Atlus has announced both the development and the projected release date for a spinoff from the popular Wizardry series. Busin: Wizardry Alternative, under development for the Playstation2, is a party-based 3-D dungeon crawler which will feature exploration of dark and dangerous dungeons. A reasonable variety of character classes exist from which to chose characters; ninjas, warriors, thieves, wizards, priests, and swordsmen are just some of the heroes available.

Busin: Wizardry Alternative will feature the Allied Action system, which depends on the level of trust from your party. Characters who do not trust the party may behave differently in combat, which can have a large impact on the outcome of combat. There will be plenty of monsters lurking in the dungeons to fight, and they will drop a number of items, including special items such as Dragon Heart or Head of Chimera . These can in turn be synthesized into magic stones, which allow players to use magic in battle. It is wise to be cautious, however; along with the monsters, the God of Death lies in wait, and should the party encounter it, the deity will give chase until one member of the party has lost his or her life. Fortunately, there are three stages to death in the game; Death and Ashes are the first two degrees, but if a character's status becomes Lost, he or she is removed from the game permanently, with no chance for revival.

The game has a fairly rudimentary plotline; some years ago, the famous Douhan castle was beset by a terrible force from the skies, killing thousands and opening a portal through which infernal denizens poured. Now, the labyrinth is threatening the castle, and so the Queen Otirie is searching for heroes to clear out the evil forces, as despair overshadows the country.

At this point, Busin: Wizardry Alternative is slated for a November release in Japan. No pricing details have been announced, and it is also uncertain as to whether the game will make it to North America.