Archive for March 2025
Sorcery Jokers Review – The Many Sides Of Magic
Genre - Urban Fantasy, Action, Thriller Play Time - 35 hours Developer - 3rdEye Steam VNDB
Urban Wonderland
In
a world reshaped by the sudden appearance of magic, two young men from
vastly different walks of life find themselves on interweaving paths
as they work to uncover the tangled web lurking just under the
surface. It is these dual protagonist which define much of what makes
Sorcery Jokers stand out amongst the many other urban fantasy visual
novels. There is a clever contrast between the lives they lead and
sides of the conspiracy they uncover and it lends itself to a well
rounded and textured tale of action and intrigue. Characters also
play off this contrast but create a connection between the two halves
as they wander back and forth across the boundaries. The visual and audio compliment this approach with
an artistic and auditory language for each protagonist and the in
game flowchart helps reinforce this trend. When it comes to properly
paying off all of this build up is where Sorcery Jokers can often stubble to
disappointing results. Yet even these messy conclusions have a
certain charm to them as the game pushes forwards. Do all the pieces
come together to create a title worthy of its genre? Let’s activate
our magic and find out.
Depths Of Conspiracy – Narrative and Themes
Despite
the existence of magic being known to all and on full display, this
is a story driven by hidden magically machinations and truths rather than
larger than life battles. It does still have this sense of spectacle
but those who are fighting are rarely the ones in charge of their own
fate as they move to try and free themselves for invisible hands.
Sorcery Jokers is more of a thriller than an action title and leans
into the constant feeling of having the rung pulled out from under
you while the characters try and find a way out of maze they have
been dragged deep within. Having two protagonists from vastly
different sides of this world assists in furthering this feeling of
uncertainty and danger through providing the player with contrasting
and conflicting view points on the same situations. This prevents the
tension from become stale or predictable since the shifting
perspectives can give the player new things to witness at regular
intervals and helps them not become bored with either of the two sets
of characters. When action is brought in it is often not over the top
and is instead an intimate and vicious magical melee which all
participants are walking a fine line between life and death. Framing
the battles like this prevents the characters from appearing as if
nothing can harm them with their powers as they offer little
protection from the attacks of their enemies. Larger scale action set
pieces only happen at key climatic points in the story and are a
dramatic leap up in spectacle in order to sell just how important
they are to everyone involved. They fit into this thriller tone
through the way they act as a frantic scramble for survival and
control over the fates of all those involved. Controlling the highs
and lows is what Sorcery Jokers thrives on and it comes together as a
wild roller-coaster of a ride.
 |
| The layers of action and intrigue run deep |
A
drawback to being so reliant on twists and turns is it can be
difficult to provide a suitable payoff for each one. There is only so
much time available to draw everything together and so some things
get left by the wayside regardless of how important they once were to
events or characters. This failure manifests as these plot points
being shoved to the side in an anticlimactic manner, resolved with a
deus machina or simply forgotten about. One of the most disappointing
examples of this trend is the relationship between the antagonist Ruu
and one of the protagonists Senri, they are shown to be two sides of
the same coin and constantly get in each others way and so it would
be expected they would have some kind of proper climax to this
dynamic. Instead Senri just manifests a deus machina to instantly win
the confrontation and neither side really learns or develops from
this conclusion to the point it could have just been removed without
any loss it the narrative. Something really has to have gone really
wrong in the writing department for such a formerly important
relationship to both characters to be cast aside. Weird choices like this plague the
game from start to finish as it is so excited to show off its new
toys to the player it forgets to resolve it old ones and just kicks
them into a ditch. The rule of cool is king here and in order to get
the most out of the title you have to be able to just roll with its
punches and focus on the moment to moment excitement.
Two Paths To The Same Destination – Characters
Presenting
two protagonists with such vastly different background, personalities
and world views immediately gives Sorcery Jokers a strong texture to
its narrative. On one side we have the naive and well off Mutsumi
Haruto who attends a school dedicated to teaching people to control
their magic and he is surrounded by children of CEO’s. Opposite him
sits our other protagonist Senri who lives in the underbelly of the
city and is wrapped up in all sorts of unsavoury dealings. This
contrast is put to good use with the game showing the various sides
of this world as well as the views on how its issues should be
resolved. It helps create the sense of a living city where everyone
moves with their own purpose often ignorant of the actions of those
around them and just trying to make the most out of what they have.
The two very different uses of magic also work to show the good and
bad it has brought since its arrival into the world and how it has
changed people’s perceptions of what is and is not possible. Each
protagonist has their own separate inciting incident which sets them
on the same path and how their journeys intertwine is a constant
source of amusement as they unknowing influence each other. One minor
flaw in this approach is that Senri is generally a more interesting
character than Haruto since Senri's thoughts are more morally gray and he
has the more complex companions due to rubbing shoulders with people
who want to use him. This can make the game feel lopsided towards
Senri with the feeling that he is the one who gets all the cool
moments and important plot points.
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| The idea of the superhero is one the game loves to play off and with |
Slipping
the game down the middle like this also splits the cast up and the
game organises them to take advantage of the divide. It assigns
its protagonists a pair of heroines who work to create a complex web
of emotions. One is a mirror for the protagonist and the other is a
contrasting personality who undermines his world view. Haruto is
given the sharp and pragmatic Atori Riku who clashes with his
idealistic nature and Rikudou Asahi who shares his heroic tendencies
but with a more directly outgoing nature. On the other hand Senri is
paired with the two faced Kousaki Fiona Annabel who reflects the
darker path he is set on while the innocent Noah could not be further
away from them and serves as someone to bring out the good in both of
them. Making the core cast so similar in composition on both sides
invites the player to compare them against one another and consider
the value of what drives each of them. The broader cast as reflects
this inclination in a way designed to flesh out the world rather than
directly challenge the protagonists. Their importance varies but they
have enough time to feel like they exist beyond the confines of the
story rather than being devices from narrative progression.
Strange New Girls – Visual, Audio and Technical
As
a title so focused on thrills and action, the visuals and audio play
a large role in effectively communicating what is going on and selling
the fast moving emotions of a scene. Conveying movement and power
through smart arrangement and framing in relation to the music and
text is the main trick Sorcery Jokers uses to achieve this effect.
With a change is music comes a change in mood and the dynamic motion
of the sprites and shifting CGs increases to match it while also
matching the story. Through the use of standard magical imagery, such
as magic circles, the game can rely on the player’s external
knowledge so it does not have to spend time explain what is on screen
and can instead dive straight into being exciting. A minor hiccup in
these visuals is the way it can sometimes feel a bit off and stiff
due to the limitations of the engine the developers were working
within and this is distracting at times. It is worth bring up the
excellent flowchart the game provides the player as it clearly shows
all the important information about what is happening when and to
whom so the constant protagonist jumping does not confuse the player.
This is especially essential in the first half of the game where the
protagonists do not always have scenes which occur at the same time
and the game gives you the choice of what scene you would like to experience next.
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| This is one of the most effective and intersting uses of flowcharts in visual novels |
Conclusion
There
is something distinctly memorable about Sorcery Jokers and the way it
crafts its urban fantasy tale which stems from how excited it seems
to present its story. Its choice to have two protagonists is full
taken advantage of through clever contrasts which extends into the
rest of the cast who are slip between the pair. Controlling the highs
and lows of its thrilling ride makes for a narrative where you feel
like something new is always happening. Well formulated visuals and
audio reinforce the action and drama of the story to make a visceral
roller-coaster. If only it would actually resolve its plot points
rather than moving on the next thing it is so excited to show you.
Despite this disposition Sorcery Jokers remains a strong and
enjoyable journey into a well realised world not so different from
our own.
Verdict –
The tapestry of multiple protagonists and interlocking paths
define a wild adventure through a world of magical conspiracy and
action which keeps you invested at every turn. It is a shame it can
sometimes forget to properly pay off all the twists it sets up.
Pros -
+
Keeps you on the edge of your seat with a thrilling ride of intrigue
and action.
+
The dual protagonist and casts makes for a varied and fresh narrative
as the characters’ stories interweave with each other.
+
A visual and auditory style which works to add pressure to the
moments of tension and over the top flare to the moments of action.
+
Has a convenient flowchart to help keep track of how the two
perspectives relate to one another and when certain events occur.
Cons -
-
Often does not pay off older plot points properly as it wants to push
you towards the new shiny thing rather than provide resolution to
what came before.
-
Senri is noticeably more interesting protagonist than Haruto and
also gets a lot more of the important plot points leading the game to
feeling unbalanced at times.
-
Some uses of the CGs and sprites in action scenes can feel a little
stiff at times.
