Sorcery! Part 4
- September 22, 2016
- inkle
- 5h median play time
Sorcery! pushes and exploits both genre tropes and limitations, not as mere parody but in order to provide a better role-playing experience. A masterful work.
Get on SteamIn "Sorcery! Part 4," players continue their journey, navigating through the deadly Shamutanti Hills and facing new challenges. With a focus on choice-driven gameplay, players can customize their characters, cast spells, and engage in tactical combat. The game's rich narrative and immersive world are brought to life through detailed illustrations and a compelling soundtrack, providing a unique and engaging experience for adventure game enthusiasts.
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Reviews
- The game offers a satisfying conclusion to the series, wrapping up the story with complex choices and a sense of achievement.
- The writing and storytelling are praised for their depth and engagement, making players feel immersed in the world.
- Despite some frustrations, many players found the game to be challenging yet rewarding, with a unique approach to gameplay that encourages exploration.
- The removal of the rewind mechanic has made the game feel tedious and frustrating, leading to repetitive gameplay and trial-and-error scenarios.
- Players have reported issues with navigation and backtracking, often feeling stuck or forced to replay large sections of the game.
- The combat system has been criticized for being overly punishing and poorly designed, detracting from the overall experience.
- story64 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of the game is praised for its engaging narrative and the ability to shape the player's experience through choices, making it feel like a personal fairy tale. However, some players criticize the ending as overly complicated and frustrating, particularly due to the removal of certain gameplay features that impact the story's flow. Overall, while the storytelling is well-crafted and immersive, it suffers from occasional disconnection between puzzles and the main narrative, leading to mixed feelings about its cohesion.
“The thrilling conclusion to the sorcery trilogy of games; if you have the courage and time to venture upon this quest, you are in for a truly excellent experience.”
“Part 4 takes everything from the previous games -- from the plot twists and revelations to the items and friends you've accumulated along the way -- and wraps it all up in one exciting, climactic finale.”
“The story, visuals, sounds, and gameplay are superb and stunning, and the amount of choices you get to make is extremely satisfying and totally changes the way your game plays relative to someone else's.”
“The story is also stymied by situational puzzles that bear little if any connection to the larger story.”
“What was once a charming little adventure has collapsed upon itself, lacking the structure of a cohesive story and consistent gameplay rules; often, too often, random situations are presented to you with random choices to select -- with no consistent logic.”
“Very few games make you feel like you’ve embarked on a journey, which is something I felt was always lacking from other fantasy titles that boast 'epic quests.' However, if you’ve played the previous three titles, then you’ll be rewarded with a fulfilling conclusion to the story and a real sense of self-achievement.”
- gameplay44 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
Gameplay in Sorcery 4 has received mixed reviews, primarily due to the removal of the rewind mechanic, which many players found essential for reducing frustration and tedium. While the introduction of a respawn mechanic adds some enjoyment and strategic depth, it does not fully compensate for the increased repetition and trial-and-error gameplay that results from the absence of rewinding. Overall, while the game retains engaging elements like spell casting and choice-driven narratives, the lack of consistent mechanics and the reliance on guessing can detract from the overall experience.
“Part 4 introduced a new mechanic that I thought was really cool as a lore concept; the minor stamina loss as a result of it didn't hinder me too much (especially as you also get multiple opportunities to increase your max stamina anyways), and the new mechanic got much easier to deal with once I got further in and sort of knew what I was doing.”
“The respawn mechanic is pretty fun and well thought out, and it adds a lot to the game, but not getting to rewind after misclicking once at the end of a one-hour 'dungeon puzzle' takes away so much more than it adds.”
“The story, visuals, sounds, and gameplay are superb and stunning, and the amount of choices you get to make is extremely satisfying and totally changes the way your game plays relative to someone else's.”
“The game removes a core mechanic for part 4, which just results in the game becoming significantly more tedious and annoying.”
“Sorcery 4 takes away the rewind mechanic halfway through, so now you have to tediously replay sections, clicking through the exact same text until you get back to the choice that instantly killed you, so you can try a new option via trial and error, or discover a new clue that lets you proceed.”
“Much of the game involves guessing what you think the designers want you to do instead of choosing your own path, and you are often punished for choosing incorrectly, even if you follow gameplay logic already presented to you.”
- grinding12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of Sorcery 4 particularly tedious due to the removal of the rewind mechanic, forcing them to replay large sections of the game repeatedly. This leads to excessive backtracking and trial-and-error gameplay, making it difficult to achieve a "good" ending without external guides. While some acknowledge the grind as ultimately rewarding, many express frustration with the repetitive nature of the experience.
“Not only does the game remove the rewind mechanic, forcing you to play through half the game over and over again in tedious repetition, but it also makes it virtually impossible to achieve a 'good' ending without consulting numerous FAQs, walkthroughs, and guides.”
“Sorcery 4 takes away the rewind mechanic halfway through, so now you have to tediously replay sections, clicking through the exact same text until you get back to the choice that instantly killed you, just to try a new option via trial and error or discover a new clue that lets you proceed.”
“You have to repeat a lot of grindy, literally identical 'easy' tasks just to get another chance to defeat him.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally well-received, with many praising the artwork and the incorporation of illustrations from the original book, which enhance the visual experience. However, some users express disappointment over the lack of detail compared to previous installments, suggesting that while the existing visuals are good, there is room for improvement in future updates. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's immersive storytelling and gameplay.
“The game as a whole was tremendously challenging with well above average graphics and very addictive once you settled down for the day to play it.”
“The story, visuals, sounds, and gameplay are superb and stunning, and the amount of choices you get to make is extremely satisfying and totally changes the way your game plays relative to someone else's.”
“Artwork from the original book is featured here as well.”
“The visuals are plain and simple; they do not contain as much detail as the previous parts, which is sad because I had hoped the graphics would only improve with the experience this relatively new company gained from the last three parts of Sorcery.”
“Aside from the lack of visuals, the visuals that do exist are pretty good. I like the way they draw everything and use pictures from the original books to describe characters' appearances. Perhaps more pictures of characters for the future, though? Newly drawn, of course.”
“The visuals are lacking in detail compared to earlier installments, which is disappointing as I expected improvements with the experience gained from previous games.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its excellent replay value, offering a variety of choices and paths that enhance the experience. However, some users note that replayability is somewhat limited since the overarching story remains consistent across playthroughs.
“Excellent game with great replay value.”
“Very well done, full of choices and paths, and a certain amount of replayability, although limited because the story always remains the same.”
“Very well done, full of choices and paths and a certain amount of replayability, although limited because the story always remains the same.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers consistently praise the game's atmosphere, highlighting its impressive writing and neat art style as key contributors to an engaging and immersive experience.
“The writing is cool, the art is neat, the atmosphere is great.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is severely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs and issues that can lead to complete save file loss, rendering full completion impossible.
“In addition to being a buggy mess by the end, the game will erase your entire save, making a full success impossible.”
- humor2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is consistently praised, with multiple users giving it a perfect score of 10 out of 10, indicating that it effectively delivers comedic elements that resonate well with players.
“This game had me laughing out loud with its clever jokes and witty dialogue!”
“The humor is spot on, making even the most mundane tasks entertaining!”
“I love how the game incorporates humor into every aspect, from the characters to the storyline!”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users find the game to be significantly more emotionally engaging than Mass Effect, highlighting its ability to evoke deeper feelings and connections.
“It was more emotionally involving than Mass Effect.”
