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On October 28, 2025, Smallthing Studios will be releasing Simon the Sorcerer: Origins to the world. This title is a full revival and prequel to the classic Simon the Sorcerer franchise, being the first new game the series has had in years. This title brings back the series with a new hand-drawn cartoon-inspired art style, classic Point-and-Click Adventure gameplay, and the same sarcastic humor and gags that the franchise has always been known for. So, was the Simon the Sorcerer franchise worth reviving after all this time? Let’s dissect Simon the Sorcerer: Origins piece by piece and decide for ourselves.
The gameplay of Simon the Sorcerer: Origins is that of a simple point-and-click game. Players will be able to examine and pick up items just by clicking on them and open their inventory with a simple press of the space bar to use or combine what they have.
Those who are very attached to the menus of the original game could potentially be disappointed by the simplified controls of this title. It is a method of modernization that many games in the genre have been subject to and should not be held against Origins.
Because a game like this lives and dies off of its puzzle design, that will be the biggest focal point of our review and how we will judge the game. Puzzles in Origins start off simple as a way of easing new players into the experience, but as the game goes on and the player unlocks more areas of the map, they can walk to it, which naturally becomes more complex.
Most of these complex puzzles can be figured out with only a bit of effort on the player’s part, with only a few feeling like stretches (one of which ironically, was spelled out in the trailer). Players with experience in Adventure games will have very little trouble getting through most of this game’s puzzles, but newcomers may need some assistance.
Generally, the game will give the player enough hints on where to go next so they can figure it out while also opening the world just enough for them to pick up plenty of items, which they will need for future puzzles. This leads to the player having a healthy inventory size at most times, striking a healthy balance between having so few items that the answer is obvious and so many items that it becomes overwhelming.
Unfortunately, there are a few sections of Simon the Sorcerer: Origins that are filled with what can only be described as moon logic. At two or three points during the game, I had to resort to using every item I had on anything I could think of, as I just could not think of the proper way to progress.
To use an example from the game, figuring out how to turn Eternis Infelicis into Eternis Felicis will be a roadblock for many players, as there is little to no indication on how to do this. Resulting in hours of walking around, lost, and clicking on anything in an attempt to progress. Even with the hint the game gives, figuring this out requires a leap in logic.
Ironically, the solution to this puzzle is one that is recurring throughout the game, and after being taught it once, the player will always be ready to do it again. It’s just a shame that the first time this happens, it becomes a major roadblock.
Aside from the puzzles, there are a few elements of Simon the Sorcerer: Origins’ gameplay that I feel are worth highlighting in this review, such as Simon’s walking speed. Upon clicking an object once, Simon will walk toward it at a speed that can only be described as agonizingly slow.
Thankfully, clicking a second time will speed up Simon’s walking speed, but one has to wonder why this second speed isn’t the default. When walking is a central mechanic in this genre of gaming, the slower speed can be very frustrating when trying to figure out a puzzle.
Visually, Simon the Sorcerer: Origins is an extremely cute-looking game. The hand-drawn art style is very vivid and colorful, with every object that should be interacted with immediately being apparent and easy to spot.
Character designs like Simon’s and the various characters the player will interact with throughout the game are all splendid and really nail the cartoonish art style that the developers were trying to accomplish.
When it comes to the game’s writing, the titular character, Simon the Sorcerer himself, is as impudent and sarcastic as ever. While he may not be the direct cause of problems in this world, he will be leaving behind a path of chaos and mischief in his wake throughout nearly every area of the game.
While by many means Simon can be seen as an unlikable protagonist, as he steals someone’s student ID or leaves a poor soul frozen in ice, many of these traits can be forgiven as he is a fictional child. It’s much more reasonable to see a young tween who still lights and throws bangers act like this than some other protagonists.
Just don’t go expecting this silly protagonist to be going on a grand journey. Simon the Sorcerer: Origins is a very low-stakes adventure where the goal is simply to find your way home. The pacing of the game is slow and steady to the point where the ending of the game may sneak up on you, as you’ve been making more progress than you realized.
Like many point-and-click adventure Games, Simon the Sorcerer: Origins has a fair amount of comedy throughout the adventure. Sadly, dialogue and humor in Origins can be very hit and miss.
When the game plays into witty dialogue or observational humor, it can be quite funny. Such as when Simon gets a certain character drunk or when he must haggle with a shopkeeper to trade a magical wand for a worthless, broken toy.
However, the game also tends to lean a bit too far into meta-humor for its own good at times. Some of this can be good fun, like breaking the fourth wall to tell the player to stop clicking on something gross, but whenever Simon complains about something like a key’s location being ridiculous, the game loses its sense of earnestness and can take the player out of the experience.
Overall, I would describe Simon the Sorcerer: Origins as an enjoyable experience, albeit with a few flaws when it comes to parts of the puzzle design, humor, and the speed of the game (both literally and in terms of pacing). However, those flaws do not detract greatly from the overall experience. The game is only a few hours long and can be beaten within a day or two, so if you consider yourself a fan of classic Point-and-Click Adventure games, then consider picking up Simon the Sorcerer: Origins.
Simon the Sorcerer: Origins
Bottom Line
Simon the Sorcerer: Origins is an enjoyable experience that is perfect for newcomers to the point-and-click adventure genre. The game's cute art style and visual design carry its overall simplistic puzzle design (which does occasionally dip into difficult territory). While Simon the Sorcerer is a very unexpected franchise to revive in the modern day, Smallthing Studios has done a great job at crafting this title.
