University in the winter, a game to review… All the nostalgia from that well known logo and music. To work!
Broken Sword 5: The Serpents Curse is the fifth instalment in the franchise by Revolution Software and marks a return to the classic epics of the original 2 games. Following George and Nico once again where the series began, in the wonderful environment of Paris. Ditching the sticks controls from the console versions this PC release returns to the point and click style we know and love in Point and Click Adventure games.
Story
As any other Broken Sword game the story is rather complex, switching up their main villains, suspects and locations to make the game much longer than most other games in its genre and always keep you guessing through its entirety. As well as starting out with a simple theft or murder mystery it transforms into an old story of conspiracies, evil organisations and magical artefacts.
The story begins telling use some backstory in a cutscene back in the 1930’s and shows a villa being attacked by soldiers and the owners trying to protect a painting, only to be killed and have the painting stolen, thankfully the child and woman are able to escape the villa to hopefully tell this tale later down the line. We are then brought to present day where George and Nico are at an exhibition in a little art gallery where the painting has found its way to. Like its previous life, the painting is stolen once more as an armed robber comes in and takes the painting, killing the gallery owner in the progress, and escapes… Get those detective glasses on; it’s time to inspect the crime scene before the cops arrive.
We soon find out that the painting stolen was called “La Maledicció” and is a major symbol for the Gnostic faith and is told to be the map to lead to Lucifer. George, a well puzzle hardened adventurer, is on the case as soon as he leaves the gallery for the adventure, for the dead man and for his job… he was the painting insurer.
We are taken to 4 distinct places in the city of Paris, the Gallery, the Vera Security firm, Nico’s apartment and the Gallery Owners apartment. After your business in Paris is partly solved you begin to travel between Paris and London, to track down the “owner” of the painting and the shady company he keeps. All the while we meet distinct and diverse characters, whose accents are spot on and don’t go to the extremes some other games go to.
The story widens up after the blame is shifted between different individuals, drawing several different conclusions to the conspiracy unravelling at our feet.
The game has 2 episodes to it, with the first being released already and the second to be released the start of 2014. Episode One is around 6-7 hours in length, if you’re good at the genre, and takes up 51% of the entire game. The Episode feels very lengthy and doesn’t cut corners in its unravelment, keeping you guessing at every twist and turn.
Gameplay
The gameplay in Broken Sword 5 is almost identical to its first releases and like most other Point and Click games on the market. All of the game is played with the mouse, the left click for combining items, interacting and talking to someone, right click for investigations and cancelling.
Broken Sword 5 allows you to carry up to 24 items, which seems a lot more than in previous releases, but restricts combing some of the items, mainly due to streamlining choices and responses. Even though the combinations are restricted there are several funny responses to failed combinations.
Following in its latest releases, Broken Sword 5 has a built in hints mechanic that helps you when you get stuck, no matter where you are. It ranges from 1-4 hints before telling you exactly where to go and what to do with an item like “Honk the horn to get rid of the seagull”. The hints feature is a welcome addition, as players would more than likely use the internet to guide themselves through the game; the hint feature streamlines this and allows for continuous play which was a problem in the earlier releases when you would be drawn out of the immersion to figure out one of the harder puzzles.
During your game time you will mostly take the role of George Stobbart, having the majority of the 6-7 hours playing and solving puzzles in his shoes. Nico Collard takes a backstep in this release and is only played for around 1 hour of Episode One; hopefully she will take more of helping role in the second episode.
Overall Thoughts and Feelings
Besides the overwhelming Nostalgia the game instils in fans, it is still breathtakingly put together, with amazing musical scores, with some that are remakes of classics in the series and sound effects to flow with what is happening around you. While there are times where there is an absence of music this is only due to the fact there are stereos or music players for you to interact with to turn on the music in that area.
Besides the sounds, the atmosphere is held through the game, with tense moments where you feel you will be trapped or attacked at any point and times where you are in a calm exploration and investigative scene.
Fans of the series will love this new entry, with settings to make the game look and feel like the earlier releases like having the text format the same as well as keeping the voice actors and even bringing back old characters like Hector Laine, Inspector Moue and Lady Piermont with even more advertised for Episode Two like Duane and Pearl Henderson.
I give Broken Sword 5: The Serpents Curse a 5/5, a great addition to the series and a wonderful call back to old style Point and Click Adventure games. With things to entice both old and new players to the game, this is definitely worth a purchase at the asking price. Time to feed my pet Cockroach Trevor.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
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