Sorcerian

   Based on a 1988 Falcom PC game, Sorcerian updates its ancient forefather with modern gameplay and 3-D graphics. The game features 15 different missions playable in any order; 10 of them are based on those of the original, but 5 are Dreamcast-exclusive. Your overall goal is to retrieve a magic staff that, none too surprisingly, holds the key to saving the world.

Creating a character

   Towns are viewed from an overhead perspective, but all the actual action takes place in a side-scrolling (albeit polygonal) view akin that of Valkyrie Profile or Falcom's own Popful Mail. As in most action RPGs, there are no separate battle screens; you battle enemies on the same screen you explore on.

   No pre-defined characters appear in Sorcerian; instead, you allocate points to various statistics, in the style of most PC RPGs. Over 60 different job classes are available; in addition to mainstays such as Fighter and Dancer, oddities such as Farmer, Poet, and Bodyguard are included. In another weird twist, time passes as you play and causes your characters to age. Eventually, you'll move on to the next generation of characters, who inherit their abilities from their parents.

Lightning spell

   Magic in Sorcerian is created by combining the seven 'stars' from which the game takes its name: Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Sun, Moon, and an unknown seventh star. Each star corresponds to a specific attack: Sun to strength, Jupiter to defense, etc. New spells are created by visiting a Sorcerer in town; the Sorcerer can also embed stars into your armor to improve its effectiveness.

   Sorcerian marks Falcom's return to console development; the company went PC-only after the 16-bit era. Though it may not be the new Ys game many were hoping for, Sorcerian at least shows that Falcom is back in the console arena.