Simon the Sorcerer 4 hands-on archived preview

Whatever magic tricks Simon the Sorcerer has stashed up his goofy-looking hat, a spell for getting his new games published clearly isn’t among them. After two successful classic adventures in the mid-‘90s, Simon’s developers were essentially forced to reinvent the franchise in 3D for a third instalment in 2002, which proved such a dismal failure that it never did make much headway in international markets (though many would say that’s a good thing). The series appeared left for dead after that, but as any Simon fan knows, being dead isn’t necessarily permanent, and sure enough, German studio Silver Style Entertainment delighted many in 2006 by announcing another new chapter in the Simon series, Chaos Happens. Easing concerns about a new developer at the helm was the fact that series creators Simon and Mike Woodroffe would be consulting on the new game, and better yet, that the series was returning to its 2D point-and-click roots. Simon fans couldn’t wait!

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But they did wait. Then waited longer. And waited some more. They waited through promising new screenshots and updates. They waited as the game was completed and released in Germany. They waited for word of an English publisher. They waited even after news of an English publisher. And still they wait. Okay, some resourceful fans probably capitalized on an unpublicized multi-language European release, but those who tend not to frequent Greek game shops are still waiting. Will we ever see it get widespread distribution in English? That remains to be seen. But after all this time, is the game even worth caring about anymore? That question I can address, as I recently played through a finished preview version of the game provided by its publisher, Playlogic.

In loading up Chaos Happens, one thing is clear from the outset: the series has never looked better, at least technically. As advertised, the game has returned to using prerendered graphics, and the new environments are impressively detailed while still maintaining a stylized look that suits its whimsical setting. It won’t dazzle you with cutting edge effects, but it’s a very polished point-and-click adventure. The slightly blocky character models rank below the scenery, but not distractingly so since close-ups are few and far between. And though the landscape certainly isn’t teeming with activity, there’s enough ambient animation to give the Magical Kingdom a spark of life.

That’s only after you get there, of course. The game begins with a teenaged Simon in his regular earthly home until a freak accident triggers a vision that beckons him back to the world of fantasy and fairy tales yet again. Once transported by your trusty wardrobe, you’ll emerge as Simon in familiar sorcerer’s garb to begin your new adventure. Newcomers will have no problem jumping straight in, but series fans will instantly recognize returning faces like Calypso, Goldilocks, Swampy, and the demons, while once again revisiting old haunts like the crossroads, blacksmith’s shop, and the troll bridge. Conspicuous by their unexplained (and unquestioned) absence, however, are the likes of Runt, the woodworms, and most surprisingly, the evil Sordid. Replacing the villain of previous Simon adventures is… well, Simon himself. It seems a Simon doppelgänger has been running free in the Magic Kingdom doing unspeakable horrors. Unspeakable for Simon, that is. His clone is a conscientious, organized neat freak who’s as boring as he is predictable. In other words, nothing at all like the smart-mouthed, morally questionable wannabe wizard we’ve come to know and love. Who is this double and why is he up to such repulsively upstanding things? That’s for Simon and players to find out.

Speaking of horrors, many who have seen the game’s trailer are probably already having nightmares about the voice acting in Chaos Happens. Indeed, gone is the protagonist’s British accent of yesteryear, replaced here by a generic American dialect. This alone may be a deal-breaker for some, though apart from series continuity purposes, there’s no particular reason why Simon has to be British. The bigger problem is the quality of the acting itself, across the board. While there are some fairly solid performances from secondary characters, Simon himself is hit-or-miss, interspersing perfectly acceptable lines with awkward ones. The issues are never grievous, just enough to sound unnatural. This is even more pronounced with Simon’s double, whose ham-fisted vocal affectation suggests he’s more of an idiot than obsessively organized. Swampy, meanwhile, sounds like a pre-pubescent Yoda (minus the wisdom), although come to think of it, that might be what he always sounded like. Even he’s not as bad as Little Red Riding Hood, who’s obviously voiced by a grown woman, and a cringeworthy, foul-mouthed one at that.

Such trash talking has historically been Simon’s domain, but the teen wizard seems to have mellowed in the years since his last adventure. There are still flashes of the old Simon cheek, but often his attitude seems a fairly mild, watered-down version of its former self. He’s still light years from being politically correct, but the edge isn’t quite as sharp as in previous games, perhaps in part because of translation issues from the game’s original German. At times that means the laughs are fewer and farther between, though there are certainly chuckles and silly fun to be had, and Chaos Happens never takes itself too seriously, even to the point of frequent self-referential humour acknowledging it’s a game. There’s quite a bit of dialogue, as you’ll frequently talk to the scattered denizens of the Magic Kingdom (and beyond, in a place I won’t spoil ahead of time), and many conversations include non-essential choices that are clearly just for kicks. The lighthearted banter is part of what makes the Simon games appealing, but if you do find the pace lagging, you can always speed read through the optional subtitles and click through the conversations faster.

While vital dialogue clues aren’t repeated, fortunately all key information is captured in a handy journal. Taking its cue from RPGs, the journal highlights “quests” that are still incomplete. Often Simon’s challenges include multi-level obstacles, so at any given time you may have several tasks facing you. In such cases, the journal can be a helpful reference, as it sometimes includes additional direction not provided by the game itself. Better yet, the tougher quests have a three-stage hint system built right into it, nudging you closer to the solution without ever blatantly spoiling anything. Mind you, you often won’t need such hints, as Simon periodically narrates the next course of action in no uncertain detail.

One user-friendly feature that’s missing is the increasingly popular hotspot highlighter, but fortunately you shouldn’t need it. You do need to look sharp on a few occasions, but for the most part all items are quite visible despite the rich graphical detail. And since there are plenty of non-essential items to click on for amusing observations anyway, being thorough is part of the experience, not a chore. You’ll also pick up a ton of useable objects, of course. Although there are a few dialogue “puzzles” and a series of riddles, the vast majority of Simon’s puzzles are inventory-based, and while items are automatically disposed of after use, you’ll still end up with as many as three levels of scrolling inventory in your travels. Some of the puzzle solutions require pretty absurd combinations, but this is par for the course for Simon the Sorcerer. This is the Magic Kingdom, after all, so leave your real-world logic at home.

Well into your journey, you’ll have the opportunity to control a second playable character, requiring the two to work together as you switch freely back and forth. The game makes nice use of this additional mechanic, so much so that you’ll probably wish it had been introduced sooner. There are a few less favourable gameplay inconsistencies, however. At times Simon will refuse to pick up an item or perform an action until the hidden game triggers determine he should. That’s understandable, but considering all the other seemingly useless junk you’re lugging around and nonsensical deeds you’ve done, these exceptions leap out as rather arbitrary obstacles. Nevertheless, there’s plenty to keep you busy in Chaos Happens, and although the puzzles generally steer to the easy side, you’ll never be bored from lack of activity. And for those still traumatized by Simon 3D’s brutal action challenges, rest assured there’s nothing but pure point-and-click adventuring this time around.

If Chaos Happens is old school in its controls, it does have a few nice interface touches that are less than conventional. The map, for example, which lets you click locations for instant travel, may be a common feature in adventures, but in this game the map is “live”. A little Simon will physically run across the map to your location of choice, unless you bypass it with a double click. And admittedly, you soon will, but it’s a fun diversion at first. Another nice feature is the in-game movement speed. Most games have a click for walk, double-click for run option, but here Simon will automatically walk to points clicked near to him and run to points clicked farther away. It’s totally intuitive, and it’s a wonder more games don’t do it that way. Of course, you can always double-click on exits to speed things along further, but players are advised to check the edges of visible screens, as some locations scroll more than others.

Another unusual aspect of Simon 4 is its frequent use of different camera angles. While most third-person adventures keep their viewing perspective on the same general level, Chaos Happens continually changes angles and distances, including a periodic straight overhead view. It’s neither a good nor bad thing, really, but it adds some visual variety almost without players noticing why. The game’s pleasant instrumental music is far more traditional, though at times it sounds more “Riverdance” than Simon the Sorcerer.

All in all, I can safely say that my time with Simon the Sorcerer: Chaos Happens was quite enjoyable. There are some notable blemishes, to be sure, but it’s a lengthy, entertaining adventure that deserves to reach a wider English audience, especially now that a fifth Simon game is now in production. If there’s an inevitable complaint, it’s that the game isn’t up to the standards of the original (two) Simon games, its wit not as sharp and its story a bit less connected to its predecessors than series fans might like. The voices will be the real sticking point, however, and while it would be an ambitious undertaking for a game already struggling to reach market, overhauling voiceovers isn’t unprecedented, and it’s an option that Playlogic and potential partners would be well advised to consider. For good measure, the script could benefit from a bit more polish before new dialogue is recorded, cleaning up those lines that lost a little something in translation. There’s much to like about the game in any case, but what’s an extra wish or two when we’re already hoping for a little publishing magic?