The return of an epic adventure series
Broken Sword is back! The legendary series led by Charles Cecil of British Revolution Software, which formed during the heyday of the point-and-click genre in the 1990s, has released a new installment. That’s great news for a game that fully respects the atmosphere of the early episodes.
An enigmatic adventure in an idealized Paris
This new installment of Broken Sword returns to Paris, which once again seems to come straight out of the British imagination behind the series. From beginning to end you relish strolling around these enchanting streets, mingling with improbable characters that are always carefully created.
There are a few additions to the recurring characters in the series, such as the already legendary Inspector Turnip (who seems openly modeled on a former French president) with his proverbial stupidity. A norm for the series, humor is present and can always be relied on. The main character’s dialog and monologues are always the pretext for witty exchanges that give the game its flavor.
While the game’s plot will captivate you through its delicate blend of humor and mystery, the decision of the creators to separate their game into two parts (the curse of the serpent only constitutes half of the plot) is very annoying. The story is incomplete and unfortunately stops after five hours, just when you’re just starting to get to the heart of the matter. An unfortunate decision that could lead to some fans waiting several months for the release of the full game.
A classic interface for a not very difficult game
The serpent’s curse doesn’t break any new ground in relation to the models of the point-and-click genre: you move the mouse over an object to examine or interact with it, or over a character to start a coversation. There’s nothing new here, and the inventory even greys out the impossible object combinations so our work is half-done for us. It’s a pity in what is already such a short game, where the lack of difficulty is thankfully overshadowed by the quality of the narrative.
Inconsistent, to say the least
When you launch this half of Broken Sword 5, it immediately strikes you that there’s a problem. The sets are lavish (all hand drawn), and the dubbing is simply excellent. However, the character modeling is insufficient: the 3D models jar with the decor, and their animation is catastrophic to say the least.
This is a visible glitch that appears from the opening scene and unfortunately hinders your immersion in a universe that’s otherwise polished. Add to that the fact that the scenery, although wonderful, suffers from the “low resolution” symptoms of a game conceived for tablets, and sometimes appears pixelated on PCs.
Our verdict: the return of a legendary series that will delight fans
Broken Sword 5 boasts formidable qualities, starting with its writing, the quality of its dialog and characters, and sense of humor. However it suffers from having been split into two chapters, as well as from some technical imperfections which, without diminishing its appeal, make the adventure a little less enjoyable.
Fans of the series won’t have waited for this article to pounce on this new episode, but others might be tempted to look towards more innovative point-and-click games like Resonance or Deponia.
