Sorcery! 3: The Seven Serpents Releases This Month

inkle Studios has been on a blitz, releasing nothing but top-quality games for iOS and Android. After the critical success of their last release, the globe-trotting 80 Days, the UK developer is ready to go back to its roots and give us Sorcery! 3.

Sorcery! 3 is a continuation of the player’s journey, once again allowing a character transfer from the previous title – items, gold, and all.  Leaving Khare behind our hero must now journey across the wasteland of Kakhabad, which just so happens to be guarded by seven deadly serpents. And no, we’re not talking rattle- or coral snakes.

The Sorcery! games are adaptations of the 1980s choose-your-own-adventure books by Steve Jackson. While the app stores have their fair share of gamebooks and text adventures, inkle takes a unique approach by lavishing the game with plenty of hand-drawn visuals, making it look more like a tabletop RPG than anything else.

Presentation aside, they’ve given a unique twist to how combat is tackled. There are no dice rolls or stat-checks here; instead, we’re given an attack power bar and have to decide how much effort to commit to the next attack. Jabs and lunging strikes all have their appropriate time and place, as do defensive actions. Then there’s magic, where stronger spells require certain items.

Combined with the great storytelling and a straightforward rewind system (honestly, who goes back to the start after dying in a gamebook?) it’s no surprise that inkle finds themselves at the forefront of interactive fiction today.

Sorcery! 3 is the third out of four installments and will release on 23 April for both iOS and Android. You can find links to the previous two games here, or take a look at their award-winning 80 Days here.

Note: 80 Days is part of the current Humble Mobile Bundle.

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