A Sorcerian Nintendo Switch release date has been announced — this classic action RPG that originally launched on PC is aiming to launch on Nintendo's hybrid handheld console early next month.
The odds are good that you're not entirely familiar with Sorcerian, and that's no surprise — this is a game that kind of flew under the radar compared to other titles in the genre, especially in the west and more recent years. Notably, it also happens to be a part of the Dragon Slayer franchise, the progenitor of The Legend of Heroes franchise, which continues to this day with the Trails series.
Now, it's going to be arriving on the Nintendo Switch in just a few short weeks, although we still don't know if it will be making its way to the West. Want to see what it's like? Check out some PC gameplay to see this side-scrolling ARPG in motion!
Sorcerian Will Be a 'Complete Port' of the Mobile Release
Samuel Messner highlighted the announcement of a Sorcerian Nintendo Switch release date on Twitter, noting that it was surprising to see this PC classic making its way to Nintendo's console.
Further details are mentioned on the website of G-Mode Corporation, a company that specifically focuses on the mobile market in Japan and owns the rights to a robust back catalog of older games. The Nintendo Switch version of Sorcerian will be a "complete port" of one of the game's mobile releases, presumably with some changes made to accommodate the console's controls.
It should also be noted that this isn't likely to be based on the newer iOS port released in 2012 — the announcement tweet notes that it will be of Advanced Sorcerian, a game that was released for feature phones in 2007, before the iPhone was released.
Sorcerian originally launched on PC in 1987. However, the PC market back then was much more fragmented than it was today (especially in Japan) — as the Wikipedia page notes, it was launched on several specific PC platforms (including an English version for MS-DOS PCs), but it missed out on launching on several other platforms including Amiga, Apple IIGS, and Macintosh.
When is the Sorcerian Nintendo Switch Release Date?
The Sorcerian Nintendo Switch release date is set for February 4, 2021. That's in Japan, though — there's no indication if the game will be making its way to the West just yet.
That said, there have been English-language translations of this particular game. It's certainly possible that we'll see it come to the West. G-Mode Corporation does have several games published on the American eShop such as Sudoku Relax 4 Winter Snow and G-Mode Archives25 Topolon. Additionally, because of how the Switch eShop works, you can always set up a Japanese account and buy it yourself on the same device, if you are wondering what Japan was playing on their phones in 2007.
Sorcerian is also waiting on a rating from CERO, the Japanese equivalent of the ESRB; as always, it's possible that this could result in a delay. For now, you can look forward to the game coming to the Japanese eShop for ¥500 or your regional equivalent.
Did you ever get the chance to play Sorcerian? What classic PC games would you like to see ported to the Switch? Let us know in the comments below!
