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Sorcery!

by inkle Ltd

Rated: Guidance Suggested

475 customer ratings

Price: $5.00

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Latest updates

What's new in this version

Fixed display problems on some non-Samsung phones

Product details

Original Release Date : 2014
Date First Available : March 11, 2014
Manufacturer : inkle Ltd
ASIN : B00IX035QA

Best Sellers Rank: #6,982 in Apps & Games (See Top 100 in Apps & Games)
- #568 in Adventure Games

Customer Reviews:
475 ratings

Developer info

Product features

Plot your own journey across a hand-drawn 3D world map
Fully interactive story, with 1000s of choices
The story is rewritten on the fly based on how you play
Unique touch-based sword-duelling, with procedurally-generated descriptions of the action
48 magic spells to master, with weird and wonderful effects that change the story

Product description

An epic adventure through a land of monsters, traps, and magic.

From legendary designer Steve Jackson, co-founder of Lionhead Studios (with Peter Molyneux), and Fighting Fantasy and Games Workshop (with Ian Livingstone); and inkle, the studio behind the award-winning, App Store featured Frankenstein, Sorcery! is an interactive adventure like never before.

Praise for the iOS edition:

"You should choose to own this adventure" -- Eurogamer

"Inkle's adaptation of Sorcery! takes the genre to a whole new level" -- Kotaku

"This is some of 2013′s best interactive storytelling" -- IGN UK

"Beautifully realised ... this gripping tale has us well and truly hooked" -- Pocket Gamer (Gold Award)

"Incredibly impressed" -- Touch Arcade

"Sometimes I feel like I'm wasting my time writing a review when I should really just be pointing at a game and demanding that people play it. This is one of those times. Steve Jackson's Sorcery! is an absolutely marvellous fantasy storybook adventure. Lushly illustrated and expertly told, it should not be missed by anyone even remotely interested in the genre." -- Gamezebo

"Let’s not mince words here... Sorcery’s unique blend of tabletop-like roleplaying (including an incredible combat system quite unlike anything I’ve seen before), and elaborate branching pathways with custom scripts preserving the feeling of Steve Jackson’s work make me now want to… no, HAVE TO acquire an iOS device" - Just Press Start

The app uses inklewriter technology to tell your journey in real-time, shaping the story around your choices. The text itself changes based on how you play and what you do, and in combat, the action is described on the fly based on how you play.

Featuring original illustrations by John Blanche, new character art by Eddie Sharam (DC Comics), an interactive map by Mike Schley (Wizards of the Coast).

"The Shamutanti Hills" is Part 1 of 4. Part 2, "Kharé: Cityport of Traps", is coming soon to the Kindle Store! (Part 2 will load all of your completed Part 1 games to continue your adventure.)

Technical details

Size: 267.6MB

Version: 1.4.6

Developed By: inkle Ltd

Application Permissions: ( Help me understand what permissions mean )

Access information about Wi-Fi networks
Read from external storage
Access information about networks
Open network sockets
Allows verification of Google app Entitlements
Write to external storage
PowerManager WakeLocks to keep processor from sleeping or screen from dimming

Minimum Operating System: Android 2.3

Approximate Download Time: More than 5 minutes

Customer reviews

5 star		37%
4 star		13%
3 star		23%
2 star		2%
1 star		25%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

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Nik

Stunning; an excellent RPG experience

Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2014

Verified Purchase

Playing this app is like playing D&D with a DM who is completely and totally on your side. Even better, this benevolent Dungeon Master has more lore and story to give than you can possibly see in one run-through, and you are never penalized for missing something. Battle is very satisfying, and easy to avoid with the right materials.

Reviewers have had negative things to say about the spellbook, that's it's way too cumbersome to memorize and flip through, and that its organization is lackluster. The thing is, you really don't have to memorize anything! Simply bringing up the option of casting a spell lays your possible choices right out in front of you, and anything you use (successfully or otherwise) ends with humor and pride.

To touch on battle once more, I'll say that while the game doesn't present much in the way of making skirmishes any easier, it doesn't take long to notice that every enemy has a pattern. Finding that pattern and exploiting it makes every "flawless fight" shine. The defense/attack slider makes combat even more intuitive than common rpg fare, allowing flexibility in play styles.

Truly, the game fights for you at every turn. If you foul up a conversation, or rethink your strategy too late, you can simply rewind to the beginning of that stage. And if you'd rather get it right the first time, there are even a few low-cost spells to point you in the right direction. Accidentally drink poison and get robbed of all your junk? No sweat, rewind and stick it to your assailant! Finish the game, but feel like you'd rather try the other fork at the outset? Just scroll on down and hit that brown tick mark.

I've played this game a few times now, and I'm getting more lore every run. Honestly, I don't know which story I'll follow when I get the sequel. In all of my decisions, I've only run across one discontinuity (I peacefully dispatched an enemy that the narration later mentioned I slew), and it had no effect on the rest of my game. Five stars from me, and I can't wait to finish the series!

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Josue

A Definite Must!

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2015

Verified Purchase

I was lucky enough to find this game as a faotd. I was very hesitant to get but after reading a few reviews and the fact that it was free I decided to give it a shot before going back up to the $5 price. Boy am I ever had I got it!

To start I must say that the layout of the game is expertly done. The map is beautiful and pleasing to look at in itself. I could just stare at the map and go through it without getting bored of it. The detail put into is top notch.

The game itself is played more like a book. It is very much an RPG but one that will leave you wanting more. You are given choices to choose from. It is very important to choose wisely as it will create the story as you go based on your selections. Of course if you are curious as to what could have been out you're just not happy with the direction the story has taken you are able to rewind and reselect taking you through a new path.

The sound effects, the detail, the graphics... almost nothing bad can be said about the game. The only thing that can use some improvement is the spellbook. While it can be cumbersome it will not detract from the game itself. All in all superb game! One of my favorites. Looking forward to playing part two and the others when available. Luckily I already own part two which also happened to be faotd on a different occasion.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Adam

Any fans of classic RPGs must download this.

Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2015

Verified Purchase

Loved it! I was a huge fan of Steve Jackson Games when I was in highschool -- never much for table-top RPGs, but I loved to study the game mechanics and GURPS was just too cool.

Sorcery! is very much what choose-your-own-adventure always wanted to be. The story has... I won't say infinite, but I've gone through it at least four times with all kinds of different things happening. The dialog is well-written and often quite funny, I adore the hand-drawn style of the art. The magic system is pretty neat too. Between magic (where more powerful spells require ingredients) and the ability to pray to your gods, you get a fair few second chances - but only if you've prepared! It's not hard to make a few wrong decisoions and find yourself starting over... with a new chance to explore new avenues! The sequel is great as well, Sorcery 2, and I'm sure (I hope!) they'll make a 3

Helpful

Kindle Customer

fantastic art and music. priced too high though

Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2014

Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed this app. the art. and music was superb. the ability to change outcomes by different actions is fun.
cons. using the interface for spells is clunky and confusing. many times I couldn't find a letter and can only assume it was due to some vague gate that my character couldn't use a spell. not having access to the spell book during combat makes using the myriad number of spells a lost cause due to not remembering the acronyms ... so in effect you end up using only a few spells out of desperation. the second con is the cost. five dollars for an hour of gameplay is way too much. to complete the tale will end up costing you more than many fully developed Pc games. the dev could expand his marketing by lowering each chapter cost with a mind towards acomplete book cost of perhaps around ten dollars.

the cost and clunky spell interface are the only down points to this charming innovative game.

Helpful

Dan Rogers

Not really an episode - think of it as a teaser for a chapter-by-chapter based board/story game

Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2014

Verified Purchase

This sure was short. Really only one main battle and it was all over. Couple of mini-battles. The game is mostly a text based adventure game where you read the story line and get presented with choices to take. The choices can be changed if an outcome wasn't to your liking. The map is interesting with a 3-D kind of style to it, and it is kind of like the maps you see in the start of long story books - to acquaint you with the terrain. In this chapter in the game you start out as a noob adventurer, have options to get trained, buy supplies for your adventure and then you are off into the world. The battle system is the only game-like aspect, you see your foe, and depending on where you slide your character (closer, further) the power of your attack changes. If you over-spend on attack points, you get tired out. If you only defend, you eventually lose. You have to learn to gauge your foe, don't let them overpower you, and defend when they make huge strikes so you don't get wounded.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Alaran

The quest for the Crown of Kings begins

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 10, 2019

Verified Purchase

Spawned from the Fighting Fantasy series of gamebooks (and subsequently republished several times as a part of that range), ‘Sorcery’ was considerably innovative for its time in being an epic four book adventure where the reader played the same character throughout, progressing and developing as they went along a bit like the Dungeons and Dragons games that inspired the development of adventure gamebooks. I can’t recall whether three and a half decades or so ago whether these were the first adventure gamebooks to do this, but they were certainly amongst the earliest and others, such as ‘Lone Wolf’ and ‘Way of the Tiger’, soon followed. ‘The Shamutanti Hills’ is the first volume in what is still one of the best adventure gamebook experiences you can have.

The conversion of the ‘Sorcery’ series into the game app format is considerably different from that of the Fighting Fantasy books which were more or less straight adaptions. This version of ‘The Shamutanti Hills’ contains a bit more of a video gaming element and relies on touchscreen methods. Primarily gameplay relies on selecting from adjoining destinations on a world map which your avatar walks between to reach the next section of the game. Of course, having a map in such a fashion does make playing the adventure somewhat easier as the whole general objective of ‘The Shamutanti Hills’ is merely to pass the eponymous hills to the city of Khare. Thus, getting lost doesn’t happen.

There is still text to read, as without it, things would be too distanced from the original. It is much abbreviated and less of the main focus. This is a little to the detriment of the atmosphere, unfortunately.

However, it still manages to capture some of the atmosphere of the book through its utilisation of sound effects which bring a slightly new dimension to it.

The combat system is inevitably utterly different and it is this that is probably the most jarring to those who are familiar with and love the original. Instead of relying upon the ‘skill’ attribute and dice rolling, the app involves the graphic of your avatar facing your foe and you playing with a variety of finger swipes. Personally, I found it a little tricky to get on with and, tactically, somewhat hit and miss.

Spells are all cast quite differently. Rather than having the option of which to cast there is a sequence from which you must select floating letters which are required for a spell. The spell book is also accessible throughout the game whereas you were supposed to memorise it in the original.

Some of the weaknesses of this version stem from ‘The Shamutanti Hills’ being the first volume in the series. It always was the easiest and least complex of the four gamebooks but here this extends to it being treated more like an introduction to the later volumes/games/apps in the series. It feels as though it lacks the depth of the book and becomes less engaging. It also seems to be reasonably short, unlike the original.

There are certainly a few areas where the conversion could be improved, but by and large it possesses the gist of the original. Those encountering ‘Sorcery’ for the first time and unfamiliar with the books should probably push on to ‘Khare: Cityport of Traps’ to get a better feel for the series.

One person found this helpful

P. Gilham

Good adaptation of a good gamebook

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 21, 2014

Verified Purchase

This is a solid adaptation of the first chapter in the celebrated Sorcery! gamebook series from the mid-1980s. The mechanics of play from the book are effectively modified for play on tablet or smartphone -- combat is a little different, but still works, and most other elements of play are retained and automated effectively. Tracking your character's movement through the story on the in-app map is a nice addition, as it helps realise the setting Steve Jackson created. The narrative remains as good as it was in the original book.

While the price tag feels on the high side for a couple of hours' play time, the choice of warrior or wizard at the beginning of the adventure and variations in the subsequent story offer some scope for replayability -- and the app is still cheaper than buying the physical book, with the experience at least as good. If you enjoy gamebooks or interactive fiction, this is worth a look.

2 people found this helpful

Laurence Wilson

Buy this gamebook

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 9, 2017

Verified Purchase

Who knew these app versions of the classic gamebooks could breath so much new life into them. A great start with this one, very immersive and lovingly done.

2 people found this helpful

Shape Shifting Master

Worth it!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 13, 2014

Verified Purchase

I LOVED THIS GAME. I was very impressed with the story line and the fighting while basic was very entertaining. I definitely recommend this for any role playing fans. The story takes you through most of the same situations each time but there are unique little side quests that once you pass you can't go back to so I've found it interesting to replay the game in areas and see those story lines aswell. Think I might actually go through this again now that the second game is out just so I have it all fresh In my mind.

3 people found this helpful

Ann Martin

Great game

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 24, 2019

Verified Purchase

Terrific game. Short but can be played over and over with different results. Now playing Sorcery 2 which is much longer

One person found this helpful