Game Title: Sorceress Quest
Engine: RPG Maker 2K
Status at review: In progress/Demo

Background:
First, forgive the reference in the review title. Anyway, the thing that interested me most about this game was it's attempt to emulate classic point-and-click adventure titles in RPG Maker 2K. But, how well does it actually function as a game? Let's find out!


Graphics:
The character sprites recall games like Quest for Glory and Full Throttle. Well, okay. The protagonist sorta sticks out like a sore thumb against the other characters, but, I dunno, she's sorta supposed to?
The mapping is fine in my book, but don't expect to see a similar convention to that of Quest For Glory and it's ilk. Though, the basement that serves as the maid's bedroom is the map that most fits that convention.


Audio:
The tracks fit the situations quite nicely. I was only able to identify one track from a commercial source (Master of Magic). So, those thrown off by familiar tunes shouldn't have to worry too much. Probably.


Story:
The player takes the role of an unnamed sorceress who wants to be eternally young. Of course, things go terribly wrong, and she youthens to a child-state as a result of the spell. She refuses to accept her fate of being stuck as a child, and sets out to remove the curse she put on herself.


Playing the game:
Let's talk a bit about the gameplay. As a point-and-click adventure, you expect the mouse do to stuff. "Use", "Inspect", and "Talk" function as expected. Commentary from the "Inspect" function in these types of games are usually geared to humor. With this game, it is geared to what the sorceress' own thoughts about the object in question would be. I can support that kind of decision. Anyway, the "Walk" action... could use some work. It's a good thing the arrow buttons can be used to navigate, because the mouse pathfinding is just really wonky.
So, right. Playing the game. Hide-tag time.



General Observations:
Some of the text isn't written 100% correctly. I don't recall many specific examples as I'm writing this entire review from my memories of the last time I played this. Which was probably more than six months ago. Sorry!
Did I mention that this is a point-and-click adventure game? Made in RPG Maker 2K? I'm not sure how it manages this (I thought plug-ins were a 2K3 thing?), but it seems like quite a feat to pull off.
I'm definitely noticing the size of these people take up in comparison to the more standard size that out protagonist takes up. And they animate. Maybe not much, but still, it makes me wonder how much work went into them.
There is room to get some non-standard GAME OVERs through dialog options. For instance, if players run into the maid, and tell her the truth about our protagonist's state...


Summary:
Despite the at-times odd dialog, the game is fairly well-written, and I'm hoping the best for this sorceress. I mean, sure, she's haughty, self-centered, and generally not the kind of person you want to root for. However, there is an assumption, on my part, that this journey will change her outlook. She will see, first-hand, what her rule has done to people, and even be subjected to a few experiences herself. It is this journey that I want to see fleshed out. This is why I named this one of my most anticipated games of 2014.


BOTTOM LINE: N/A