Review
Sorcery Jokers Review: A Bright Visual Novel That Turns Very Dark
Sorcery Jokers looks like a light story about magic and cute characters. Around ten hours in, it becomes something much darker, and much better.
Released January 12, 2018Reviewed on PCGenre Visual novelDeveloper 3rdEyePublisher MangaGamerPrice at launch $39.99 USD
MangaGamer previewed Sorcery Jokers at its Otakon 2017 panel, and the pitch looked simple: people with a gift for magic, a cast of cute characters, a fun story. That impression is badly wrong, and the game is far better for it.
A society split by magic
The setting is a future where people are divided between those who can use magic and those who cannot, and magic users are further ranked by aptitude. The story opens with OutCasts using counterfeit rings to boost their magical power and use it as they please, causing conflict both within the magic-using community and with everyone outside it.
The cast starts out with familiar anime types: the boy who always does the right thing, the quirky and determined girl, the emotionless rich girl, the stoic man with a single goal. The designs break from the norm, though. Many studios draw every character with the same face and swap hair and eye colours; Sorcery Jokers gives each one a distinct look.
Art, voices and translation
This was MangaGamer’s first HD release, and it looks gorgeous: vibrant, detailed art and a sharp interface on a UHD display. The voice acting suits every character. The standout is Ruu, cute and creepy at once, with a voice that captures both. The translation is close to flawless, with only one or two spelling or grammar slips across a script that runs more than 30 hours.
The turn
It is a kinetic visual novel, so the story is fixed, but the player chooses the order in which some scenes play. The choice is an illusion, yet it keeps the reader engaged.
For the first ten hours or so the story is pleasant and light. Then, just as it seems to be heading for an ending, it turns. The tone shifts sharply and becomes extremely dark, with revelations that leave the reader stunned.
3rdEye marks the twist by changing the title screen entirely, and it keeps changing as more revelations arrive. New characters appear and darker moments follow. A thread of humour keeps the game from sinking into despair, but its weight means many readers will want a break every three or four hours.
The flaws
The HD art is weaker in the magic battles, which shift still images around to suggest action. It often looks awkward and cheap, particularly in one helicopter scene. The bigger irritation is Hotaru and his catchphrase, “That’s not playing fair.” It is repeated so often that it becomes genuinely grating.
The verdict
Sorcery Jokers is far deeper than it looks: dark, complex and built on strong characters. Even minor characters keep reappearing instead of being forgotten, as they so often are elsewhere. One overused catchphrase and a few clumsy battle scenes are the only real complaints. Visual novel fans looking for something weightier will find it here, and it is also a good starting point for players who avoid the genre because of the assumption that it is all cute dating sims.
Length and pacing
The script runs to more than 30 hours, and the first ten are the slowest. That opening matters: it builds the characters and the rules of the world that the later twists depend on, so skimming it weakens the payoff. At $39.99, the price works out to well under two dollars an hour of reading, which is typical for the genre.
What “kinetic” means here
For players new to visual novels, the term is worth a short explanation. Many visual novels branch: choices send the story down different routes, some routes end badly, and seeing everything takes several playthroughs, often with a guide. A kinetic novel has one path. Sorcery Jokers lets the player pick the order of some scenes, but every reader sees the same story and the same ending.
That makes it an easy recommendation for readers who dislike hunting for routes. There is nothing to miss and no wrong choice, so the full story arrives in a single read, and the time goes into the plot rather than into replaying the same opening chapters.
Questions readers ask
Is Sorcery Jokers a kinetic visual novel?
Yes. The story is fixed, though the player can choose the order in which some scenes play out. It runs to more than 30 hours.
Who made Sorcery Jokers?
It was developed by 3rdEye and published in English by MangaGamer on January 12, 2018. It was MangaGamer's first HD release.