OOH i would absolutely love if the villain was as feral for making monsters with creative designs as rudy is with her own brand of weapon autism. that seems like such a fun dynamic with them trying to outdo the other but both enjoying the process of just making stuff, kindred spirits yet opposed
Well yes, Dungeon Meshi is chock full of Wizardry references/influences, with Wizardry VI: Bane of the Cosmic Forge being sited as a specific source of inspiration by the author.
It's just really hard to understate how influential the Wizardry series is to anything fantasy-related in Japan. If something is a reference it's almost always either going to be Dragon Quest or Wizardry.