Steve Jackson’s Sorcery! is a four-part epic interactive fantasy adventure through a weird world of magic. What was once an adventure gamebook is now available digitally thanks to inkle studios, and I was given the chance to check it out.
A copy of this game was provided for the purposes of this review.
In Sorcery! you play as a lone hero in search of the Crown of Kings, a powerful artifact that bestows magical powers of leadership upon its owner and was stolen by the cruel Archmage of Mampang Fortress. This quest is divided into four parts and you must use magic, strength, and wits to make it through enemy lands and retrieve the crown that once belonged to your homeland.
While the video game version of Sorcery! has been available on mobile and PC already, it has recently released on Nintendo Switch which is how I played it. I’ve had no prior experience with the game before going in, and thankfully it isn’t necessary in order to enjoy the game. The tutorial explains the game mechanics well and things get easier to understand as you play.
Even though this is just a first look, I can already tell you that the replayability of this game is amazing. There are so many paths you can take and choices to make that each experience is bound to be unique. And not everything is as it seems when choosing what paths to take. Somewhere seemingly safe can be a trap and dangerous roads could lead to allies.
Combat has two aspects to it: physical fighting and magic. For physical fighting, it is based on stamina and attack power. Based on your enemy’s choices, you will need to decide how strong of an attack you did or if you defend yourself to lessen the impact. Stamina is essentially health, which is recovered outside of fights through rest and eating. It took me a little bit of getting used to to figure out the strategy, but I also lean pacifist in these kinds of games. If this kind of combat system is something you’re used to, then it will be a breeze.
Magic can also be used to help you in different situations. You’re given a spellbook and can find more spells while exploring. Spells cost stamina and you have to look to the stars to find the letters to cast your spells, so plan wisely. I always enjoy going the magic route when given the choice and doing so can aid you a lot.
I know I only scratched the surface of this game with what I’ve played thus far, but overall I have enjoyed Sorcery! The lore and story are intriguing and the adventure has been full of surprises. The gameplay is easy to understand and the difficulty comes from the unexpected outcomes and strategy. If choose-your-own-adventure and fantasy games are something you enjoy, you’ll enjoy Steve Jackson’s Sorcery!
Steve Jackson’s Sorcery! is available on Nintendo Switch as well as Android, iOS, and Steam.