Sorcery! Part 4

About

In "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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 91 reviews

story10 positive mentions

grinding6 negative mentions

The game offers a satisfying conclusion to the series, with a well-crafted story and engaging gameplay that rewards exploration and decision-making.
The writing and art are praised for their quality, creating an immersive experience that captures the essence of the original gamebooks.
Many players appreciate the challenge presented by the removal of the rewind mechanic, which adds tension and makes choices feel more significant.

The removal of the rewind mechanic leads to frustrating trial-and-error gameplay, where players often have to replay large sections of the game after making mistakes.
Some players find the game overly punishing, with a lack of clear guidance on how to progress, resulting in confusion and repeated failures.
The game has been criticized for its linearity and lack of structure, making navigation and decision-making feel random and disconnected from the overall story.

story
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
64%
8%
The story of the game is praised for its engaging narrative and the ability to shape the player's journey through choices, creating a sense of personal investment and replayability. While some players found the ending disappointing and noted inconsistencies in the plot, many appreciated the integration of the original book's storyline and the thrilling conclusion to the series. Overall, the storytelling is considered a highlight, offering a rich fantasy experience that encourages exploration and moral decision-making.
- “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.”
- “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.”
- “The story is also stymied by situational puzzles that bear little if no connection to the larger story.”
- “It also means that in quite a few situations you will be railroaded into a particular turn of events because you aren't meeting the item, stat or simply story decision criteria to take even the most obvious of alternate paths.”
gameplay
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
59%
11%
Gameplay in Sorcery! Part 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 some appreciate the introduction of new mechanics and the emphasis on meaningful choices, others criticize the game for becoming repetitive and punishing, often requiring players to replay sections without the benefit of rewinding. Overall, the gameplay retains its choose-your-own-adventure essence, but the changes have led to a divide in player enjoyment.
- “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.”
- “If you like fantasy, magic, and choose-your-own-adventure story-driven gameplay, I think you'll find enjoyment in Sorcery!”
- “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.”
- “I hate the no rewind mechanic.”
- “The game removes a core mechanic for part 4, which just results in the game becoming significantly more tedious and annoying.”
- “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.”
graphics
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The graphics of the game are described as above average and visually appealing, though some reviewers note a minimalistic design that doesn't significantly impact the storytelling, which is largely left to the player's imagination. While the visuals may lack the detail seen in previous installments, they incorporate artwork from the original book, and the overall aesthetic is appreciated for its simplicity and charm. Despite some criticisms, the graphics contribute positively to the immersive experience of the game.
- “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 disappointing because I had hoped the graphics would improve along with the experience this relatively new company gained from the last three parts of Sorcery.”
- “As for the visual aspect, the graphics are present, but they don't play a major role, as most of the story is supposed to happen in the player's mind, leading to a rather minimalistic graphical design.”
- “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 character appearances, but perhaps more pictures of characters for the future would be nice, newly drawn of course.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game frustrating due to the removal of the rewind mechanic, which forces them to repetitively replay sections and make tedious choices to progress. This leads to significant backtracking and a reliance on external guides to achieve a satisfactory ending, making the experience feel more laborious and less enjoyable. Overall, the grinding is seen as a major detractor from the game's enjoyment.
- “Not only removing the rewind part so you have to play through half the game over and over again in a tedious repetition, but also making it virtually impossible to get a 'good' ending without consulting numerous FAQs, walkthroughs, and guides.”
- “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.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's music, composed by Laurence Chapman, features a well-crafted orchestral soundtrack that enhances the epic quest experience, contributing to its polished overall presentation.
- “The game is well polished with great looking art, soundtrack, and solid delivery overall.”
- “The orchestral theme music, prepared by Laurence Chapman, is simply perfect for this epic quest.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game offers excellent replay value due to its diverse choices and paths, allowing for varied experiences. However, some users note that replayability is somewhat limited as the core story remains unchanged.
- “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.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers consistently praise the game's atmosphere, highlighting its impressive writing and appealing art style as key contributors to an engaging and immersive experience.
- “The writing is cool, the art is neat, and the atmosphere is great.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is severely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs and issues that can lead to complete save file loss, rendering progress impossible.
- “In addition to being a buggy mess by the end, the game will erase your entire save, making a full success impossible.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The humor in the game is highly praised, with users rating it a perfect "Funnyjoke/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 character interactions to the storyline.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is noted for its strong emotional engagement, surpassing that of Mass Effect, indicating a deeper connection and resonance with players.
- “It was more emotionally involving than Mass Effect.”