Sorcerian

Nihon Falcom

Industry	Video game development and publishing
Founded	1981
Headquarters	Japan
Products	Video games, including Sorcerian

Sorcerian, released in 1987 by Nihon Falcom, represents the fifth entry in the Dragon Slayer franchise. Originally designed for the PC-8801, it was subsequently adapted for various other systems.

Gameplay

The game Sorcerian features side-scrolling action role-playing mechanics, allowing players to generate up to ten individual characters and assemble parties consisting of four members. Character customization spans four distinct classes or races—fighter, wizard, elf, and dwarf—and includes over 60 job options such as clown and exorcist. These choices affect seven core attributes: strength, intelligence, protection, magic resistance, vitality, dexterity, and karma, as well as the equipment available.

Players may tackle fifteen different scenarios in any sequence they choose. Within these quests, the party confronts foes and accomplishes objectives to complete each mission. All four characters move and attack simultaneously, following one another in a line reminiscent of formations seen in arcade shooters like Gradius. The gameplay incorporates puzzles that require specific class abilities to solve.

Characters begin their journey at age 16, with time progressing through scenario completion and activities such as training or enchanting items in towns. Aging rates differ by race—humans reach old age at 60 years, dwarves at 100, and elves at 200—with the possibility of permanent death upon surpassing these ages. An "Advance Time" function accelerates the passage of time. The episodic structure supports additional scenario expansions designed around this aging mechanic.

Release

Initially launched for the NEC PC-8801 in 1987, Sorcerian was later ported to systems including the NEC PC-9801, NEC PC-88VA, Sharp X1 Turbo, and MSX2, where it was titled Dragon Slayer V: Sorcerian. An English-language version for MS-DOS was issued by Sierra Entertainment in 1990. Although versions for Atari ST, Amiga, Apple IIGS, and Macintosh were announced, they never reached the market.

In 1997, Falcom introduced Sorcerian Forever for Windows PCs, followed by a Windows remake named Sorcerian Original in 2000. Console adaptations varied in content: Sega produced a version for the Mega Drive, Victor Musical Industries released one for the PC Engine CD, and Exe-Create together with Media JuGGLer developed Sorcerian: Shichisei Mahou no Shito for the Dreamcast. The Mega Drive edition was reissued on the Wii Virtual Console in 2008. A mobile iteration by Aeria Inc., launched in January 2012 on iOS, provided five free scenarios and limited party size to five members; paid upgrades expanded this to ten additional scenarios and allowed parties of up to ten.

To commemorate Sorcerian's 25th anniversary in December 2012, the iOS version was temporarily available at no cost with bonus items included; AeriaGames subscribers received extra rewards. In 2014, the PC-88 edition was made accessible through the retro platform EGG alongside Romancia. The mobile title Advanced Sorcerian, originally released on iAppli, was reissued on the Nintendo Switch under G-Mode Archives in February 2021.

Add-ons

Multiple expansion packs featuring new scenarios were created for the PC-8801 edition of Sorcerian, developed both by Falcom and third-party companies:

• Falcom releases: Sorcerian Utility Vol. 1, Sorcerian Additional Scenario Vol. 1, Vol. 2 – Sengoku Sorcerian, Vol. 3 – Pyramid Sorcerian
• Amorphous releases: Sorcerian New Scenario Vol. 1 – The Visitor from Outer Space, Selected Sorcerian volumes 1 through 5
• Quasar Soft release: Gilgamesh Sorcerian

Music

The original soundtrack for Sorcerian was composed by Yuzo Koshiro, Mieko Ishikawa, Reiko Takebayashi, Hideya Nagata, and Takahito Abe; Ishikawa exclusively composed music for Falcom’s Additional Scenarios. For the PC Engine CD version, Kenji Kawai arranged the score. Sierra Entertainment’s English release featured adaptations by Rob Atesalp and Ken Allen into an MT-32 MIDI-compatible format.

Notable soundtrack albums include:

• Music from Sorcerian: The original PC-88 music collection.
• All Sounds of Sorcerian: Medley tracks representing each scenario along with two arranged pieces.
• Sorcerian Super Arrange Version: A trilogy of albums with arrangements by Hiroyuki Namba, covering both base and expansion content.
• Perfect Collection Sorcerian: Three two-disc sets containing various arrangements comparable to those found in the Perfect Collection Ys series.
• Sorcerian Forever I & II: Two albums presenting enhanced versions of the foundational soundtrack.

Reception

In 1990, the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) adaptation received a score of 27 out of 40 from Famicom Tsūshin, indicating generally favorable reviews.

The July 1990 issue of Games International gave it a rating of 6/10, critiquing its simplistic animation and arcade-like gameplay while calling it "a well-preserved museum piece."

In October 1991, reviewer Scorpia from Computer Gaming World praised its division into fifteen distinct miniquests that offered diverse experiences but criticized its magic system and arcade-style action elements as potentially off-putting. She concluded it served as an enjoyable change of pace for players familiar with action RPGs.

During development of PlatinumGames’ title Scalebound, designer Hideki Kamiya cited Sorcerian as an influence due to its fantasy setting, extensive scenario variety, and memorable creatures such as hydras and dragons.

External links

• Official site for Sorcerian Original
• iOS version official page via Internet Archive
• Archived Falcom product pages for: Sorcerian Forever, Sorcerian Premium Kit, Shichisei no Mahou no Shito, Sorcerian MIDI Collection accessible through Internet Archive