I’ve been an avid gamer my entire life, growing up in a household where every member of the family loved gaming. In the 90s, I went through a point-and-click adventure game phase and one of my very favourites was ‘Simon the Sorcerer’. Released in 1993, I had the game for my Amiga 1200 and it kept me entertained for hours. It’s witty humour, challenging puzzles and engaging storyline marked it apart from other point-and-clicks of the time. Incredibly, 32 years later a new game has arrived in the franchise – ‘Simon the Sorcerer: Origins’ – which serves as a prequel to the original game.
Developed by Smallthing Studios and published by ININ Games, ‘Simon the Sorcerer: Origins’ sees the return of Chris Barrie (‘Red Dwarf’) as the voice of Simon and it updates the graphics from the pixelated 90s style into hand-drawn graphics suitable for the next generation of gaming consoles. Before I get into the game, I wasn’t initially a fan of how ‘Simon the Sorcerer: Origins’ looked but as I spent more time with it, I began to appreciate just how eye-catching it is. The game manages to capture the look-and-feel of the original but present it in a new way, and that’s no small achievement.
So what about the story? ‘Simon the Sorcerer: Origins’ opens up with Simon and his family moving into a new home. There’s a short amount of gameplay in the house before Simon finds himself transported through a magical portal into another world. Within minutes of being there, Simon meets wizard Calypso, dons his iconic robes and sets off on an adventure that is hilarious, challenging and incredibly entertaining. I reviewed the game on PS4 and it took me a minute to adjust to playing a point-and-click without using a mouse. The controls are simple enough once you get the hang of them, and actually the point-and-click experience has been captured well for consoles.
Anyone who was a fan of the original game will know what to expect, and dare I say it will give them an advantage when it comes to solving the game’s many puzzles. ‘Simon the Sorcerer’ was always known for being a bit random and that reputation is upheld with this new game. Every environment Simon arrives in has multiple objects to interact with, characters to talk to and puzzles to solve. Collecting items along the way, which you can access in Simon’s inventory, you really have to put your brain to work to figure out what item works where and if you need to combine items to achieve your end goal. Those unfamiliar with the franchise might find this a bit of a struggle but the best tip I can give you is to try absolutely everything.
The early part of the game puts you in control of Simon as you explore a magical land and try to gain access to the Magic Academy. The path to achieving that is anything but smooth and includes puzzles like retrieving a student pass from the jaws of a dog, talking your way into getting a wand, and getting up to mischief in a church where you leave your morals at the door. You’ll frequently question the objects you collect like a slimy tentacle and a plate of dubious spring onions, but everything has its place. Along the way you’ll meet plenty of familiar characters too, including the villain Sordid.
I don’t want to spoil too much about the storyline, or the puzzles, but there is plenty of gameplay to be had here. Spanning 12 chapters, the game is good value for money and it’ll take a fair few hours to complete it. If you get totally stuck, like I did several times, then it’ll take even longer. In those instances, I recommend walking away from the game and returning later with a pair of fresh eyes as it will really help. Also remember to make sure you think about your dialogue with the characters you interact with as saying the wrong thing can definitely hamper your progress. One thing I did like is the use of a map that allows you to quickly jump between key locations, saving you time when you’d otherwise be endlessly wandering from one location to the next.
‘Simon the Sorcerer: Origins’ is the perfect homage to the original game with plenty of new twists and turns to keep you engaged. Point-and-click adventures remain one of the most satisfying types of games for me, so having a new ‘Simon the Sorcerer’ is a real treat. With strong voice-acting, hilarious one-liners and plenty of head-scratching, this game is perfect for the darker nights and colder days. I became totally addicted, just like I did with the original game.
Developer: Smallthing Studios Publisher: ININ Games Release date: 28th October 2025
