Sorcerer's Maze

"Old school charm in a misleading package"

Sorcerer's Maze makes for yet another entry in the seemingly endless PSOne budget title stack. But unlike many in the $10 pile, this one delivers a surprisingly good Breakout-inspired arcade game that may be enjoyed by one or two players in either co-op or versus fashion. The game's biggest flaw, by far, is the marketing job that went behind the game; it features a misleading title & box art (there's no sorcerers or mazes of ANY kind to be found), and the back-of-the-jewel-case screenshots are unclear as to whether you're getting a platformer, a ''lite'' RPG, or a 2D shooter, when in fact you get nothing of the sort! Hopefully it has piqued your curiosity enough that you're even reading this review, but by all rights this should be snapped up by anyone who enjoys a quick-reflex, easy-to-get-into arcade/puzzle experience.

Gameplay: Picture if you will the most evolved version of Breakout yet. For those not familiar with this classic, in essence you control a flat paddle near the bottom of the screen, which you maneuver horizontally in attempt to rebound a small ball at different angles into brick patterns at the top of the screen. The goal is to simply destroy all of the [destructible] bricks, whereupon doing so you move on to the next stage that features more intricate brick patterns and/or a faster moving ball. Sorcerer's Maze takes this formula a tad further by including a bevy of power-ups which get released when certain bricks are struck (think Arkanoid [NES], Arkanoid: Doh it Again [SNES], or Kirby's Block Ball [Game Boy]), which if caught, do anything from affecting your paddle's size, to the speed/appearance of the ball, to aiding in the removal of large chunks of the playing field itself. A few noteworthy of these include one which causes your ball to grow to 100 times its original size, and another which splits the ball into--literally--100 pieces! If a stage is posing a problem, most power-ups may be purchased with performance-earned MP in between lives/stages to give you an extra edge. Of note to Breakout veterans is that this game actually rewards persistent players who are after that ''one remaining brick''; after you've juggled the ball around for a minute or so unsuccessfully, an ''explosive'' power-up will drop down for your [optional] use with a timed button press once the ball nears that elusive one's vicinity.

Boss stages are thrown at you every 10 stages, which require hitting the ball into some anime figure's weak spot. They're neat diversions that don't interrupt the gameplay flow too much; most bosses feature some sort of paddle-affecting projectile which mixes up the strategy a bit, but they'll fall before long, and are not nearly as frustrating as those found in Arkanoid (if you ever played that). There are 101 stages (90 brick puzzle, 11 boss) to chip away at either solo or with a second player simultaneously. The two-player co-op mode is presented as it was in Arkanoid: Doh it Again, in which players alternate (after you lose a life) controlling the ''top'' and ''bottom'' paddles on the playing field. Two-player is a great feature because a gamer of any skill level can hop right in and help out, yet at the same time not hinder another player of a higher skill level (so long as one person hits the ball, it's still in play). You're given infinite continues; lives only serve as ''bookmarks'' for when your score is reset (you're given 3 per continue). A two-player versus mode is also included, which feature a variety of stages presented side by side; the goal is simply to clear the stage before the other player.

Graphics: Each of the 10 worlds in Sorcerer's Maze features a theme which is reflected in both the watercolor stage backgrounds as well as the icons that make up the puzzle stages' ''bricks'' (be it mushrooms in the forest stage, gears for the industrial stage, crystals for the ice stage, etc.). Each paddle is ''held up'' by either Prism or Rhythm, the cat/fairy combo that serve as the game's ''heroes.'' Bosses, as well as the cut scenes that follow their defeat, feature passable anime-style drawing/animation. Power-ups, in both the purchasing menu as well as when they drop from burst bricks, are easily distinguishable once you experiment with each one (the instruction booklet offers no explanation of them whatsoever). While overall graphics usually aren't too important in puzzle games, if overdone they can hinder gameplay if the backgrounds or playfield features too much distraction (think the N64's New Tetris or Pokemon Puzzle League). Sorcerer's Maze is entirely two-dimensional, and as such (due to the PSOne's limited sprite processing ability), the combination of [slightly] animated backgrounds, animated bricks & brick-type objects, debris that falls every time a brick is destroyed, falling power-up icons, and multiple paddles & balls often slows down the action. This is a shame in this type of puzzle game, as the ball is SUPPOSED to ricochet at increasingly faster speeds (though at these ''slowdown'' points any on-screen balls still move relatively faster to other on-screen objects). However, it's also ironic that the slowdown actually assists the player(s), as it actually gives you a bit more time to get to position the paddles. :)

Sound: Each world has a unique keyboard-ish theme playing in the background; not annoying by any means, but not catchy either like the tunes featured in the Tetris, Bust-a-Move or Mr. Driller games. There are a decent variety of sound effects for the balls ricocheting off the various surfaces and when the bricks explode; you don't have to worry about your speakers bursting should you have the volume turned up.

Story: A clichéd fantasy cloak was thrown around the title (most likely as an afterthought) but is wholly unnecessary. Basically your cat/fairy duo is after crystals that, once acquired, appear to rid the world of danger and evil (this is all conjecture from the captionless cut scenes, mind you). In a word, forgettable.

Play time/replayability: Of important note is Sorcerer's Maze's lack of memory card or password support. Thus, the game requires a few straight hours of gameplay if you wish to see all the stages. You may tackle the first 6 worlds in any order, but all must be completed before the other 41 linear stages become available. Most gamers shouldn't have a problem completing it if they have enough time; even if you lose all your lives on a stage, if you continue, you don't lose any of your earned MPs, and none of the bricks you destroy will be reset. Only the boss stages may require a few attempts to pass (this reviewer found the end bosses to be easier than the ones found toward the middle of the game). Versus mode isn't anything special, especially after you've spent hours going through the main game. For $10 you're certainly getting your money's worth even if you play it through to the end just once. As far as replay is concerned, there are 3 difficulty levels (the higher you pick, the ball gets faster quicker and less power-ups appear), and you can always challenge yourself to go through the game without power-ups (by avoiding any that drop and/or not using acquired MP).

Final recommendation: It's a real shame that this game is going to be widely overlooked by the masses due to a poor marketing job; it's one of those games that will inevitably be judged by its cover. This one really took me by surprise (always a good thing) with its old-school arcade feel and wisely-included co-op mode (it's a great parent/child or couples game, in my opinion--my cousin who normally doesn't like games enjoyed going through this with me). But if you've read this far down and are at all interested, do yourself a favor and nab it before it disappears forever--remember, budget PSOne games can be enjoyed on your PS2 too!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/24/03, Updated 06/24/03