After Zen Studios previous Ms. Splosion Man table, this table feels very quiet and drab in comparison. This is not a bad thing though as where Ms. Splosion Man was loud and brash and dare I say a little over the top, Sorcerers Lair is more atmospheric with an orchestral soundtrack that gives the game a mysterious moody feel. It works great with the style of the table and presents an almost film-like theme.
Sorcerers Lair is a remake of the table found on ZEN Pinball (PlayStation 3) which was released last year. It follows two youngsters, Jake and his sister who are exploring a mysterious castle outside their village. Inside is an evil sorcerer who they must defeat by collecting a number of Obsidian stones which can be used at midnight to do the deed.
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There are many ways to collect the Obsidian stones, though you do not need them all to defeat the sorcerer. As you may have guessed you earn these by completing the challenges you activate by hitting targets and ramps. Challenges come in a few varieties including Gates To The Void where you must destroy four blue gates found on the ramps, it sounds simple enough but first you must find a friendly ghost as only he can destroy the gates. Other challenges include running away from skeletons by hitting spinners and bumpers, defeating a tree in Freaky Forest by performing loops and the Cellar which requires you to hit three targets.
Sorcerers Lair keeps the table feeling fresh with two mini game themes which also earn you Obsidian stones. There are two mini-pinball games which are played on a separate table, they are basic in comparison to the main table, but remain challenging and enjoyable to play. They task you to defeat spiders on ramps and obstacles in the correct order, made trickier as the ball can easily fall out of play. The second is a puzzle called Behind The Walls, you must get the ball to the exit by navigating a series of cogs. The ball moves in the cogs teeth and you can change the direction of rotation, if the ball jams in the cogs you fail the task. It is a fun distraction and a welcome addition, though you will likely work out the patterns after a few attempts as the puzzle design remains the same each time.
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All the other features commonly found on tables are present. Multiballs are often activated and can be used to complete challenges and earn a mass of points. Extra balls are fairly easy to gain and again they help in racking up that high score. Despite the game being only available to reviewers at the time of writing there are already scores over 1 billion, so pinball wizards should have no problem setting some amazing scores.
As mentioned, the game is very atmospheric, the design and graphics are great and set the scene perfectly. I would put the graphics quality as one of the best looking tables so far in the series. The voice acting of the children and the sorcerer is done well, though I did find the congratulatory shouts of ‘Magnificent’ (amongst others) to sound out of place. This small blemish is far from spoiling the overall great quality of the game. It does take a little time to get in to the flow of the table, but once you learn how to activate the challenges it becomes very enjoyable to play. Get your 240 :MSPoints: ready because like most other Pinball FX2 tables it is an instant buy!
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