History YMMV / Sorcery

* MindScrew: Just who or what the Archmage really is, for crying out loud? The original books made him an enigmatic if not undeveloped antagonist, and while the Inkle Adaptation gave him significant background and characterization, the additional time travel plot elements makes the story just as difficult to interpret.

* HilariousInHindsight: One of the spells is called "SUS." Anyone who's played VideoGame/AmongUs probably won't even need to read the description.

* AssPull: In order to make the game winnable when playing as a warrior (and if you don't have a silver whistle), it was necessary for special holy water to have the ability to revive the dead with minimal explanation (usually it only works when used in conjunction with a spell). It is supposed to be special rejuvenating holy water given by healer Javinne, but having the power of resurrection? A bit far-fetched.

** This trope was further reinforced on the Inkle Adaptation of the Archmage. [[spoiler:He was revealed to be [[TheManBehindTheCurtain reduced to a weak man largely relying on the Crown of Kings to protect himself and is completely defenseless otherwise]], and eventually sells half of his soul for a HopelessBossFight if the player fails to stop him on the initial attempt]].
* AssPull:
** In order to make the game winnable when playing as a warrior (and if you don't have a silver whistle), it was necessary for special holy water to have the ability to revive the dead with minimal explanation (usually it only works when used in conjunction with a spell). It is supposed to be special rejuvenating holy water given by healer Javinne, but having the power of resurrection? A bit far-fetched.
** The possibility of developing a romance between the Analander and Flanker in the Inkle Adaptation of ''Sorcery! 4: The Crown of Kings''. While Flanker is arguably the most encountered among other non-playable characters with the Analander (albeit a maximum of 4 times before the final game rolls out), most were brief with little development in their relationship and the Analander always end up alone by himself/herself for the vast majority of his/her journey. Other than the typical shipping fandom logic of quick relationship development, it doesn't make much sense that the pair would suddenly get romantically involved based on the interactions they had.\\\
However, the progressions of all relationships are accelerated in a game with such a short timespan. Aliizi tells the Analander she thinks of them as an aunt/uncle after talking to them literally two other times, Jann affectionately calls himself, Flanker and the Analander a trio even though they've been together once before, and Vik coddles the Analander as his old friend having met them once or never. Having a romantic relationship after a handful of increasingly fond encounters isn't so strange.
** Inkle Adaptation again: The requirement of [[spoiler:Flanker's presence]] in order to overcome the [[spoiler:Crown of Kings wielded by the Archmage]]. [[spoiler:Flanker was clearly proven to be vulnerable to the magic of the Crown of Kings, is there any exception on the second time where the Archmage can simply just work his magic on both him (again) and the Analander?]].

* CompleteMonster (Video Game adaptation only):
** TheArchmage of Mampang [[BigBad sets the plot in motion]] by sending his wicked birdmen to steal the Crown of Kings from Analand to use its mind-bending powers to begin his conquest. Cruel even in his youth, the Archmage imprisoned his [[AndIMustScream still-conscious]] master in a magical tome and executed his apprentice and lover when she foretold a prophecy of his theft and downfall at the hands of [[PlayerCharacter the Analander]]. Waiting a thousand years for the chance to steal the crown, the Archmage made himself immortal by devouring the life forces of the neighboring nation, by using magical beacons to trap them in time. As the [[SorcerousOverlord tyrannical overlord]] of Kakhabad, the Archmage often uses his own people in [[PlayingWithSyringes experiments]] to create his [[HalfHumanHybrid half-beast hybrids]] and allows his soldiers and nobles free reign to do with the commoners as they wish. His spiteful hatred of the Analander leads him to torture and torment allies they meet in their journey and force them to see visions of his terrible future. The Archmage intends to use the Crown of Kings to [[TakeOverTheWorld enslave and dominate the entire world]] while leading his armies to slaughter the people of Analand simply for being the home of his prophesied killer.
** ''Khare, Cityport of Traps'' (second game): [[AristocratsAreEvil First Noble Sansas]] is the leader of the Council of Nobles that rules over the wretched and trap infested city of [[WretchedHive Khare]]. Corrupt to the core, Sansas is much at fault for the city's current hellish conditions and seeks to murder the rest of the council after a false fortune predicts his downfall. Sansas sends assassins to kill several of them, yet he ensures [[FateWorseThanDeath more horrible fates]] for some by sending gargoyles to [[EyeScream gouge out one councilor's eyes]] and endlessly torment him and curses another into a torturous undead existence. Falling victim to a portal trap, Sansas accidentally makes contact with goblins and plots with them to raze Khare. Believing that if he can't rule no one can, Sansas unlocks the North Gate to allows them in to slaughter countless innocents, only to be [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness murdered by them]] in turn when they no longer needed him.
* EnsembleDarkhorse: Inkle adaptation-wise, Flanker. He even gets a social media event dedicated to him for the purpose of marketing ''Sorcery! 4''.

* FridgeLogic: The Inkle Adaptation of ''Sorcery!'' had extensively expanded on the plot in the 3rd and 4th book, which introduces a number of inconsistencies:
** [[spoiler:If the Archmage killed Bria upon learning of the Analander and subsequently made the beacons as a trap for the Analander, how was it possible that a younger Bria (named Aliizi at that point in time) even knew about the beacons, or was even affected by the power of the beacons? Logically, the beacons should only exist in a time where Bria is no longer alive]].
** [[spoiler:If the Archmage knows about the Analander 1000 years ago, why wait that long to steal the crown? That's an inhumanly long time of insecurity which he could have avoided by, you know, not chosen longevity and not stealing the crown in the very first place]].
** [[spoiler:If the Archmage without the crown is so weak as described by Valiquesh, it sounds rather implausible that he can survive 1000 years of rule without the power of the crown]].

* MagnificentBastard (Video Game adaptation only):
** ''Khare, Cityport of Traps'':
*** [[VisionaryVillain Vik]] is a merchant and slaver from Khare who sought to take advantage of the power vacuum left behind by the disappearance of the Council of Nobles to name himself First Noble and rule the city. Vik proves to be a charismatic figure who is able to turn the downtrodden masses to his side by promising to improve everyday life under the slogan [[ArcWords "Vik for First Noble"]]. Secretly, however, he creates an army of loyal werewolves by kidnapping the same downtrodden, infecting them with lycanthropy, and equipping them with armor to control them. Provided the goblins don't destroy the city, Vik's [[WellIntentionedExtremist immoral methods]] prove worthwhile when he is able to take the city bloodlessly, abolish the council, and fully open Khare to the outside world.
*** [[GentlemanWizard Lorag]] is a renowned scholar and Noble who used the powerful ZED spell to [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong travel back in time]] when he watches Khare fall to the goblin hordes. Seeking to utilize the destructive power of the hateful Red Eyes native to Khare, Lorag creates the North Gate spell in imitation and manipulates events throughout Khare's history to turn it into a [[WretchedHive wretched hellhole]] to provide hate to power it. Meeting the Analander in modern times, Lorag uses their need to leave the city to gather the spell lines and activate the North Gate's destructive power to wipe out the goblins and save the city. Should the Analander refuse to save Khare, Lorag will forcibly become their new spirit guide to make them suffer for the remainder of their journey.
** ''The Crown of Kings'': [[NobleTopEnforcer Commander Cartoum]] is the acting leader of the Mampang guard that serves as the military might of the malevolent Archmage. Upon realizing the suffering the [[SorcerousOverlord Archmage's rule]] is bringing to his people, Cartoum wills himself to break free of the mind-bending powers of the Crown of Kings and plot to overthrow his master. Allowing his guards and the wealthy to abuse the people to maintain his cover, Cartoum begins converting soldiers to his side while seeking to steal and destroy the Crown. Contacting [[PlayerCharacter the Analander]] during their infiltration, Cartoum helps to sneak them into the fortress to kill the Archmage. He then successfully uses the distraction to stage a coup and rally the army to his side to ultimately become a wise leader beloved by his people.

* SelfImposedChallenge: '''''Yes''''', it is possible over the four books to use every one of the spells in your spellbook at least once in a situation where they are actually useful. '''''No''''', it is '''not''' easy.

* WhatAnIdiot: The Analander finds a box in the Elvin village that contains a dangerous poisonous scorpion along gold coins and a key.
** '''You'd expect''': The Analander to simply pick up the box, turn it around to drop what is inside, and let the scorpion run away, unable to sting him since he wears boots and pants. Or at least stab the scorpion inside with his sword.
** '''But instead''': The Analander is only given the option to manually pick up objects from the box with his bare hands, getting the risk of being stung by the scorpion each time, with serious damage.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: This series gets very dark (particularly in the Goya-inspired artwork), with the final volume in particular having some nasty deaths far beyond anything seen in ''Literature/FightingFantasy'' (noted under NightmareFuel), and the text is written at a higher reading level than the main ''Fighting Fantasy'' series. When originally released in the early eighties, the series was aimed at an older audience (with promotional material explicitly saying it was "for adults") and the covers had nothing beyond Steve Jackson's name to connect them to ''Fighting Fantasy'' (and was actually released under a different imprint). As seen [[http://www.gamebooks.org/show_item.php?id=105 here]], over time the books were reprinted to include the ''FF'' logo and similar markings of the main series, although elements of the new covers and the fact that they were still published by Penguin and not Puffin (their children's imprint) made the distinction. When Wizard Books relaunched ''Fighting Fantasy'' in the early noughties, they made no distinction at all and just republished the original books as part of the main range.

* CompleteMonster:

* CursedWithAwesome: If you refuse or fail to save Kharé, Lorag's ghost will possess you, replacing your god. While Lorag is certainly less helpful than, say, Courga or the Spirit Animal, he does have a personality many players find charming and ultimately winning his respect is such a SugarWiki/CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming many players will deliberately let themselves be "cursed" with him because it makes for a better story.

* CursedWithAwesome: If you refuse or fail to save Khare, Lorag's ghost will possess you, replacing your god. While Lorag is certainly less helpful than, say, Courga or the Spirit Animal, he does have a personality many players find charming and ultimately winning his respect is such a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming many players will deliberately let themselves be "cursed" with him because it makes for a better story.

* SelfImposedChallenge: ''Yes'', it is possible over the four books to use every one of the spells in your spellbook at least once in a situation where they are actually useful. ''No'', it is '''not''' easy.

** This trope was further reinforced on the Inkle Adaptation of the Archmage - [[spoiler:He was revealed to be [[TheManBehindTheCurtain reduced to a weak man largely relying on the Crown of Kings to protect himself and is completely defenseless otherwise]], and eventually sells half of his soul for a HopelessBossFight if the player fails to stop him on the initial attempt]].

** The possibility of developing a romance between the Analander and Flanker in the Inkle Adaptation of Sorcery! 4: The Crown of Kings. While Flanker is arguably the most encountered among other non-playable characters with the Analander (Albeit a maximum of 4 times before the final game rolls out), most were brief with little development in their relationship and the Analander always end up alone by himself/herself for the vast majority of his/her journey. Other than the typical shipping fandom logic of quick relationship development, it doesn't make much sense that the pair would suddenly get romantically involved based on the interactions they had.
*** However, the progressions of all relationships are accelerated in a game with such a short timespan. Aliizi tells the Analander she thinks of them as an aunt/uncle after talking to them literally two other times, Jann affectionately calls himself, Flanker and the Analander a trio even though they've been together once before, and Vik coddles the Analander as his old friend having met them once or never. Having a romantic relationship after a handful of increasingly fond encounters isn't so strange.
** Inkle Adaptation again: The requirement of [[spoiler:Flanker's presence]] in order to overcome the [[spoiler:Crown of Kings wielded by the Archmage]]. [[spoiler:Flanker was clearly proven to be vulnerable to the magic of the Crown of Kings, is there any exception on the 2nd time where the Archmage can simply just work his magic on both him (again) and the Analander?]].

* FridgeLogic: The Inkle Adaptation of Sorcery! had extensively expanded on the plot in the 3rd and 4th book, which introduces a number of inconsistencies:
** [[spoiler:If the Archmage killed Bria upon learning of the Analander and subsequently made the beacons as a trap for the Analander, how was it possible that a younger Bria (Named Aliizi at that point in time) even knew about the beacons, or was even affected by the power of the beacons? Logically, the beacons should only exist in a time where Bria is no longer alive]].

* MindScrew:
** Just who or what the Archmage really is, for crying out loud? The original books made him an enigmatic if not undeveloped antagonist, and while the Inkle Adaptation gave him significant background and characterization, the additional time travel plot elements makes the story just as difficult to interpret.

** '''You'd expect''': The Analander to simply picks up the box, turns it around to drop what is inside, and let the scorpion run away, unable to sting him because of his boots. Or at least stab the scorpion inside with his sword.

* ComplacentGamingSyndrome: The wizard's SKILL penalty doesn't mean much anymore [[spoiler:once you get Ragnar's Armband of Mastery from Alianna, that increases your fighting power by 2 points, making the penalty null in combat.]]