Simon the Sorcerer Origins – A spellbinding comeback to the golden age of adventure.
Simon the Sorcerer has been a fan favorite for more than 30 years. Simon the Sorcerer, released in 1993, was AdventureSoft’s satirical response to LucasArts’ standards, such as Monkey Island and Day of the Tentacle. The game garnered its own unique following among point-and-click fans due to its crude humor, unusual puzzles, and distinctly British wit. Simon the Sorcerer Origins came out in 2025. It’s not a redo, but a carefully made prequel by Smallthing Studios.
This new game tries to connect the sarcastic boy Simon we meet here with the masked mage from the first games. Origins doesn’t just rely on memories; it rethinks what made the series great and introduces it to a whole new audience. It’s a brave attempt to demonstrate that old-school adventure games remain relevant in the modern world. The result is a beautiful blend of modern art and traditional design elements.
The story starts with Simon, a naughty and rebellious kid who looks a lot like every class clown you knew in the 1990s. His ideas are great, but he’s a little too full of himself. When he gets in trouble at school for yet another prank gone wrong, his angry parents decide it’s time for a “fresh start” in a quiet town in the country. But Simon always seems to get into trouble wherever he goes.
Soon, Simon finds an unusual book of spells and a portal that transports him to a fantastical world filled with goblins, talking animals, strange wizards, and magical woods. This is not the Simon we knew in the 1990s yet; it’s his beginning. The story reveals how a troublesome teen evolves into the rogue sorcerer we all remember, lending the characters more depth and emotion than has ever been seen before in the series.
Every talk is full of clever banter and references to pop culture. There are many hilarious times when Simon’s dry sense of humor clashes with the haughty people he meets. However, there is a surprisingly touching story about duty, finding oneself, and the allure of power hidden beneath the jokes.
It shows that even the snarkiest heroes can grow up just a little by putting humor and heart on the same stage.
One of the main aspects of Simon the Sorcerer Origins remains the point-and-click game that it originated from. You’ll go through hand-drawn worlds, talk to strange characters, and gather strange things to solve even stranger puzzles. The design looks great and is easy to use. Gone are the 1980s’ verb menus that were hard to understand. Instead, a simple method for contextual interaction keeps things running smoothly while still allowing you to try new things, which is enjoyable.
Simon the Sorcerer Origins is truly unique because it combines old-school style with current ease of use. You can use a hint system that doesn’t give away secrets, highlight interactive items to stop people from pixel-hunting, and even quickly move between areas once they’ve been found. For veterans, these changes feel respectful rather than intrusive, like cleaning an old wand instead of getting a new one.
It’s rich and satisfying to explore. From the wizard schools to the mossy swamps full of sarcastic frogs, every screen is full of personality. Conversations aren’t just for fun; they can also help you figure out tasks or find new ways to get somewhere. The branching conversation sometimes lets Simon’s answers take on different tones, such as cocky, kind, or downright snide. This gives players a small taste of role-playing.
Adventure games depend on puzzles to keep them going, and Origins doesn’t let you down. There are many types of challenges, from simple inventory combinations (like “use frog slime with rusty key”) to puzzles based on logic and magical patterns that require you to think of new ways to combine spells. Each puzzle feels like it was carefully put together by hand, and there are often clever jokes or amusing endings that make even failure enjoyable.
There are both standard brain teasers and puzzles that use Simon’s new magical skills. Learning new skills becomes an important part of the game, and each one makes the world more interactive. You could stop time to prevent a bridge from falling or elevate things to reach places that aren’t visible. These magical elements give Simon the Sorcerer Origins a fun twist that sets it apart from the problems in the games that came before it.
In the traditional sense, there is no fighting. Instead, Simon’s battles are intellectual and funny. He doesn’t fight monsters; instead, he tricks them. In one memorable experience, he lied to a troll by showing him a crayon-written “certificate of bridge ownership.” In another, he tricked an evil wizard’s cat into letting him steal his wand.
Some puzzle answers, though, are more like the reasoning in an adventure game, where you don’t know what to do until you’ve tried everything else. The hint system makes things less frustrating, but a few problems near the end of the game might still be hard to solve.
The puzzles will make you think, but they’ll also make you laugh.
The way Simon the Sorcerer Origins looks is truly magical. With smooth animation and great attention to detail, each frame looks like a picture that comes to life. Smallthing Studios put a lot of care into the art direction because every setting is full of personality, from the flashing light in a potion shop to the glow of the setting sun over a wizard’s tower.
The 2D animation in the game is just as good as that in high-quality cartoon movies. It has a charming hand-drawn look and a smooth digital finish. The over-the-top facial expressions of the characters are great, and they enhance the comedic timing and emotional depth of the dialogue scenes. It’s the animation of even the non-playable characters in the background that makes the world feel truly alive.
The art style perfectly captures the show’s sarcastic tone. It’s both funny and deeply magical, like a blend of a Saturday morning cartoon and a Gothic fairy tale. People who liked Monkey Island or The Book of Unwritten Tales will feel right at home here, but even people who have never played anything like it will be amazed by how well it’s made.
The sound design complements the game well. The ensemble music moves smoothly between happy, spooky, and sad tones, effectively conveying the mood of each scene without being overbearing. The themes evolve as Simon does, reflecting his transformation from a careless teenager to a hesitant hero.
Voice acting is another great thing about it. The actor who plays Simon says every line with just the right amount of sarcasm and earnestness to make it funny. Supporting characters, like the cocky wizard and the sad host, all sound unique and easy to remember. The writing and delivery make the jokes funnier, which makes every exchange a treat.
The sound effects are fun and exaggerated: spells fizzle in a cartoonish way, drinks bubble like witches’ brew, and doors creak in a way that sounds like it was meant to be there. All of this makes me feel like I’m in a live animated movie.
A beautiful blend of sound and sight—like magic on a Saturday morning with studio-level polish.
Simon the Sorcerer Origins isn’t just a nostalgic throwback; it’s a heartfelt rethink of what made point-and-click games so great in the first place. With a mix of fun, skill, and smart design, Smallthing Studios has made something that is both old-fashioned and new.
It features funny and unique puzzles, conversations full of personality, and a hand-drawn world that feels alive and charming. A few puzzles are a bit too hard to understand, and the pace slows down in the middle parts, but these are only minor problems in what is otherwise a magical experience.
Origins is like the introduction we didn’t know we needed for longtime fans. It’s a love letter to Simon’s mischievous childhood, setting the stage for his future adventures. It’s a great way for beginners to learn why adventure games were so popular with a whole generation.
You can laugh at Simon’s snarky one-liners or get lost in his magical world in Simon the Sorcerer Origins. It tells us that a good spell, like a good story, never really goes away.
