Sorcerian: Dragon Slayer V, MSX

The fifth episode in the Dragon Slayer series – Sorcerian – was originally released in 1987 for the PC-88. The MSX2 version was ported by Tierheit and published – in Japan only – by Brother Industries (on their Takeru label) in 1991. A fan translation into English is available, but I did notice that there are still a few untranslated passages in the game.

Sorcerian is a party-based platform/action game with RPG elements. You create characters using the game’s long-winded and clunky menu system, choosing their class and occupation; outfitting them with weapons and armour, and then forming a party of up to four characters to take out in a series of adventures.

There are fifteen different adventures in total, supplied on three scenario disks. Each has a unique title, landscape and quest, which is explained briefly before loading. Most adventures allow a party of four, but a few allow only three.

Once you begin a quest you must explore the immediate area – pushing up to enter doors, or to jump over hazards, onto platforms, over bridges or up hills. You might find the occasional NPC who’ll talk to you, but you’ll almost certainly encounter hostiles. To fight enemies, you either press Space to make your fighters hit with their weapons, or press Return to make your magic users shoot fireballs. If any of your characters flash yellow, it means that they’re taking damage, and if they take too much damage they’ll fade and die.

To avoid losing characters who die while adventuring, it’s a good idea to save them to disk before setting out. You can also leave the adventure, and return to base, by returning to the start again. Any items you’ve collected can be sold, and the proceeds split between party members.

Every time you return to base, though, a year passes by in the life of your characters, so you need to keep an eye on their age. Reaching a specific age will force them to retire, which is an interesting and unusual feature.

While Sorcerian is not a bad concept, the overall execution and presentation of it I think is poor. After the excellent Dragon Slayer IV (aka Legacy of the Wizard), it is inexplicable that Falcom would put out a game that is so slow, and a considerable step backwards in the series – at least in terms of presentation.

There are Megadrive and PC Engine CD versions of Sorcerian available, but neither have been translated into English at the time of writing.

Dragon Slayer series on The King of Grabs:
Dragon Slayer (MSX), Dragon Slayer (Game Boy), Xanadu: Dragon Slayer II (MSX), Faxanadu (NES/Famicom), Romancia: Dragon Slayer Jr. (MSX), Romancia: Dragon Slayer Jr. (NES/Famicom), Dragon Slayer IV: Draslay Family (MSX), Legacy of the Wizard (NES/Famicom), Sorcerian: Dragon Slayer V (PC), Sorcerian: Dragon Slayer V (MSX), Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes (PC Engine), Xanadu Next (PC).