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Sorcerian (1987)

Sorcerian (1987)

Adventure Role-playing (RPG) Puzzle Side view Platform
PC (Microsoft Windows) iOS DOS PC-9800 Series Wii Sega Mega Drive/Genesis TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine MSX2 PC-8800 Series Sharp X1

Sorcerian: Master Scenario, Dragon Slayer V: Sorcerian

Release Date: 1987, December 20
Alternative Titles: Sorcerian: Master Scenario, Dragon Slayer V: Sorcerian
Publishers: Sierra Entertainment, Nihon Falcom, Victor Musical Industries, Sega Enterprises, Ltd., Takeru

Description:

Sorcerian is a side-scrolling action-RPG. The player can create up to ten characters, from whom up to four members can be present in a party at the same time. Each character is highly customizable, with four different classes/races (fighter, wizard, elf, and dwarf) and over 60 possible jobs/occupations (ranging from clown to exorcist) available for them to perform; each has its own strengths and weaknesses, affecting the seven primary attributes (strength, intelligence, protection, magic resistance, vitality, dexterity, and karma) in different ways, as well as different equipment limitations. The player can choose from fifteen different scenarios, or quests, to play through in the order of their choice. The party must battle enemies and perform tasks within the given levels to clear each scenario, before moving onto another scenario of their choice. The player controls the entire party at the same time, with all four members running in a line, jumping in sequence, and attacking in unison. The party members follow behind in a manner similar to the Options in the arcade shooter Gradius (1985). Sorcerian also employs class-based puzzles, such as using a high-strength character to force open doors. All the characters have a default starting age of 16. Each time a player begins a new scenario, a year passes by, while additional time passes by in towns as a character goes through training or enchants items. The characters age at different rates depending on their race, with humans reaching old age at 60, dwarves at 100, and elves at 200. Upon reaching old age, for every year that passes, a character can die permanently at a random time. There is also an “Advance Time” to speed up the flow of time. Another new feature of Sorcerian was its episodic format that extended across various expansion packs. Besides the default fifteen scenarios that come with the game, there were a number of additional scenario packs released. The aging system was created with the additional scenario packs in mind.

Keywords:

murder death day/night cycle boss fight collectibles original soundtrack release real-time combat ambient music action-adventure medieval magic anime non-player character optional objective elves dwarves attributes customizable characters shopping loot gathering party system character creation moral decisions side quests branching storyline commerce fetch quests good vs evil customization upgradeable weapons exploration multiple endings questing leveling up grinding pick your gender age progression kill quest stat tracking non-linear storytelling item combination merchants multiple protagonists treasure chest silent protagonist save point rock music new protagonist in sequel cliffhanger spellcaster new game plus trainer user generated content persistent world challenges retroactive achievements optional boss level selection on-the-fly character switching construction training character select screen in-game map editor heal over time corruption damage over time 8-bit heavy metal power leveling side-scrolling virtual console character growth wii virtual console j-pop metroidvania