Sorcery! Parts 1 & 2
- February 2, 2016
- inkle Ltd
- 12h median play time
An immersive fantasy roleplaying experience with classic style and excellent presentation.
Get on SteamIn "Sorcery! Parts 1 & 2," embark on an epic adventure through a land of monsters, traps, and magic. Armed with your sword and over fifty spells, make choices that alter your story in this narrative adventure. Explore a 3D hand-drawn map, engage in a unique combat system, and uncover the Crown of Kings in this series' first two parts.
iPad
iPhone
Mac OS
PC
Phone
Windows
Android
Mobile Platform
Tablet
Reviews
- Engaging and immersive storytelling with meaningful choices that impact the narrative.
- Unique combat and magic systems that add depth and strategy to gameplay.
- Beautiful art style and atmospheric sound design enhance the overall experience.
- Part 2 can feel tedious and frustrating due to the need to collect clues and the potential for getting stuck.
- The rewind feature, while useful, can diminish the sense of consequence for decisions made.
- Some players may find the lack of voice acting and heavy reliance on text to be off-putting.
- story138 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The game's story is a rich, choose-your-own-adventure experience that captivates players with its engaging writing and meaningful choices, allowing for multiple paths and outcomes. While some players appreciate the depth and replayability, others feel that the focus on moment-to-moment challenges can detract from the overarching narrative. Overall, the storytelling is praised for its charm and immersive quality, making it a standout in the narrative RPG genre.
“A fun choose your own adventure game with a good mix of funny options, good story, and choices that feel like they actually matter.”
“The story is very compelling and the decisions you make as you go along are very meaningful, can't wait to finish the game!”
“The story comes to life as you make choices that matter and explore this fantastical world!”
“The story is awful, the characters are annoying, and the gimmick of having to find secrets in order to leave the region is terrible.”
“Not only can’t you define your character in any way (well, you can choose between being very aggressive or just being a common non-sociopath), but the storytelling is lacking and doesn't make you responsible for almost anything.”
“I have been looking at this game for a while, and was skeptical from the reviews being stark opposites of each other and having read that the decisions you make only affect your gear, not your story.”
- gameplay37 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay in the "Sorcery!" series is praised for its unique mechanics, particularly the rewind feature that allows players to explore different paths and optimize their choices, enhancing replayability. While the mechanics are generally well-polished and the story engaging, some players find the gameplay simplistic and occasionally frustrating due to bugs and a lack of complexity in combat. Overall, it offers a compelling blend of narrative-driven choices and retro fantasy elements, appealing to those who enjoy story-rich experiences.
“The mechanics around rewinding to explore different potential paths and optimize or unlock branches in different playthroughs is brilliant.”
“Part 2 expands the basic storybook gameplay of Sorcery! 1 into a full-blown puzzle adventure, and strikes an excellent balance between retro fantasy and high-quality original content.”
“They are incredibly fun, with the main mechanic of this game being how you can rewind the progress you made in the story to the desired time and experiment, which is really rewarding.”
“The problem is that it kinda has a 'chutes & ladders' mechanic, where if you screw up, it sends you past a whole bunch of locations as a penalty.”
“Even worse than that, I chanced upon another bug in the time rewinding mechanic that pretty much entirely reset my progress in part 2 (that is several hours of gameplay!), which was also buckets of fun.”
“Gameplay is rather quick to start, leaving players in the dark about mechanics until mid-to-late game.”
- graphics29 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are praised for their charming and imaginative art style, which effectively enhances the storytelling experience, creating an atmospheric and immersive adventure. While some users note the simplicity of the visuals, they appreciate the nostalgic appeal of the original artwork and the way it complements the game's narrative. Overall, the combination of beautiful graphics, ambient sounds, and engaging writing contributes to a captivating tabletop roleplaying feel.
“The visuals are gorgeous, it has a deliciously authentic tabletop feel to it, and the sound design is ingenious and incredibly atmospheric.”
“I honestly cannot recommend this game enough, it is such an immersive, stress-free, and engaging adventure with beautiful artwork and memorable characters.”
“Another big plus for nostalgia fans is the game features the original artwork from the books.”
“Also, the artwork in the little pictures is the stuff of nightmares - whenever one popped up, I scrolled as fast as I could to not have the 'art' burned into my mind.”
“There are no graphics options and no way to scale the size of the font, so if you have a small screen, then you're going to go blind trying to read the text on the flags.”
“If you want a 'choose your own adventure' game and can use your imagination to fill in the gaps in the simplistic art style, this might be for you.”
- replayability16 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is praised for its high replayability, with numerous choices, diverging paths, and immersive scenarios that encourage players to explore different outcomes. Many reviewers highlight the engaging writing and unique experiences that contribute to its replay value, although a few note that the replayability may not be as extensive as in some other titles. Nonetheless, the combination of humor, story depth, and varied gameplay ensures that players will find plenty of reasons to return.
“This might genuinely be the most immersive experience I've had with a game; additionally, the vast amount of different scenarios and routes you can take adds enormous replayability.”
“Lots of choices and diverging paths that create a game with a high replayability value.”
“The silly yet dark world it's set in and the often funny but awesome ways you can get through situations make this game very replayable and memorable.”
“Nice while it lasted, though, and at least having a number of different 'paths' to follow gives it all acceptable replayability (even if all roads do, ultimately, lead to Rome).”
“If you can get into the story, there are many funny and/or quirky situations that you can come across, creating replayability.”
“It has a lot of replay value in this regard and can make your adventure different in many ways.”
- music10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as limited, with a focus on a few combat tracks, but it effectively enhances the atmosphere and complements the visuals. While some reviewers noted the soundtrack as merely "okay," others praised the orchestral theme as perfect for the game's epic quest, highlighting the overall synergy between music, art, and storytelling. Despite some criticisms regarding originality, the audio elements contribute positively to the immersive experience.
“An extremely fun interactive fantasy game with very impressively intricate branching pathways and in-game situations you'll end up in, with some beautiful music sprinkled in and some lovable characters as well.”
“What a wonderful combination of artwork, music, and prose to enhance your theater of the mind.”
“Not much music (mostly just one combat track, I believe), but the atmospheric audio is good and helps to bolster your imagination. Perhaps not many unique examples of sounds, but they work to build the setting: this place is wet, this place is busy, etc.”
“There are a handful of typos, and the inventory music was taken straight from the film 'Master and Commander'.”
“The orchestral theme music, prepared by Laurence Chapman, is simply perfect for this epic quest.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its immersive audio and visual design, which effectively enhances the fantastical setting despite minimal music. Reviewers highlight the beautiful, hand-painted visuals and clever sound design that contribute to a rich, engaging experience, making it one of the most atmospheric entries in its genre. Overall, the game successfully balances charm and wit with a captivating ambiance that draws players into its world.
“Somehow, one of the least graphically intensive game genres produced one of the most atmospheric game series of all time.”
“Have a wonderful atmosphere that invests you in the fantastical world they present.”
“The visuals are gorgeous, it has a deliciously authentic tabletop feel to it, and the sound design is ingenious and incredibly atmospheric.”
- humor7 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its humor, featuring a blend of funny choices and a quirky narrative that enhances replayability. Players appreciate the dark yet silly world, which offers memorable and interactive experiences, making it accessible even for those who typically dislike lengthy stories. Overall, the humor is a significant draw, contributing to the game's fun and engaging nature.
“A fun choose your own adventure game with a good mix of funny options, a good story, and choices that feel like they actually matter.”
“The silly yet dark world it's set in and the often funny but awesome ways you can get through situations make this game very replayable and memorable.”
“If you can get into the story, there are many funny and quirky situations that you can come across, creating replayability.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly when it comes to collecting clues and replaying sections. The ability to reverse options is appreciated, as it alleviates some of the tedium associated with misclicks and repetitive tasks. Overall, the grinding elements can detract from the enjoyment of the experience, especially for those who may struggle with the pace.
“Collecting clues in part 2 is extremely tedious, and you do need to buy each part of the adventure to get the whole story.”
“It's very tedious and annoying if you are slow in the brain like myself.”
“I tried a few text-based games but they didn't do it for me; they were too daunting and tedious.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is significantly hampered by bugs, particularly in the time rewind feature, which can result in the loss of hours of progress and force players to restart the game. Despite its appealing art and engaging narrative, these technical issues detract from the overall experience.
“There is an ability to rewind time, but in part 2 it is buggy in such a way that hours of progress can be lost, and you pretty much have to start the whole game over. I refer to the fact that one mode of time travel lets you keep your clues, but if you rewind from there, you lose them all.”
“As much as I would love to laud this game for its quirky art, stylish presentation, plentiful choices with consequences, and enthralling story, it has to be said that it's incredibly buggy.”
Critic Reviews
Sorcery! Parts 1 and 2 Review
Sorcery! Parts 1 and 2 is the reincarnation of a classic game from a classic era. While the new polish is inspiring and makes it much more more accessible to a newer audience, there are still a number of issues that arise from its dated design.
60%Sorcery! Parts 1 & 2 Review
When it comes to gameplay, Sorcery! won't be taxing for anyone. While the melee and magic combat don't shine on their own, they support the text adventure side of the game well, breaking up the extended periods of reading. Doesn't try to be an epic adventure, and will entertain over an afternoon.
60%Steve Jackson's Sorcery! Review (PC)
Steve Jackson's Sorcery! can seem like a small game, with a focused player able to get through the two included chapters of the quest for the Crown of Kings in a little more than three hours, but there's enough depth in the world to support two or three campaigns. I love the fact that the game can swing abruptly from victory to defeat and the other way around, especially when the player is poking his nose where he should not or when trying to take out powerful enemies during side quests. I also appreciate the Inkle included in the rewind option to make it very easy to both get into a better situation, rather than simply use the Try Again options in combat and hope for another result, and to see how a different conversation option can lead the protagonist down another path. Steve Jackson's Sorcery! is a great showcase for the way solid writing, well-designed encounters, and unique presentation can be used to create an interesting world for players to explore, with variety and surprise backed into the core mechanics. Inkle is aiming to deliver the final two episodes on the PC before the end of the year, and I can hardly wait to see how the saga of the Crown of Kings ends and what new difficult decisions the main characters will have to deal with.
90%
