Compile Heart’s latest import from Japan is as kawaii as they come, with cute characters, cheery tunes and… curry. Don’t let the whimsical charm of this Vita exclusive fool you into thinking this is going to be a journey of simple fun and frivolity though, this game will make every effort to break you.

The adventure begins with Pupuru, a Magic Academy student who is booted out of school and tasked with finding the ingredients for a magic curry recipe, apparently needed to save her favourite curry shop. Pupuru needs to scour a number of dungeons to find these legendary ingredients and predictably defeat a boss at the end of each. Making it to the end of said dungeons is no mean feat however, as beneath the cute and colourful surface Sorcery Saga is a brutally classic rogue-like. Falling in battle means losing all dungeon progress, non-equipped items, money and experience; a hefty cost to pay for failure and incredibly frustrating when it isn’t your fault.

Gameplay is turn-based, so when you take a step or perform an action in the grid-based dungeons your enemies will be one square closer. Combat is simple enough: equip the best sword or staff you can find (this might be a huge blade or a cooking ladle) and try to make big numbers appear above the weird and wonderful nasties that populate each floor. Alternatively, take a ranged approach with spells learned from found tomes or throw iffy looking items that seem a bit too risky to digest. You will find yourself surrounded by poisonous wasp ladies and angry, walking vegetables quite quickly, so planning ahead and strategically sticking to narrow corridors is key to survival. The only items you don’t lose when you fail a dungeon are your equipped weapon and shield, so upgrading these is your best bet for making progress in the game.

The biggest downfall of Sorcery Saga comes in the form of a fluffy, white, rabbit-like creature that accompanies you throughout the game. It’s AI is entirely broken, yet interaction with the perpetually hungry bunny is absolutely vital if you want to make it to the boss fight and be home in time for curry. Kuu, as he is known, needs to be fed items to keep his ‘fullness’ meter topped up, which is drained both by movement and by taking damage in battle. Failure to do this will result in Kuu fainting and you will be unable to progress to the next floor of the randomly generated dungeons. If Pupuru then falls in battle not only do you lose your items, but you also lose equipped weapons that you might have spent hours upgrading. This might not be so bad, but Kuu’s AI is stupid and suicidal, often running into a group of powerful enemies and chasing after him usually ends with you back in town, itemless. He’s a liability, but you can’t lock him away safely in an item chest and forget about him, Kuu’s ability to upgrade your weapons and back-up in battle are imperative.

Though tempted to use your Vita itself as a curry ingredient and boil away the frustration you will inevitably face, it’s hard to stay mad at the game. It’s so well presented and polished that sometimes it feels like you’re part of the tiny anime world, similar to something from an episode of Sailor Moon or Cardcaptor Sakura. Items are bought and sold at the local curry shop you are endeavouring to save, and Pupuru’s home serves as a place to upgrade weapons or store them safely away. The colourful characters who greet you on each visit are cheerful and offer words of encouragement, so it won’t be long before you’re ready to tackle a dungeon again. The Restore Maze offers a place to defeat easy enemies and restock items, so you might find yourself grinding here once or twice before revisiting a failed mission.

Personally, I don’t have the patience for a game that punishes you so often and unfairly, usually due to the broken AI or using an item you didn’t expect would blow up in your face. Some players might enjoy the hardcore rogue-like gameplay though. The light-hearted story is fun, but it’s hardly gripping so it won’t keep you playing to find out which curry ingredient Pupuru needs to find next. The presentation is great, with some simple but cute graphics in dungeons, however on occasion this is slowed down due to framerate issues. If you’re looking for a cute JRPG on Vita then Sorcery Saga: Curse of the Great Curry God might temporarily cure that hunger, but there are better alternatives available with the likes of Persona 4: Golden Danganronpa.

William Potter, NoobFeed (@Twitter)