by In some games, story is the spice; in others, it’s the whole meal. Steve Jackson’s Sorcery! fell into the latter category, as a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style series of choices unwrapped into seemingly endless possibilities. Sorcery! 2 is largely a continuation rather than a fresh iteration on the concept, since it’s meant to pick up right where the last one left off — though new players can start fresh here if they see fit. And while it’s a little less novel this time around, the game still packs the unique flavor that made the first such a unique treat.
This time around, your hero explores Khare, the City of Traps. The environment is much more urban as a result, with increased emphasis on avoiding or engaging with crowds, visiting marketplaces, and choosing factions to support in a city civil war. While we were excited to dig into the fresh terrain, we were disappointed at how few actual traps lay about. A name like that beckons images of a surprise twist and puzzle around every corner, and most of the city seemed less deceptive than we expected.
The story is one of your own making again, and you can even continue your previous progress with a special code. The ultimate goal is to reach and pass through the North Gate, which has been sealed. We found our way through in just over an hour, but that included some heavy sacrifices that would reflect in the next game. Sorcery! 2 repeats the first game’s clever mechanic, allowing you to rewind to any point in the story and make a different choice. This is absolutely vital for making it through the story, but it also encourages experimentation. Seeing all that Khare has to offer will require multiple rewinds and do-overs to plan the perfect path through the city.
Combat is present, but again fairly simplistic. It’s mostly a matter of reading your enemies’ text and anticipating their attacks, so you can save your stamina to meet and overpower them. Like the story decisions, infinite retries mean you can experiment, so the battles are never too challenging. But combat isn’t the driving force behind Sorcery! 2. Like its predecessor, it’s a game all about crafting your own story, piece by piece, as pages are visually sewed on to your legacy in response to every little decision you make. Exploring Khare is a must for any who want to continue the first adventure, though it’s also a decent point to jump on for newcomers.
The bottom line. Sorcery! 2 continues the adventure with very little iteration, but it’s built on a strong foundation that remains charming.
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