The Gates of Kharé have opened!

Today is inkle's second birthday - and in another way, it's also Sorcery!'s, because today Steve Jackson's Sorcery! 2 has hit the App Store, ready to take you on an adventure into Kharé, the Cityport of Thieves.

The first few reviews are already in: Capsule Computers gives it 9.5/10, while at Pocket Tactics they went the whole way to 5/5, and at Gamezebo they say its "so artistic you'll want to hang it on your wall", with a 5/5 review.

A Fully Interactive Adventure

If you played Sorcery! Part 1, you'll know what to expect, but the new game is much bigger, more intricate, with puzzles and mysteries to solve. In this game, it's not enough to simply make it across the city: surviving Kharé is only the beginning.

It's hard to measure the size of a massively-branching game, but by a straight word-count, while Sorcery! 1 had 150,000 words including combat, Sorcery! 2 has 340,000 excluding fight-scenes... and there are almost twice as many of those. There's also more of the world, as not only does the detailed map show every building in the Cityport, there are several you can go inside as well, with the camera swooping down through the hand-drawn ceiling.

If you didn't play the first game, you can jump straight into the Part 2 - because the game knows if you're a returning player or a newbie, it'll adapt to suit your needs. So if you're starting fresh you'll get all the tutorials and introductions that you need (and if you're returning we promise not to try and kill until you at least make it inside the Gate).

An Entire City to Explore

One of the big new features of the second game is the ability to explore much more freely. In a city, it makes sense that you can loop around and explore every street, walking in circles if you want to. But don't expect the denizens of Kharé to sit back and let you wend your merry way about: time will pass as you explore; characters move and change location, shops and festivals open and close, and not everything will be quite the same next time you play...

We think this might be the closest thing to an open world text-based experience that has ever been constructed. And there's no repeating content, anywhere - every character, every encounter, every shop, trap, puzzle and joke is unique.

A Roll of the Dice

The other big new addition to the second game is dice - yup, that's right, after taking dice out of the first book, we've gone and put them back in again, in the form of Swindlestones, a game of deceit, bluffing and betting.

Just like the combat, it's all about getting under the skin of your opponents and working out what they're thinking - and perhaps leading them astray as to your own motives. There are five different AI types in the game, from the highly gullible to the extremely cunning: if you become a master, you may just make a fortune; but lose the wrong game, and you might lose your life...

But just a betting game wasn't quite enough: like everything else in the game, we wanted it to tie directly into the narrative. So as you play against the inhabitants of Kharé, you also talk to them, with the intensity of what you say matching the intensity of your bids. You might learn vital information - but will risk that higher bid to get it..?

Clues and Puzzles

To help you along with solving the mysteries of Kharé, we've added a new section to the Inventory - Clues. This keeps track of what you know, with each fact you learn recorded, and fleshed out as you gather more detail. It reflects the type of game that Part 2; almost a detective story. As you enter the Cityport, you'll find it in disarray, the Council disbanded and the ruling First Noble gone missing, and only by discovering what happened will you leave the City unscathed.

Uncovering the mysteries means solving puzzles: the gameplay in Kharé tries to capture some of the magic of old-school text-adventures and point'n'click adventure games, but in a smooth way, with all the satisfaction of solving, but with no getting stuck and no searching around for pixels or the right words to use.

...Let us know what you think!

In short - Sorcery! 2 is bigger, better, meaner, and packed with secrets and surprises. We think it's the best game we've done so far. If you choose to step through the Gates of Kharé, then we'd love to hear what you think.

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B

How to I get through the door to the shinre of slanng?? Been stuck for days ...

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Can someone just plain and simply tell me the end spell gate line order as I seem to have 5 lines and have attempted to do it over 40 times :/ also tried to do it in the order I was given as a clue but does not work... A bug?

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Ah, you know what? I think there is a bug - triggered by getting the "fake" version of Lorag's line after getting the real one. Fixed over here but that doesn't help you. :(

You can get round it by either rewinding and not trying to force Lorag's line from him (in his house); or by getting Lorag to tell you the real line again - either at the North Gate (hard to tell from here if he'll do this for you, depends on some other factors) - or by going back to his house and being nice to him..!

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:( That's a shame because I'll have to restart the game! Owell, thanks for confirming my thought, off to file a bug report to inkle!

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No need -- I am half of inkle! We've submitted a new build of S2 to Apple fixing this issue (and a few others) that'll go live in about a week, so you could wait for then, then if you rewind and replay the marker where you get to recite the spell, it should work. Apologies again!

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Brilliant and thanks for the assistance! P.s do you know how long till the next book? Haha, I'm pretty exited

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I'm sorry, but the update seems to have made no difference I rewound the marker and tried to recite the spell again However, I still have five spells! Does the last one matter now? I still struggle to complete it...

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You should be able to cast the spell correctly now (using four of the five spell lines, and ignoring the incorrect one.)

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AL

I should have added don't take the turning too early

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I like these games a lot! Thx!

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when can we expect sorcery 2 on android ?

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I'm stuck casting my first spell on the android version. I've entered the letters, it tells me what the spell does and how much stamina it requires, but there's no way of submitting (casting) the spell. Tapping anywhere on the screent just removes the final letter from the spell, reopening the letter cloud.

HTC one x

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Um, that's weird. There should be a "cast" button. Can you send us a screenshot (info @ inklestudios dot com) Thanks!

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Worked it out - I was playing in landscape mode, and the cast button is hidden off the bottom of the screen. Changing to portrait sorted it out.

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Hey, guys. Waiting on any update about the Android version! I've been very patient... Any news? Expected date?

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We're down to final bugs! Hopefully very soon :)

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Found a new bug I think... If you go to the wayfarer's when you run away from the slavers at night in the market, then head back outside rather than paying for a room, you get stuck with a 'review the map' dialogue and no places you can go, not even back into the inn.

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N

Has everyone used TAK on top of the temple....? Can you only get the merroir or mask?

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If you don't already have a bone bracelet, you'll be able to get that too. But if you have one, it won't offer that possibility.

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N

I have found a few spell names... Not sure if I can share them with you but I will. I did spend about 2 hours typing in random letters came up with this

RYXURA

NUSUNA

BABASA

SAQIVA

CAHAWO

LAHAGO

BIQASU

Have fun and comment more you find let others try it from your point of view! Happy sorcering

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K

Hint/spoilers

I think it may only be possible to get charcoal after a time "rewind", as in the 2nd or 3rd go through the beginning...in a place where people are smoking recreationally.

I got the inscription rubbing but I don't think it does anything, am I suppose to do something with it?

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N

You need to go to a burned down house you find a burnt mask. Found it by acedent

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N

It was before a rewind you just need to stay I'm that one area until the house burns down

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J

Speaking of new features, I cannot find any coal. I checked the coal scuttle in the abandoned mansion, but all I get for my efforts is snake bit. Any clues? :D

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J

Love this game, but gets stuck with a major bug when you beat all the players in the gambling hall and you have to leave. The player gets moved out to the statue area but the blue flag is still inside the gambling hall (visible if you zoom in). Trying to be clever and move the character there anyway instead makes him crawl all the way north and into space....

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HN

Hi, need some help here. From the actual game book, after visiting the chain maker, there is an option to visit a hut to get the gold backed mirror but however this option is not available in the iOS adaptation. Can anyone advise on how can I find the gold backed mirror? Thanks a brunch!

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J

You'll find that some things have been rearranged from the book to makes things more challenging and to better fit the updated storyline. I managed to find the mirrior in another hut just after you leave the fair ;)

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HN

Thanks John!

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M

I must be blind and/or dim witted! Can someone please tell me where in the first chapter I can find my cloud save spell?

Thanks

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B

don't worry - I've figured it now ;-)

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J

Loving Khare so far. This is much tougher going than the first book, but more fun as well given there is so much more to do!

I also ran into the no dice bug in the Halls of Vlada (and I think elsewhere). You have to tap the up arrow then tap back down to reveal the dice.

Another issue in the Halls of Vlada is the Beggar girl is referred to as 'He' instead of 'She'.

I've still not finished yet, but overall this is one great game!

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J

Another minor bug. When casting spells the symbol based letters do no post to the top circles, but the normal alphabet letters do. This is on the latest version posted last night, but I've been playing the same game since Khare was released.

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T

I have lorags line theetas line, and shinuas line but I can't for the life of me get a forth.

is it possible to talk to the "king"???

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AK

Where can i find spell of slangg?!I found him in slums, but i don't understand where to go now!

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you have to go to his shrine and either change your gpd to mslanng or answer the impossible question

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AD

I'm up to last gate, have all spell lines but cant figure out order of lines to save my life. Driving me insane. There's nowhere in app to check what nobles gave you what lines. Is there?

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J

If you look in the "keys" section of your inventory you'll find the lines, listed under who told you which.

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AL

Anyone been able to talk to VIK or find him? If so, how?

Thanks

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N

In the pirates ship hold, pretend you know a friend of him.

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C

Best game ever!!!

Finally managed to finish without returning in time! (At one go)

What a good game!!! Hint: chainmaker, sirisi, fire danger, shrine impossible, lorag, blind beggar, shinva, then cougra, in that order!!! Everything else are optional!

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L

Well you don't need chainmaker if you buy the bow with silver arrows and you don't need the fire danger if you can buy the sun jewel in the same market where you can find the bow

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L

Oh btw the swindlestone game its pretty bugged. In the house of gambling when you play the short game, when you have only 1 dice left, you cannot see it.

Its nice because i play blind, but i don't think this is an effect Inkle wanted for his game :D

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L

Wow! Really amazing! Khare' is huge! I just finish my game collecting all the important items.

But i Really dont know how to make the inscription on the tomb of lorag! But its useful?

And the new spell LUK will be usefull? Or its better the spell TAK?

I know many more but i think the best are these two :)

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S

Hi,

I'm having troubles at the final gate, I know all 4 spell lines. I know from the shrine of slangg that its supposed to be last noble to first, I know that Shinwa is fifth noble (i.e. his line goes first), and Moulas is second noble (i.e. last). Leaving only two options for the order of the other two, yet neither of them work. Am I missing something? Does the engine require you to know them all absolutely and not guess to let you through? Thankful for input.

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J

One of the statements you made in your comment isn't correct. (For more of a hint: how many Nobles does Kharé have?)

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AL

Hi Chris,

Thanks for your help you will need two items. One can be found in the early part of the left hand first major junction. The second can be found around sorcerery's answer to masterchef.

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C

Andrew Lyons, a hint for your problem is to visit the fire pit while in use.

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C

Congrats on a great game. So far the biggest challenge was getting the sand, sun jewel, black facemask and gold backed mirror in a single game. The only thing I have not been able to do is make a rubbing of the inscription on the oldest grave in the graveyard because I have no charcoal. Any hints from anyone on how to find the charcoal or do this?

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I

@Christopher, I got the inscription rubbing without the use of charcoal. You go to the building that has the 3 smoking elvin. But you do it AFTER you've already gone down one of the other roads. The building will have burned down and when you search it, you will find a burned half of the black face mask (you can still get another, unburned one elsewhere). You then use the burned part of the mask as the charcoal for the rubbing.

What it says is not obviously useful at this point (caps from original):

"HEER LYETH LORAG,

ARRIVE-HE IN SMOKE TO SAVE US,

DAMNED-HE THE RIVER A-FOR THE FLOOD WOULD TAKE OUR CAMP AWAY,

FORGED-HE THE WEAPONS OF SILVER TO CUT THE GHOSTS,

CAUGHT-HE THE RAGE OF FURY IN THE GATES OF BONE,

LORAG: SPIRIT OF KHARE, YOU MUST NEVER LEAVE."

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J

I'm thinking we need some spoiler space up in here...!

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