Mitchell]

know what sucks......reading this has made me want to fire the game now....

that and guardian Legend for some reason.

It's the Broderbund connection.

[bigbacon]

It's the Broderbund connection.

that or the want to make myself angry with the infuriating difficulty.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Sometimes I wish more modern games were this brutal.

There's always Spelunky!

I know it's not the same kind of game as Legacy, but it's well made AND BRUTALLY challenging.

Also congrats, I'm not sure I ever made it past the earliest puzzles that game had to offer.

[Wraith Storm]

Congrats Graham!

I have played Legacy of the Wizard on and off for 20 some years and have never even encountered a boss. It's awesome that you actually beat one and received one of the crowns.

Legacy of the Wizard and Solstice are two NES games that I have dedicated my life to beating without any walkthroughs or note taking. I am trying to beat them only on memory... But maybe its time I buy a binder and jot down the important stuff because this "memory" thing hasn't been getting any sharper over the years.

[Aussie2B]

Congratulations, and I offer you my sympathy. :P The areas for the family pet and the daughter are moderately fun, but completing the areas for the parents damn near broke my will to live, haha. Man, what a miserable experience that game becomes, although I stuck with it to the end. It's not so much the unforgiving difficulty alone that gets me, but rather the infuriatingly poor designs elements and execution. On the subject of Xemn, Christ, it's almost as if the controls for manipulating the blocks are literally broken. I can think of few parts in gaming that are more unwieldy, short of games that are flat-out glitched out messes.

[Graham Mitchell]

Congratulations, and I offer you my sympathy. :P The areas for the family pet and the daughter are moderately fun, but completing the areas for the parents damn near broke my will to live, haha. Man, what a miserable experience that game becomes, although I stuck with it to the end. It's not so much the unforgiving difficulty alone that gets me, but rather the infuriatingly poor designs elements and execution. On the subject of Xemn, Christ, it's almost as if the controls for manipulating the blocks are literally broken. I can think of few parts in gaming that are more unwieldy, short of games that are flat-out glitched out messes.

I was shocked, after discovering it about 17 years after the game's release, that there even WAS a system for the gloves that actually allows you to intentionally manipulate the blocks. As a kid I would push the stupid things all around with no clue what was going on. The manual certainly doesn't address it. The system is so picky, and considering that Xemn can only jump 2 tile heights, there is absolutely no room for error. You must make every move 100% correctly or you will fall. Far.

[Graham Mitchell]

Congrats Graham!

I have played Legacy of the Wizard on and off for 20 some years and have never even encountered a boss. It's awesome that you actually beat one and received one of the crowns.

Legacy of the Wizard and Solstice are two NES games that I have dedicated my life to beating without any walkthroughs or note taking. I am trying to beat them only on memory... But maybe its time I buy a binder and jot down the important stuff because this "memory" thing hasn't been getting any sharper over the years.

Thanks for the congrats everybody! I snapped a pic of the crown before I picked it up.

I'm this way with Deadly Towers. You absolutely must make a map or use a guide. It's impossible otherwise. Regardless, I'd love to beat that game once without using the fe/Ef cheat code.

I would love to complete solstice. That game is brutal. After a certain point the puzzles become so esoteric I wonder how anyone solved the game before the Internet was around.

I've also never finished Equinox, which is an amazing game in every aspect. It just gets really stinking hard towards the end. Thankfully, the music is so good it keeps you going,