Simon the Sorcerer Origins

I remember a buddy of mine having the original game, and that is why I was pumped to check out Simon the Sorcerer Origins. This is a series that I probably have not thought about for like 30 years! However, when I heard that this was a thing, the memories came flooding back. This is a classic point-and-click adventure game, but it has been modernized to make it more fun for a modern audience. The best thing about this is that if you are an OG fan, you will get a huge kick out of this. However, there is no need to be familiar with the series before you jump in here.

A Magical New World!

I remember loving the original Simon The Sorcerer when I checked it out at a friend's house on his Amiga when I was a kid. Simon the Sorcerer Origins is a legit prequel to that game's story. Here, Simon and his mother are having to move, and Simon is not happy about it, but his life takes a turn for the weird when a magical portal whisks him away to a strange land of magic. Here we meet our mentor, a weirdo called Calypso, and he informs us of a prophecy about finding these magical books, and we are the person in that prophecy. The villain from the first game, Sordid, is also here, and in many ways, this is a bit of an origin story for him as well.

That Super British Charm

One of the things I was unsure of about Simon the Sorcerer Origins was the humor. The original game was created by a British studio, and it had that classic British dry sense of humor about it. This prequel is being handled by a team in Italy, and let me tell you, they 100 percent understood the assignment, as this is every bit as dry, witty, and funny as the original game. The writing here is just fantastic, and Simon is once again brought to life by the incredible Chris Barrie, who you sci-fi fans may know better as Rimmer from Red Dwarf! If you loved the story in the original games, I do not see there being any way that you will not love this as well.

A Sort Of Point And Click Adventure

Ok, so without a shadow of a doubt, if you are putting Simon the Sorcerer Origins into a genre, it is the point and click adventure genre. However, if you are playing the console version of this game, you actually move Simon with the analogue stick. You still have to interact with things in the world, chat with characters, and of course, solve puzzles, so its point and click adventure roots are very much here. The thing is, this is a more streamlined and modern take on that genre. Meaning, puzzles are not super cryptic, there is a handy tutorial system, and you have an easy to pull up quest log. I would not go as far as saying the game holds your hand every step of the way, but it is certainly more friendly to play than those older games were.

A Whole New…. Style

I already touched on the voice acting of Simon the Sorcerer Origins and how great it is. However, the visual style of this game is quite different. Those 90s point-and-click adventure games were gorgeous to look at with the incredible art. For this game, rather than going for a 90s pixel art style. They have gone for a hand-animated cartoon look. It is not an exaggeration to say that this looks like an animated movie from the 90s! I am a huge fan of what they have done with the visuals in this game. I think this is a natural progression, but from what I have read. There are some people who are not a fan of this new hand-drawn look. I guess the easiest way to say it is that it is very much a personal preference kind of thing.

Pros:

• Getting Chris Barrie back for Simon is awesome
• That classic wit and dry sense of humor is here
• The puzzles are fun to solve and never too cryptic
• I loved the way this looked like an animated movie

Cons:

• Some may not like how you actually control Simon
• The graphics are great, but they are quite different