Poor old Simon the Sorcerer has been given a rough ride over the years. Following the character’s shift to a rather horrid 3D, the point-and-click genre died a rapid death, instead being turned into the basic, cinematic Telltale format while the indie space took over with titles like the Myst-inspired Neyyah. 

Simon the Sorcerer: Origins isn’t a AAA affair, but it is far from indie. The glorious return to Adventure Soft’s 90s point-and-click boasts a gorgeous hand-drawn 2D style with surprisingly fluid animated cutscenes crafted by animators that worked on the Netflix film Klaus. 

Crafted by Smallthings Studios, Simon the Sorcerer: Origins is a simpler point-and-click than its harder 90s predecessors, but a lot of the formula is kept intact. As the titular Simon, you’re whisked into a fantasy world as the original game’s antagonist Sordid works in the background to set up the events of the original game. 

In the shoes of the “most sarcastic wizard ever”, you’ll explore environments gated by environmental puzzles, find items and combine them to work your way through its stunningly realised world. In Chapter 2, you’re tasked with finding your way into the Wizard’s Academy, which requires you to find a wand and a student ID badge to get in. 

As a 90s adventure game icon, the original Simon earned his title as the “most sarcastic wizard”. Just like most 90s mascots, Simon was a real piece of work, constantly insulting others and causing chaos in the same vein as Dennis the Menace (the proper Beano one). Most revivals of 90s characters in recent years have toned that style of character right down, shaving the edges away until they’re as happy-go-lucky as any other children’s character. Not here. 

If you grew up with the original adventure games, you’ll be more than happy to know that Simon is just as much of a rascal as he’s always been. Yes, this is the same kid that will start his debut adventure threatening to shove his dog Chippy in a tumble dryer and insult/flirt with the middle-aged Valkyries at the pub. 

That’s not to say there aren’t modernisations. Simon the Sorcerer: Origins ditches the clunky UI of old, which was popularised by LucasArts’ slew of adventure games, and instead opts for something more slimmed down. You no longer need to decide whether you want to pick something up or talk to it with the game now relying on simple, contextual clicks to progress. 

Nevertheless, the old adventure game spirit is still alive as you’ll frequently combine items in your inventory and engage in lengthy reams of dialogue to progress. It’s simpler, but effective, and the sardonic commentary from the surprisingly still-youthful sounding Chris Barrie is just as entertainingly written as it was 32 years ago. 

Some could argue that a lot of the complexity has been stripped out, and the lack of that contextual menu does mean that there are less options that will result in additional dialogue. However, at its heart, Simon the Sorcerer: Origins is a kid’s game, and some streamlining is to be expected. Despite this, it doesn’t hold your hand, unlike a lot of modern point-and-clicks, allowing you to get lost in its storybook world. Although, the addition of a scan button to highlight what you can interact with is a great way of finding your way forward. 

Following multiple delays and the seemingly cursed nature of the series over the last decade, it brings me great pleasure to say that Simon the Sorcerer: Origins is exactly what fans have been asking for. While the game’s prequel status does provide more questions than it answers during this preview stage, it’s a fun and easy return back to Simon’s world for both old fans and newcomers alike. 

In this day and age, it’s not often that a return to an absent classic series actually manages to release in a way that doesn’t annoy fans of the original. In all honesty, there might be some aspects of Origins that do annoy classic fans – likely its prequel status or its simplified controls – but, in my opinion, developer Smallthings has done everything right in bringing Simon back from the past for a new generation to explore. The team has pulled out all the stops to craft a gorgeous, engaging and just as witty adventure game that the 90s wishes it had.

Simon the Sorcerer: Origins is set to release on PC, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and Xbox on October 28th, 2025.