Wizardry I - Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord

Wizardry I - Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord is a classic dungeon crawler RPG. Players create a party of up to 6 characters from 5 races (Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Hobbits) and 4 classes (Fighter, Priest, Mage, Thief), with alignments restricting party composition. Equipped with gear, the party explores a 10-level maze beneath Trebor's castle, fighting monsters and solving puzzles to gain experience and levels. Magic classes learn spells across 7 tiers, and elite classes like Samurai or Ninja are unlocked. The story follows hero parties sent to defeat the evil wizard Werdna, who stole the powerful amulet from Trebor after paralyzing him. What makes it stand out is pioneering grid-based dungeon crawling with deep party management, no random encounters, and permadeath risk from strong enemies.