It has been a long old time since the release of the original Simon the Sorcerer on PC — 30 years to be precise — and developer Smallthing Studios are marking the occasion by bringing the series back. Publisher Leonardo Interactive has today announced that the fantasy point-and-click series will be making a comeback on Switch in 2024 with the all-new title, Simon the Sorcerer Origins.
We first caught wind of this one back in May 2022, though today's announcement of a release next year is all new. The fresh teaser trailer (above) showcases some more of the game's Monkey Island-esque hand-drawn visuals, which the publishers note still carries all the original series' charm.
Origins will act as a prequel to the first game, explaining how Simon came to be in the magical world. While the title supposedly continues the series' signature humour, there have been some neat additions made this time around such as the option to choose between classic point-and-click or more direct controls and a soundtrack which features a song by Rick Astley (yes, you did read that correctly).
For a little more information about what the game has in store, check out the following from Leonardo Interactive:
Simon the Sorcerer Origins is set just before the events of the original game, creating a direct link to those iconic moments with an entirely new and surprising perspective. The game’s graphic style, with its entirely hand-drawn illustrations and animations, demonstrates a perfect blend of modern artistic expressions and is a visual testament to the spirit of renewal championed by Smallthing Studios. This brand-new Simon still preserves the defining characteristics of the series that have stood out over the decades: the strong personality of the young, rebellious, and somewhat sarcastic protagonist continues to take center stage, now enriched with more emotional, profound, and contemporary nuances. This approach extends to the game modes, offering a blend of past and present that allows both long-time fans and new players to choose between the classic point-and-click gameplay or a more current version, optimized for all devices, with direct control of Simon.
It may have been 30 years since the original, but we are excited to see how the classic series holds up when the latest entry comes our way next year.