Simon the Sorcerer Origins

Lore & Background

Simon the Sorcerer Origins is set a few weeks before the events of the original game. The story begins with eleven-year-old Simon being expelled from school, after which his parents move the family to a new house. There, Simon discovers a portal to a parallel world of magic, where he is drawn into an ancient prophecy that he must fulfill to return home. He is sent to a wizards' academy, given robes, and sent to find the tomes of the First Wizard, encountering the mentor Calypso and his future adversary Sordid along the way. The narrative is structured around parodies of fantasy fiction, with running jokes at the expense of The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

The gameplay follows 1990s point-and-click conventions: the player explores hand-drawn environments, talks to non-player characters, and collects items stored in Simon's bottomless wizard hat. Puzzles generally admit only one solution, and the game includes no hint system, though Simon occasionally remarks on possible approaches. The interface departs from the original's cursor-driven design; interactive objects can be cycled through with shoulder buttons or revealed all at once, removing pixel hunting. An alternative control scheme closer to the original cursor system is available, and the Switch version supports touchscreen input. An in-game map allows fast travel, and optional CRT television display filters can be enabled. Simon frequently breaks the fourth wall, addressing the player directly and commenting on puzzle contrivances.

Announced in May 2022 by Smallthing Studios and publisher Leonardo Interactive, the game was presented as a new prequel, not a remake or remaster, and was originally planned for a 2023 release. It was delayed to 2024, after which public communication largely stopped until June 2025, when retail listings indicated publishing duties had moved from Leonardo Interactive to ININ Games. ININ confirmed the change and set the October 28, 2025 release date. Chris Barrie returned as the voice of Simon in the English version, with Erik Borner reprising the role in German. The original score was composed by Mason Fischer, and the opening credits use Rick Astley's 1988 single 'Together Forever'. The game was released alongside a soundtrack, an artbook, and a 'Pony' downloadable content item that replaces the score with rearrangements of music from the original games.

Reader's Guide

Simon the Sorcerer Origins received generally favorable reviews, with critics praising its hand-drawn art, writing, and the return of Chris Barrie as Simon, while frequently criticizing the obscurity of its puzzles and the absence of a hint system. Reviewers widely agreed that the game is a faithful revival aimed at existing genre fans. Ken Talbot of Nintendo Life scored it 7 out of 10, calling it a solid return for the series and praising the script and streamlined controls, but finding the animation stiff and some puzzles needlessly frustrating. Jack Penwell of DualShockers also gave 7 out of 10, highlighting the art style, voice work, and fourth-wall humor while objecting to single-solution puzzles, lack of variety, and absence of hints. Paul Kautz of GameStar described it as the best thing to happen to the series in thirty years, summarizing it as a genuine Simon adventure, though his review was headlined as partly magical and partly frustrating. European reviewers were broadly positive: Daniel Quesada of Hobby Consolas scored it 80 out of 100, considering it a notable return that sticks to fundamentals while innovating, though cautioning that its difficulty would not suit everyone. Simone Tagliaferri of Multiplayer.it awarded 8 out of 10, arguing the game was deliberately made for fans of LucasArts-style adventures and strips away concessions to newcomers. Paolo Besser of The Games Machine was more enthusiastic at 8.8 out of 10, praising the watercolor backdrops and humor while noting the puzzle design is unusually crude by modern standards. Less favorable assessments focused on writing and pacing: Luna Eriksson of Cubed3 scored it 6 out of 10, finding the artwork attractive and puzzles creative but characterizing Simon as unpleasant rather than roguish and describing the humor as unrelieved slapstick across a six-hour running time.

Did You Know?

• Chris Barrie, who voiced Simon in the original 1993 game, returned to voice the character in the English version of Origins.
• The game includes optional display filters that simulate a CRT television.
• A 'Pony' downloadable content item replaces the game's score with rearrangements of music from the original Simon the Sorcerer games.