Simon The Sorcerer Origins Will Feature Music From (Reads Notes) Rick Astley

Point-and-click prequel scores a big name

by Damien McFerran Wed 26th Jul 2023

Classic '90s point-and-click adventure Simon The Sorcerer is getting a new outing, thanks to the efforts of Italian developer Smallthing Studios.

Originally released in 1993 by Adventure Soft and conceived by father-and-son team Mike and Simon Woodroffe, Simon The Sorcerer has spawned many sequels over the years, but Simon the Sorcerer Origins will be a prequel to the mainline series and will tell "a riveting tale of an unruly and irreverent young man thrust into a world brimming with magic."

"This bold and ambitious project is driven by the passion and dedication of Massimo Calamai, Founder and Game Director of the Smallthing Studio, and Fabrizio Rizzo, Lead Game and Narrative Designer," reads the game's press release. "The duo took inspiration from the iconic 90s classic to craft a fresh starting point that celebrates the series’ past, all the while embracing modern innovation."

One of the most surprising announcements relating to the game is the fact that '80s pop icon Rick Astley will be contributing a new song to the game's soundtrack. "Testament to the international scope of Simon the Sorcerer Origins are the numerous surprises on the horizon, not least of which is the inclusion of a track by renowned singer-songwriter and musician Rick Astley in the soundtrack," adds the PR.

Simon the Sorcerer Origins, launches in 2024 on PC, Playstation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch, and will be available in both physical and digital formats. There are plans to localise it in over ten different languages.

1
Daggot
Wed 26th Jul 2023

Took my brain a long minute to remember the original game(s). But, wow, what an odd inclusion to bring in Astley. I assume the dev/producer has a specific angle on why include him. Still, neat to see some icons from the past coming together like this.

2
smoreon
Wed 26th Jul 2023

This is a weird twist, but as someone who actually listens to Rick Astley's music unironically, I'm interested in seeing how this turns out!

3
aducky84
Thu 27th Jul 2023

Interested to see how a prequel will work given the original seemed to be Simons first adventure. The original was my jam, it's to me what the classic Sierra and Lucasarts games are.

4
AJB83
Thu 27th Jul 2023

Rick Astley has real musical chops, and a taste that extends far beyond pop. Watching him cover The Smiths is one of my greatest pleasures in life.

Interesting development - will likely get this purely because of his involvement!

5
TransmitHim
Thu 27th Jul 2023

@aducky84 Yeah, there's no ambiguity about the first game being Simon's first time in the magical world. And this description "a riveting tale of an unruly and irreverent young man thrust into a world brimming with magic." just describes the first game.

The art on this looks nice but as a general package, I thought the failed Kickstarter project by Story Beasts a few years back (which had an alt reality Simone meeting Simon, who has been stuck in the magical world for years) looked better.

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