Bite-sized Review:
Simon the Sorceror: Origins

By Chris Picone, 28 October, 2025

I grew up with the original 1993 Simon the Sorcerer and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a new game coming out - mind you, apparently a bunch of sequels came out and I somehow missed them all. Still, a trip down memory lane for sure!

Aesthetics

Definitely an "upgrade" from the original game in a technical sense, although I've got a soft spot for those early retro/pixel art styles. I took a sneak peek at some of the Simon sequels and I'm happy to say Origins has happily dodged that 3d experimentation that was going on for a while there.  It's definitely modernised, and cartoony, but it's a nice, high quality modernisation rather than that soulless look that seems to be popular at the moment. Characters are full of life, scenes full of detail, and the voice acting and music's solid too.

Gameplay

Plays like any other point and click with all the mod-cons; simple left-click to do, right-click to look interface, item combinations, fast travel, branching dialogue. Origins is still full of puns and humour, though less parody-based than some of the prequels.  Simon's still a smart-arse, though the writing seems aimed at a younger audience than past games. Most of the puzzles are clever and thoughtful, though they can sometimes be a little unintuitive (such as requiring you to talk to someone you have already talked to, multiple times, after triggering some other event), or obstinate (such as Simon refusing to hang items on a wall until he's interpreted some wizard writing, while simultaneously refusing to use the magic dictionary he's holding - you have to use it on yourself, not the writing). There's definitely far more good than bad though. And thankfully Origins does feature hotpoints so there's no pixel hunting.  

Verdict

I'm enjoying Simon the Sorcerer: Origins, even if some of the moon logic hits a little too close to the foibles of early predecessors. I used to enjoy that back in the day but now I just don't have the time to keep going backward and forward clicking everything over and over, I'd rather just grab a clue and move on.  Thankfully, most puzzles are decent, and the game otherwise looks and plays great. I think most point & click fans will enjoy this title, although it definitely seems to be aimed at younger audiences. 

Links: 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1939890/Simon_the_Sorcerer_Origins/