Summary
- Secret Agent Wizard Boy and the International Crime Syndicate is a hit at Steam Next Fest for its Harry Potter PS1 vibes.
- The Szymanski brothers collaborated on the indie, and the game boasts chaotic, physics-based fun.
- Players have praised the demo's mayhem-filled gameplay with Harry Potter nostalgia baked into the retro, third-person action.
The co-op multiplayer game Secret Agent Wizard Boy and the International Crime Syndicate has been making waves during the recent Steam Next Fest event, largely because of its callback to the treasured Harry Potter games from the PlayStation 1 era. J.K. Rowling’s seven-part Harry Potter book series inspired the adored movie adaptations, followed by the PS1 games that Steam users remember fondly while playing the new indie title.
Next Fest is a week-long event celebrating hundreds of games with playable demos that users can play for free. Normally, three of these events occur throughout the year, and February 2024’s Steam Next Fest featured several stellar demos, including Terra Memoria, Pepper Grinder, and Death Of A Wish. Developer livestreams and chats are also included in the festivities, and October 2024’s Next Fest is scheduled to conclude on October 21.
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Secret Agent Wizard Boy and the International Crime Syndicate has been trending on Steam Next Fest and plays like a good-hearted parody of the Harry Potter PS1 games. The Szymanski brothers helm the indie, including David, who made one of the best indie first-person shooters of all time in Dusk, and John and Evan, developers of the survival horror game My Friendly Neighborhood. Presently, Secret Agent Wizard Boy does not have an official release date, but Steam users have nothing but praise for the "physics-based mayhem," saying, "I don’t know what’s going on. I broke my spine and everything is exploding. I’ve never been happier."
Secret Agent Wizard Boy and the International Crime Syndicate Steam Demo Evokes Harry Potter PS1 Games
Secret Agent Wizard Boy sees the titular wizard dive undercover to break antagonist Grumblemort’s dark crime syndicate, which echoes the nefarious motives of Hogwarts Legacy’s Ranrok and Victor Rookwood. Players can choose to infiltrate the enemy’s wizarding school or use their abundance of spells and espionage skills to "wreak havoc and destruction," as missions can easily be ignored in favor of chaotic fun. The retro-themed, third-person action can be enjoyed between friends using online multiplayer, where the party can decide to unite for missions, blow up the school’s castle, or spend their time with landmines.
The Harry Potter PS1 releases consist of Argonaut Games’ Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone from 2001 and 2002’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, both based on the films of the same name. One of the more beloved features of these games was the polygon characters, and certain faces were so comical they became memes further down the line. The PS1 polygon of Hagrid joined Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions recently, which highlights fans’ undying love for the nostalgic gameplay with iconic, low-resolution graphics.
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