Sorcery! Review (iOS)

The first installment of the four-part Sorcery! series created by Steve Jackson in early ‘80s has recently made its debut on iOS platform.

Unlike other tablet-top games that encourage multiplayer gaming, Sorcery! is all about single-playing. The title presents itself as an adventure gamebook series that mixes RPG elements and a unique combat system.

The first part of the series is called The Shamutanti Hills and will soon be followed by three other installments: Khare: Cityport of Traps, The Seven Serpents and The Crown of Kings.

As players complete each part of the series, all assets (spells, items, quests, equipment and hidden clues) discovered or obtained will be loaded into the next chapter, so that they can continue their adventure.

In Sorcery!, players will embark on an adventurous journey in search for the legendary Crown of Kings, a powerful artifact that has been stolen by the evil Archmage of Mampang Fortress.

Those who have some experience with Fighting Fantasy gamebooks will notice that Sorcery! allows them to choose their preferred play style: warrior or mage.

While mage class will be weaker in combat, it provides a wide range of spells that allows you to soften up each enemy before going into melee.

The combat system is pretty simple and efficient. Each combatant starts with a certain Stamina, which decreases when they get hit. Keep in mind that even if you Defend, you will still lose 1 Stamina.

Each time it’s your turn to attack, you have to drag your character closer to the enemy. The closer your character is to the enemy, the harder the hit.

Obviously, the game comes with a written Spellbook, so you won’t need to write it down each time you discover a new spell. In fact, all spells are already included in the Spellbook with their description and requirements.

Some spells require certain items in order to be cast, as well as a certain amount of your Stamina. These items may or may not be consumed after the spell is cast, and can be found throughout the world if you know where to look.

Sorcery! is not a standard RPG title, so don’t expect any fancy visuals. However, even if it’s more of a text-based adventure game, it features original artwork by John Blanche who illustrated the gamebook series back in the early ‘80s.

In addition, the character art is made by Eddie Sharam (DC Comics) and the interactive map where your character will do all the travelling, is made by Mike Schley (Wizards of the Coast).

The music and the special effects are another strong point of the game. Speaking of which, Sorcery!’s music has been written by David Wise, the same person responsible for the Donkey Kong Country music.

Sorcery! is an interactive game, so the story unfolds as you progress into the game and is shaped according to the choice you make during your travels.

More importantly, the game has some kind of “load game” feature, so you can rewind the story from a certain point if you want to experience other choices.

I strongly recommend players rewinding the story a few times in order to experience the various choices offered by the game.

The title features lots of NPCs who can help you in your quest if you know how to handle each discussion by choosing the right answer or action.

Overall, Sorcery! is a must buy for every RPG fan out there who owns an iOS device. However, I do recommend playing this game on iPad for a more in-depth immersion.

The game is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices running iOS 5.0 and up and can be purchased for $4.99/€4.49 via App Store.