Buy Broken Sword 5 - the Serpent's Curse

Broken sword is back! Finally they dropped that ugly looking 3D graphics and annoying controls and got back to the roots.
The game looks amazing, beautifully drawn environments just makes you take screenshots.
From the very beginning you can feel that broken swordish atmosphere and hear the great music, nostalgia conquers you and finally you start your adventure with George and Nico.
The story is good as always and it's very broken swordish too. Religious symbols, some legend, people who want destroy the world, you know.
Game has been split into two parts. First part feels easier (at least for me), second part has some more action and good puzzles which could take some time to solve. Overall game is not very hard. Old school hardcore gamers probably wouldn't like it. But in my opinion the adventure game cannot be very hard when it has a logical solutions to the puzzles. I don't like when you need to do absolutely stupid and illogical things to solve something, so i'll better have an easier game but with logical puzzles.
Everyone who played the old Broken sword games should remember the damn goat. I remember it. It was a pain. Guess what? The goat is back! Of course people who didn't play the previous games probably will not be happy seeing all those characters from Georgie and Nico's past and will not understanding some dialogues and jokes, but don't worry, George has a new friend - Trevor. He's cute, he likes cookies and is very brave, he risk his live for George and he's a real hero.
Sorry i'm very biased towards this game series, it's my favorite. It's hard for me to say something negative about it, but i'll try. In the second part there're couple lines of subtitles missing. Ok that's enough bashing this game.
If you like adventure games i'd say this is a must have and if you liked it you should play previous games or at least 1 and 2. Yes they're old but still looking good, such games doesn't get old.
So get this game, go on adventure, save the world and eat a doner kebab.

As a die hard fan of original Broken Sword: Shadow of Templars, I really dislike this game. However, if I'm about to be fair, it's slightly above average. Adventure games aren't that common these days, and if you've never heard about Broken Sword series, for the price, it's not that bad.

Synopsis
But if you're a Broken Sword fan like me, I would either not recommend the purchase, or buy it, thinking of it as kind of spin off game that has little to do with what made original great. For me particularly, it's the writing, acting and music.

Storyline & characters

Very uninspired and lazy. Dialogues are not funny, painfully cheesy, stuff happens solely for the plot to continue further, characters are (with some exceptions) quite bland, even George (!!!) and you can spot every cliche from miles away. "Hey, this place is not safe, let me tell you all that important stuff at much safer place, and count on me not to get killed on the way there!" Original Broken Sword was playing it seriously, but was packed to the top with dry humor that was fitting perfectly. Here, it's nothing like that. Goofy, lazy, stupid and only here and there you'll catch a glimpse of something funny. A lot of old characters that have been brought back are just pointless cameos without any reason to be there, plus they've all lost their charm. (Moe is nothing like the funny goofball he used to be, now he's really just a guy. A guy without any personality.)

Voice actors are also really bland. They all play it safe, so you'll never get a really bad impression, but you'll never get an impression that they beleive stuff is happening around them. Compared to how amazing they were in first game, once again, it's just a letdown. I personally blame whoever was in charge of voice acting, because actors can only do so much on their own, if they're not told what kind of vision director has. And I don't think they're bad, just badly utilized.

Music and graphics

Music is also somewhat of a letdown to me. Broken Sword 1 had amazing and memorable orchestral soundtrack and each track was carefully selected so it really had a meaning and helped out building atmosphere. Here, it's sometimes decent, but overall I just felt like in case of Fable series, where soundtrack never got any better than the first one. Plus I'm missing those little musical cues when something was happening, again, it's here and there, but not enough. Not terrible, but not amazing.

And graphics - I'm a big sucker for traditional 2D animation, not cell shaded 3D graphics like this one has. It's awkward. But I can understand that once again, budget issues wouldn't allow for traditional animation, or perhaps Revolution thinks this look sells more. I've always adored cutscenes from original, because some of them were like something out of Don Bluth movies (and if you don't know who he is, do some research), here for obvious reasons, it isn't like that. And don't get me wrong, the game isn't ugly, but it feels phony. Also, there is almost nothing going on in background. Remember the rich and animated backgrounds in original? Compared to traditional animation, it's just cheap and once again, takes you out from the overall experience, but compared to other things, it doesn't bother me too much.

In the end, I'm happy for Revolution that they can continue doing what they love, it's better to get something than nothing and frankly, as I've sayed, it's at least an average game. I just wish it was better, and I'm still hoping that one day we'll get that Broken Sword game that will be just as awesome as the first one was.

This is easily one of my favourite Broken Sword games.
The graphics are very crisp and clean, old-style point and click like their first game.
Wonderful storyline, puzzles, and voice acting.

Really gets you thinking like MacGyver!

The Broken Sword series is pretty much a classic. You can't say you love point & clicks and not have played them.

Ignoring the 4th game released in '06 - The Angel of Death (which was pretty much a mixed bag) and the 3rd game in '03 - The Sleeping Dragon (which was rejected by purists for its 3d graphics and keyboard controls); it was a truly long wait since the 1st game - The Shadow of the Templars and 2nd game - The Smoking Mirror, released respectively in 96 and 97.

This 5th game, returned back to its 2d roots and with current technology, boasts a really neat graphic system. We have the usual solid adventure to solve and lots of places to explore. George's nemesis - the goat made an appearance yet again and it is also part of an easter egg. Do check that out for lots of laughs. As this game was backed on kickstarter, there were some goodies for the kickstarters to find in game. Don't forget to listen to the Radio Yorkshire for the answers to some of the questions we have been dying to know - as asked by the backers.

Had to wait a little while before the whole game was ready, but in the end I wasn't disappointed at all. The story was kind of so-so but the puzzles were good (made sense and not too difficult) and the graphics are lovely. It's a very pleasant game to play.
My only complaint was, too much George and not enough Nico. But then again her accent does begin to grate so perhaps it's for the best.

I hope we continue to see these sort of adventure games in the future.

1st episode is brilliant, 2nd is a little bit too hard and some of the puzzles dont really make much sense. Also the ending seems a bit rushed.
If you do get this game make sure you tune into the radio in the wrecked car using the ID card, it's really funny.

After the not-so-good 3D installments, Revolution goes back to its trademark 2D point-and-click adventure style. Broken Sword 5 is a lot like the first 2 games but a little worse in almost every aspect. Pretty short, too. Still a good game that should be picked up by fans of the series.

One of the better games to come out of Kickstarter so far.

I would recommend this game to fans of the first 2 Broken Sword games. Revolution has returned to using mostly 2D graphics, and the results are beautiful. If you like traditional point-and-click games, like the ones from the 90s Lucasarts and Sierra eras, you'll feel right at home with this game. The story isn't the most engaging, but most of the puzzles are pretty logical.

If you want a more modern point-and-click puzzle adventure game, TellTale has done a better job with Tales of Monkey Island and Sam n Max.

Nice idea to create detective quest. But the story is awful. It is full of stereotypes: silly policemen, french waiter-revolutionary bent on revolution and philosophy. And of course the "cranberry": Evil Russian Bear who looks like Putin and befriends evil colonel Gaddafi, reads "War and Peace", has medals for his service in Chechnya, smokes cigars "Romanovs" and even has a bush trimmed as the emblem the Russian Federation. I will not surprise if he drinks vodka with his pet brown bear, plays on balalaika and wears ushanka when he runs his own nuclear reactor in cellar.
If creators collects so much stereotypes about Russia in one place they should learn Russian alphabet better. The typewriter's keyboard is very strange at least.
One more big minus: the game is too simple. You do not have to think. This game can be exciting only for 7 years old child or for mentally challenged people.
But if you want to play without thinking and Zooma already bothered then you can try this game.

a joy to watch the story unfold. puzzles and mystery.
great voicetalent and acting. lot's of cool moments.
some puzzles are difficult as hell but there is a hintbutton with a gradual hintfeature to avoid stagnating the gameflow completely..

a very good part in the broken sword series.
loved it.

Another great hit with this franchise! I love Broken Sword from A to Z.
I am very glad that they brought back the point and click concept and removed the keyboard controls (found in the third game).

I like this story very much. It was unexpected and refreshing.

Playing this brings back so many happy memories from when I played through the first game all those years ago. So happy to see them continuing the series, may many more be created! Highly reccomend playing this game!

All in all a good adventure game, which is true to the previous installments in the series. But I don't feel, that you need to play the previous games in order to enjoy this though. Of course some detail stuff opens to you only, if you have played those.

I personally liked the first episode more: it was a bit more coherent with the puzzles. I felt that the second episode had few difficulty spikes with the puzzles and also few puzzles, that needed a plain "let's try everything from the inventory" approach. But don't get me wrong, it was still rather good. I also have to mention the gorgeous background art.

A full recommendation to all the adventure fans out there.

✓ Started out as a Kickstarter project = success
✓ Brought back Duane and Pearl Henderson
✓ Traditional "Broken Sword" style
✓ Traditional point-and-click adventure
✓ Nico is sexy

Score: 9/10

One of my favourite game since I am child-hood (Since broken swrod 2 till now)! and Finally got my Broken Sword 5 All In One edition in Collector's Edition! :)

I enjoyed Broken Sword 5. The game made me laugh. Thumbs up.

… Well, if you want a little more detail than that, fine, I guess I could try to expand upon why it won me over.

I first learned that the point & click game series “Broken Sword” existed because of my cell phone actually. I had a smart phone. I had no games on it that would hold my attention for more than 15 minutes or so. And, at the time, I had a three-hour flight. Dreading boredom, I browsed games until I found Broken Sword 1. Then a month later I bought Broken Sword 2. By that time I become a casual fan of the series so of course I bought Broken Sword 5.

It took me a bit to understand WHY this point and click game stood out to me. It wasn’t exactly ground breaking. Each game had a mystery plot that had the characters adventuring to new locations and trying to solve a murder that revolves around historical artifacts and each game had puzzles that made you think outside the box. The art was great and the voice acting was wonderful. The plot was humorous and filled with fun loving characters.

It was good on all these levels, but there was an additional something that just makes it more noticeable to me. I still have trouble putting my finger on it, but I can only described the feel as a serene level of calm pleasantness. Playing Broken Sword 5 (as well as the other broken sword games) was like picking up a favorite book again or going fishing with some buddies.

There was no feeling of urgency to complete the game, no over exotic melodrama, no underlying political messages, jarring scenes of violence, or crazy car chases. I didn’t play this game because everyone else was talking about it or because it was on the latest and greatest tech.

It was a casual player’s dream. To play a game just so it can bring out a chuckle and a stress dissipating smile, during those times when a person only seems to have a half an hour a day or so to themselves.

Finally, George and Nico are back. There’s always something special about my favourite American tourist and French journalist stumbling into conspiracies, mysteries and dangers that threaten the world if not stopped in a timely manner and “The Serpent’s Curse” is no exception. The adventure unfolds once again in Paris, City of Lights, Love, Art and Death. George, currently employed by an insurance company, and Nico, still freelancing for La Liberté, meet at the opening of an exposition at a rather small gallery which is suddenly interrupted by a gun-wielding pizza delivery boy, stealing one of the many paintings and fatally shooting the gallery owner. The hunt for the thief/murderer and the stolen painting eventually uncovers a a threat for humanity itself and leads the dynamic duo to a place of biblical mythology.

There are many nods to the serie’s origins and beloved characters from other parts do – as is traditional – make rather surprising re-appearances during the course of the game and prove to be as helpful now as they were when you first encountered them. The game play is that of a classic point-and-click adventure and easy to handle, though on occasion not very exact. In the German version, which I’ve played, I noticed several translation errors, most notably the flower shop owner’s mouse over which identified her as the “intercom”. However this doesn’t affect the game play negatively at all, so I suppose there’s really no reason to complain. The game’s riddles aren’t that difficult and the new Hint System actually gives the kind of hints which enable you to solve the problems on your own rather than clicking your way through to the solution or googling a walkthrough.

I love the game’s style which is as close to the original comic style as possible while giving it a modern 3D look. The music is amazing, too, and a certain flowery tune has been stuck in my head for a while now. The game has many humerous scenes and examining items or hotspots can be quite entertaining, as always when George’s (or Nico’s) opinion is requested. Of course as always, the game is well-researched and rather engaging.

Unfortunately there are also a few downsides. The game is indeed rather short and I feel somehow that the – for lack of better term – ‘philosophical’ part of the storyline could have been expanded on. On precisely two instances, I had problems with the game not working properly: both times the game could either not play or exit a cut scene. This appears to be a bug that has been around for a while. It is quite annoying and I therefore advise you to save your game, and save often, as the auto-saved file is likely to give your grief in these instances.

Nevertheless, if you love this genre, George & Nico and brain teasers, this game is for you. I recommend it wholeheartedly. Even if you haven’t played Broken Sword before, you will find this entertaining.

i have played Broken Sword 1 2 3 4 /// and know on Broken Sword 5 - the Serpent's Curse i recommend this 10/10 make more off broken sword

A worthy sequel of the previous Broken Sword games.
It's all there: the exotic locations, the secret societies, the threat of the End of Days.
Clever puzzles and only very minor-pixel hunting made for pleasant gameplay.
Would recommend to point-and-click enthusiasts.
7.5/10

As a longstanding Broken Sword fan, I had been looking forward to this game for a long time. Visually, the backgrounds are a definite return to fantastic 2D form, even if the actual characters are somewhat incongruous. Still, I will give the game the credit it deserves and say it is aesthetically very pleasing.

I've always played Broken Sword, however, for the script as much as anything, and I found the humour which I'd so enoyed in earlier games sadly flat, as well as a storyline which failed to truly engage. For that reason, I wouldn't recommend the game to those with good memories of the early games (particularly if, like me, you actually enjoyed BS3 and 4). Keep your positive memories of the series and skip this game.