Sorcery! 4 (iOS) Review

Those who have played the first three games will know what to expect here - it's standard RPG fare in the vein of the role-playing books upon which the series is based - and those who haven't indulged in the Sorcery! franchise yet will be completely lost in this finale; this is very much a game for long-time players. Resolving a number of sub-plots and being light on tutorial, Sorcery! 4 places style and story over substance, and that's not a bad thing for those who have followed this tale for three years, now.

Of course, there is a minor change to the gameplay formula, as in its predecessors, and this time it's a pretty huge adjustment: the ability to rewind past decisions, once crucial to correcting mistakes and ensuring a smooth ride through the story, has been removed. Instead, upon meeting a grisly end, the player is returned back to an earlier point in the game, with items and gold intact. By still encouraging exploration and the trying out numerous different possibilities, this mechanic adds little other than a layer of inconvenience on top of the tried-and-tested "if at first you don't succeed…" formula of the series thus far - it's fair to say that it's a disappointing way of artificially extending the length of the game rather than actively improving the gameplay.

As far as the story itself goes, this is just as strong as any other entry in the Sorcery! series so far. It's far more linear than its predecessors, thanks mostly to the fact that the goal is known right from the get-go, but that's a strength that Sorcery! 4 plays well to; each of its set-pieces feels refined and deeply developed, with there rarely being a moment where the action lets up enough to feel boring. Even the moments of relief remain exciting, with the return of the Swindlestones mini-game serving as an enjoyable and refreshing way of gathering information. The final boss is also very worth the wait as a climactic and intense final clash.

It seems almost redundant to say by now, but Sorcery! 4 is just as gorgeous as the three games before it, too: the music provides an engrossing experience and the illustrations - with some even in full colour - do justice to the original books. It's fair to say that this is the best way to experience Steve Jackson's book series, with a tidy HUD and fair, skill-based combat (rather than the dice-based combat found in the books) making it a much simpler game to play. It's not ground-breaking, by any means, but it ties up the legacy of Sorcery! 1-3 in a satisfyingly epic way - and that's all it needed to do.