Ah, Paris in the fall. The memories come flooding back as we
think about our first experience with the Broken Sword series. Shadow of the
Templars was arguably the best ever point and click adventure game so it wasn’t
a massive surprise that the games that followed it couldn’t quite live up to
it. Both Broken Sword 2 and 3 were both funny and taxing as the series moved
from 2D to 3D but then came Broken Sword 4.
We’ve tried to play Broken Sword 4 on three separate
occasions to bring our reviews up to date but it is awkward, dull and downright
broken in places. But now The Serpent’s Curse is here and the series has
returned to its 2D roots and it is so much better for it.
Broken Sword 5 has an air of wiping the slate clean and
starting again in terms of design. We now start our game back in Paris, this
time in the spring at an art gallery where George is soon reunited with on and
off girlfriend Nico. Here a murder takes place and a strange painting is
stolen. With George now working as an exhibit insurer he picks up the case to
find out what has happened to the painting, who the murderer was and why the
gallery owner was killed.
The return to Paris has also seen the series return to the
2D style that worked so well with the first two games. It’s not such a hand
drawn look but the graphics are really very nice and keep it traditional while
also working exceptionally well in HD and making the game look fit for the PS4.
The control system has also reverted back to the ‘dragging a cursor around’
variety and clicking on things with the Switch Joy Cons doing an excellent job
of mimicking a mouse.
The game also maintains the series excellent standard of
voice acting and scripting with dialogue throughout feeling natural while also
maintaining just the right amount of sarcasm and humour. The story itself is
strong with a genuinely intriguing mystery to explore with the hints of magical
MacGuffin we have come to expect.
One thing we could have done without returning are those
tiny objects that require careful scanning of the screen to find. Right from
the start there is something fairly well hidden. We weren’t entirely sure if it
was colour-blindness that played a part or not but the option to highlight
interactable objects would have been a useful addition. It’s a relatively minor
point though and at least you know what to expect from games like this.
The actual puzzles are a bit of a mixed bag – though they
are designed to stop you backtracking and wandering around multiple locations.
Normally when you arrive in a location you can’t leave until the puzzle in the
area has been completed. This is good in the fact that it allows you to focus
on things with what you have to hand in the confidence there isn’t some tiny
object somewhere else that you need. However, it did make us feel a bit penned
in at times compared to some of the other games.
Though solid, there aren’t that many puzzles here that will
remain memorable. There’s a nice one fairly early on in an art restorers loft
but we found little that gave the same high as getting into the docks in Broken
Sword 2 or getting the key to access the archaeological dig in the first game.
Some of them are a little obscure as well – and not in the ‘use weird object to
do thing’ way that these types of games are famous for. There’s also a slight
over reliance on things like connecting wire puzzles and shape moving.
Overall, Broken Sword 5 is a solid return to form for the
franchise. The mystery is genuinely compelling and the excellent art style and
voice acting keep you interested throughout. It’s certainly not up there with
the first game but it’s better than both the 3D games and gives Broken Sword 2
a fair run for its money as well. Above all else it’s a proper classic style
point and click adventure and we’re glad to see it back.
Overall 7/10
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