Simon the Sorcerer Origins review

It doesn’t have quite the same magic, but the series prequel reboot is deeper and still plenty charming in its own way

It seems like many once-great but more recently neglected franchises are getting a reboot these days, and the latest to turn over a new leaf is Simon the Sorcerer. Created by British developers Simon and Mike Woodroffe and published by Adventure Soft in the mid-nineties, the first two games told the tale of the eponymous pre-teen mischief-maker who's yanked into an alternate fantasy world to grumpily save the day. More Rincewind than Harry Potter, Simon's comic adventures skewered fairy tales and epic fantasy alike, to critical acclaim (and substantial sales). Sadly, since making a fairly disastrous leap to 3D, not to mention flitting from publisher to publisher, the series never really recaptured that initial magic, stuttering to a halt with a failed Kickstarter in 2016. Now, though, Italian developer Smallthing Studios have taken up the baton (wand?) with Simon the Sorcerer Origins, set a few weeks before the first game and seeking to explain just why Simon was lumbered with the job of saving the world in the first place. It’s not quite the Simon of old, but pick your way through some finicky puzzles and you’ll find the usual witticisms wrapped in a more coherent and heartfelt story this time around.

As the tale opens, Simon's no sorcerer, just a very naughty 11-year-old boy whose antics keep getting him expelled from school. The latest incident has forced his family to move to another town, and we join them as they're driving to their new house accompanied by the mellifluous tones of “Together Forever” by Rick Astley (a clear reminder we're back in the 90s). Simon's sitting glumly in the back of the car, staring out the window and probably plotting mayhem. Naturally, this peace can't last, and no sooner have they arrived than Simon's in trouble again, but for once it's not his fault. As he reaches for the handle of his bedroom door, a certain wizard is simultaneously approaching a different and much more ominous door in another dimension. An electric shock runs through Simon and he's dragged through a portal to be the instrument of change in that magical land, much to his annoyance.

Simon scholars won't be surprised to discover that the aforementioned wizard is Sordid, Simon's future nemesis. Right now, though, none of that has happened yet and we can't even really call him evil. He's just a professor at the Academy, a local magic school that for copyright reasons is definitely not Hogwarts or the Unseen University, honest. The realm's first magic user (imaginatively known as the First Wizard) left behind two powerful tomes, and Sordid is obsessed with finding them and finally gaining the respect of his peers, not to mention his mummy dearest. Unfortunately for him, finding the First Wizard's crypt has just triggered an ancient prophecy that "an impudent child from another world" (guess who?) will come to protect the books from his meddling. Stumbling out of the dark and creepy cave he lands in upon his arrival, Simon soon happens upon the far kinder wizard Calypso, who quickly figures out what must be happening and packs him off in a set of hand-me-down robes to infiltrate the Academy in search of Sordid, a couple of dusty old magic books, and his destiny.

At this point, I'd better address the long-time fans at the back who are almost certainly looking a bit concerned right now. Yes, all this actual wizarding and plot-driven storytelling does represent a significant change of pace for the series compared with the first Simon the Sorcerer, which was mostly a sequence of loosely-strung-together fantasy-themed comedy sketches and pop-culture references that only occasionally remembered its antihero was just a young boy. Trying to fit this patchwork of influences together seamlessly was always going to be tricky, and Simon's trademark wisecracks in particular often sounded forced and out-of-place to my ears. So if you're specifically looking for a vintage Simon experience, then despite the developers' best efforts, this isn't quite it. That said, if you can set that aside and approach it on its own terms as a wizard school dramedy with lashings of British banter, you'll likely have a better time.

Talking of big changes, Origins has also received a substantial graphical glow-up, moving from the admittedly delightful pixel art of the original to a Disneyfied cartoon look, with crisp, colourful characters set against loosely sketched backgrounds. If Simon had somehow made the jump from PC game to 90s Saturday morning cartoon, this is what it would have looked like. With smooth animations, background characters going about their business, dancing flames and fluttering butterflies, every screen bustles with life. The world is varied too, ranging from the bucolic countryside around Calypso's cottage to the hallowed stone hallways of the Academy and the gloomy, slimy Forbidden Swamp. Returning fans will also enjoy spotting the handful of original locations making a comeback here, such as the giant creepy skull and the more homely environs of the Bloated Goat Inn.

The soundtrack clearly takes inspiration from the original, kicking off with a revamped version of the classic theme over the opening credits, but this time we're treated to lush orchestral pieces that wouldn't sound out of place in a fantasy film score, switching from calm and tinkling to dark and brooding as needed. If you're feeling nostalgic, turning on Simon's "Pony" Walkman (an optional DLC item) switches this out for more rearrangements of the original tunes. It's also great to hear Red Dwarf's Chris Barrie back as the voice of Simon, channeling his inner eleven-year-old remarkably well for a man who's now in his mid-sixties. All the voice acting is pretty solid, if a little tame: I'd have liked to see more overwrought scenery chewing, especially for Sordid, moustache-twirling villain-in-training that he is.

Somewhat ironically for a series about magic and sorcery, Simon has rarely dirtied his hands with any actual spellcasting thus far. All that changes in Origins now that he is, however reluctantly, forced to pay attention in wizardry school. Simon's wand is as wonky as Ron Weasley's, but fortunately he doesn't need it, instead just having to intone the right magic words. The spells are all elemental in nature, being based around fire, ice, and wind, and it's fun to finally be able to fling some actual magic around. Simon can also enchant his hat in a couple of different ways, which has some minor but useful side-effects on his inventory (though regrettably not on his spells).

Managing all this is a breeze as the controls are incredibly flexible, supporting mouse, controller, or touchscreen. Either way, it's a fairly standard modern point-and-click system, with hotspots to look at or interact with, characters to talk to and an inventory full of objects ready to be combined or used in the world. A controller lets you simulate point-and-click or switch to moving Simon directly and either interacting with the nearest hotspot or using the bumpers to cycle round others in the scene. Spells, once you've learnt them, sit in a row just above your inventory on the left, while hat options are on the right. All three control methods work pretty well, and it's neat to be able to lean back on the couch or take Simon with you on a Steam Deck, though for me the traditional mouse was still a little more comfortable. Movement speed is decent throughout, but a magical map drops giant pushpins into the world at quick travel points (nearly braining Simon the first time). It’s a neat idea, and hilarious to see these accumulating graffiti as time goes by, but with only three points across the whole game it’s also sadly limited.

Simon the Sorcerer Origins

Genre:	Fantasy
Presentation:	2D or 2.5D
Theme:	Magical
Perspective:	Third-Person
Graphic Style:	Stylized
Gameplay:	Puzzle, Quest
Control:	Point-and-click
Game Length:	Medium (5-10 hours)
Difficulty:	Medium

With spells and hats to play with alongside the usual item manipulation, there's scope here for all manner of zany hijinks and outlandish situations, but Origins says no to moon logic and goes light on the slapstick, playing it almost boringly straight. Aside from activating magical locks and switches, much of the practical spellcasting revolves around things like lighting lamps or blowing objects out of the way; stuff you could also do with a lighter or the help of a passing troll. Magic aside, you've also got to brew a potion with fairy dandruff, con a local merchant into buying your toy collection, and put tentacle slime to good use, but most of the humour here comes from quirky banter and Simon's surly attitude rather than magic getting you into outlandish situations. Zork: Grand Inquisitor this ain't.

Once you've adjusted to an enchanted world with talking paintings, a puppet shopkeeper with an octopus in a matching hat pulling the strings, and an angry chest with teeth, the puzzles are refreshingly logical, at least in theory. In practice, I kept tripping up on them because the game doesn't often do hints or nudges if you try anything but the right solution, and it isn't about to repeat itself if you're not paying attention. For example, at one point you have to prise up a trapdoor that's nailed down, which seems simple enough. Except Simon only mentions the nails once, and it takes several chapters to find the right tool. By that time, I'd forgotten all about them and was trying all manner of ersatz lockpicks on it instead, with no feedback that I was on the wrong track. (With care, you could perhaps use the handful of manual save slots to pop back and check in some cases, but you shouldn’t have to.) As to why you need to get down there, that's all hinted at by entertaining entries in a nearby diary that, again, you only have one chance to read.

Repeated moments like this turned what could have been smooth sailing into a grind if I missed that one crucial clue and wasn't getting any more when I actually needed it. For context, my first playthrough took around ten hours, but skipping most of the confused thrashing the second time around brought this way down to a little over four, and needless to say I had a lot more fun as a result. The most frustrating part is that all the information you need is generally here, and the puzzles and their solutions fit neatly into the story, so it would have taken only a few better-timed, well-chosen pointers to make all the difference! And while I’m getting the frustration out of my system, the finale also tries to inject tension by throwing you into a fairly tightly timed spellcasting gauntlet. It’s not that hard, but having to start from scratch each time turned it into a real slog, and it could be challenging for some.

The world of Origins features the same mix of the fantastic and mundane as the first game (we're quietly forgetting about the rest of the series, it seems). Calypso, for example, lives in a thatched cottage with a roaring fire and shelves bulging with mystical grimoires, but keeps a vacuum flask on hand for his tea. Likewise, a shop full of magical artifacts has a big red fire extinguisher at the ready, in case of stray fireballs. And there's the same flagrant disregard for the fourth wall, starting with Simon's mum telling him off for playing through the tutorial (doesn't she want him to learn?). I particularly enjoyed seeing Calypso having to awkwardly remind Simon that they're in a prequel and aren't supposed to have met yet! Eagle-eyed players may also spot a letter from Calypso's daughter Alyx and a recruiting poster by Dr Von Jones, among others, but the only other recurring character to play a significant role is Swampling, he of the retch-inducing swamp stew. He’s a low-key highlight for me here, as he plays a more active role this time and his wide-eyed innocence and misguided kindness make a heartwarming counterpoint to Simon's grouchiness.

The First Wizard (who looks suspiciously like a lady in a false beard) is an interesting addition to the lore, too. In the millennium or so since they discovered magic, they've become a mythical, God-like figure and focus of the local religion, with churches and everything. And as they've faded into myth, the Academy and its wizards have also grown lazy and complacent, with the headmaster barely able to stir from his nap long enough to help Simon on his way. This is played for laughs, naturally, but it also looks suspiciously like actual worldbuilding, and does much to ground the story.

This take on Simon is also more than a smart-mouthed kid, going so far as to almost bond with Sordid over being misunderstood and (gasp!) actually hug his mother at one point. He may call Calypso an old codger and have an epic disdain for schoolwork, but under that stiff upper lip he's worried about his newfound dog, Chippy, and is glad to get home in time for his birthday. He's not the Simon we know, in other words, but he's arguably a more interesting and relatable character for it.

One of the tricky parts of writing a prequel is finding a way to dovetail the story into later events. Given that Simon begins the first game oblivious to the existence of Calypso, Sordid, or alternate magical worlds, I was really curious to see how on earth Origins would pull this off. And yes, it does take a bit of handwaving to join the dots, but I also have a newfound appreciation for just why Sordid has had it in for Simon all this time and where that spellbook in his attic came from. It’s about as neat a resolution as you could hope for, in other words, even straying into heartwarming territory as the credits roll.

Final Verdict

Simon the Sorcerer Origins is a complicated beast: beautiful, intriguing, and sometimes infuriating. Its lovingly drawn cartoon graphics and sweeping score are polished, it has an actual story this time around, packed with well-integrated (if slightly pedestrian) puzzles, and there's fan service everywhere you look. But the new, more dramatic plot struggles to mesh with the British humour Simon is known for, and the gameplay not only doesn’t hold your hand, it practically leaves you hanging out to dry with its lack of useful, timely direction. The game tries hard to please, and bravely attempts to take Simon himself and the series in general in a new direction, but it can't quite recapture the feeling of the original and could really have done with a more generous helping of organic clues. Play it with your mind (and possibly a walkthrough) open, though, and there's still a certain amount of magic to be found here.

Peter played Simon the Sorcerer Origins on PC using a review code provided by the game's publisher.