Broken Sword

About

Broken Sword is a single player casual role playing game with mystery and comedy themes. It was developed by Revolution Software Ltd and was released on October 19, 2010. It received very positive reviews from players.

Paris in the Fall... a brutal murder at the Palais Royale. When Nico Collard is invited to interview statesman Pierre Carchon, she finds herself inextricably drawn into a terrifying conspiracy. One of the all-time classic adventures, multi BAFTA-nominated "Broken Sword: Director's Cut" pitches sassy journalist Nico Collard, and intrepid American George Stobbart into a mysterious journey of intrigu…

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94%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,064 reviews

story482 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

Engaging story with a historical conspiracy around the Knights Templar that keeps players hooked.
Memorable characters, particularly George's sarcastic humor and Nico's sharp wit, create a great dynamic duo.
Beautiful hand-drawn 2D animation adds charm and atmosphere, making it a timeless classic.

The Director's Cut adds inconsequential side plots and removes all death scenes, making the game feel less challenging.
Some puzzles are overly simplified, and the hint system can make the game feel too easy.
The new graphics and voice acting sometimes clash with the original, leading to a disjointed experience.

story
1,050 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
52%
2%
The story of the game is widely praised for its engaging narrative centered around historical conspiracies involving the Knights Templar, filled with intriguing twists and well-developed characters. Players appreciate the blend of humor and mystery, alongside the immersive atmosphere that keeps them hooked throughout the adventure. However, some critiques highlight that the director's cut version introduces additional content that feels disconnected from the main story, affecting its pacing and coherence.
- “Engaging story: the historical conspiracy around the knights templar keeps you hooked from start to finish.”
- “The story is excellent, the locations are extremely well done, and the characters are memorable and fully-voiced.”
- “The writing and story of this game and all in the series are amazing.”
- “The story is boring and convoluted (but was probably good for its time) and the puzzles weren't anything special.”
- “The new story arc doesn't bring anything new or interesting to the table and seems unnecessarily tacked on.”
- “The cut narrative aspects in particular break the game's story and writing which was already impaired by the new side story.”
graphics
322 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
55%
6%
The graphics of the game are characterized by beautiful hand-drawn 2D animations that evoke nostalgia and charm, particularly for its time. While many players appreciate the artistic style and find it holds up well, some critiques highlight the jarring mix of old and new graphics in the remastered version, which can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the visuals are generally considered adequate for the game's era, with a blend of appealing aesthetics and occasional graphical inconsistencies.
- “Beautiful visuals: the hand-drawn 2D animation adds charm and atmosphere, especially for its time.”
- “Absolutely incredible classic point-and-click adventure game that holds up amazingly well even today and with great old school yet somehow modern graphics.”
- “The hand-drawn graphics still hold up even by today's standards, the story is hugely engrossing and gripping, and you'll be captivated from the very first cutscene.”
- “The graphics are lousy by today's standards, the dialogue is weak, and the jokes are unfunny.”
- “The directors cut includes a new UI, added cutscenes, and the ability to play as Nicole Collard in the extra 2-hour segments, which all feels completely unnecessary and takes you out of the moment when you see updated graphics being slapped onto the original design.”
- “Even the updated graphics take away from some of the charm.”
humor
198 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
96%
4%
The humor in the game is a standout feature, characterized by memorable characters like George and Nico, whose witty banter and sarcastic exchanges often elicit genuine laughter. While many players appreciate the clever writing and amusing dialogue, some critiques highlight inconsistencies in humor quality, with certain jokes feeling forced or lacking depth. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with engaging storytelling and logical puzzles, making it a beloved classic in the point-and-click genre.
- “Memorable characters: George’s sarcastic humor and Nico’s sharp wit make for a great dynamic duo.”
- “The dialogue and humor throughout the game is great.”
- “The writing is great, it's humorous, witty, and entertaining, pretty much always.”
- “The graphics are lousy by today's standards, the dialogue is weak, and the 'jokes' are unfunny.”
- “There's a lot of nostalgia for the original Broken Sword, and it was pretty good, but it had a lot of flaws: a dorky protagonist in 'George Stobbard from California', lots of central-casting characters, some overly long clunky and unfunny dialogue, and a slightly muddy plot.”
- “It's not only not funny, it's also not tied into the conversation, so he comes across like some jerk who constantly interrupts the people he starts to talk to with random and oftentimes even mean sentences.”
music
132 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
43%
2%
The music in the game is widely praised for its immersive and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the overall experience with a beautiful and memorable soundtrack composed by Barrington Pheloung. Reviewers note that the music effectively complements the gameplay, building tension and emotion during key moments, while also being nostalgic and iconic. Although some users experienced minor issues with volume mixing, the overall consensus is that the music significantly contributes to the game's captivating world and storytelling.
- “Fantastic soundtrack, with a great story.”
- “The music serves to build tension at the right moments, the incidental sounds for each scene set the tone perfectly.”
- “Not only is the music iconic and appropriate, but the way music is interwoven with solving puzzles or uncovering secrets makes the gameplay itself even more satisfying.”
- “Voice lines are alright but sometimes hard to make out, especially when the music gets loud.”
- “The music mixing can be a little off at times with the volume, but the game has subtitles so you don't miss a beat.”
- “The soundtracks overlap each other in places they aren't supposed to be, while some of the original tracks are never playing at all.”
gameplay
126 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
79%
2%
The gameplay of the game is generally well-received, with many praising its intuitive mechanics and enjoyable puzzles, although some find the puzzles to be overly simplistic or outdated. The remastered version introduces some changes that streamline gameplay but may detract from the original's charm and depth. Overall, while the game maintains a solid point-and-click experience, opinions vary on the effectiveness of the updates and the balance between new content and the classic feel.
- “The gameplay is simple as in every point and click, but the effort that has gone into this game is sublime.”
- “The play mechanics are intuitive and the puzzles are enjoyable and not too difficult.”
- “Not only is the music iconic and appropriate, but the way music is interwoven with solving puzzles or uncovering secrets makes the gameplay itself even more satisfying.”
- “The gameplay experience of this new version feels slightly unbalanced and barely adds any necessary value.”
- “I had to play with a patch to disable the blue circles identifying where you can click; what an absolutely ridiculous mechanic to implement (especially as there's no option to turn it off).”
- “I guess the aim was to streamline the game or move the story along more quickly, but by cutting out much of the dialogue and gameplay, they have inadvertently cut out most of the charm and humour that I experienced when playing the original game.”
atmosphere
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
48%
6%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its beautiful hand-drawn 2D visuals, immersive music, and detailed locations that create a captivating world. Players appreciate the blend of storytelling, character depth, and a sense of discovery, which enhances the overall experience. However, some note that changes in the director's cut version detract from the original atmosphere, impacting the game's flow and tension.
- “Immersive atmosphere: subtle music and detailed locations make exploring the world captivating.”
- “The general atmosphere of the game is incredible, the pacing is just right, and the gameplay has not been affected by the passage of time in a negative way.”
- “This game brings a world to life through detailed scenes, sounds, atmospheric music, and of course we can't forget the fully voiced characters.”
- “Sadly, I have to note that the director's cut version actually 'cuts' dialogue and animation content from the original game, somewhat downgrading the flow and the atmosphere of the whole story.”
- “Well, I could live with this part, because it does not influence the main story though or the original atmosphere of the game.”
- “Games like Broken Sword at least have an atmosphere that draws you in.”
character development
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
18%
19%
Character development in the game is praised for its excellent execution, blending humor with serious narrative elements, and featuring strong voice acting and engaging dialogue. However, some reviews criticize the presence of plot holes and inconsistencies in character arcs, as well as noticeable declines in character design quality compared to the original game. Overall, while the character development is generally well-received, it is marred by certain design flaws and narrative cuts that detract from the experience.
- “Was challenging and a lot of fun to play, the voice acting is brilliant and the character development is excellent, be prepared for plenty of laughs though!”
- “I loved the way it combined narrative, character development, and puzzle solving into a game that was consistently interesting and fun to beat.”
- “The overall dialogue and character design just has a real European flair to it that I enjoyed.”
- “There are some really stupid plot holes, as well as unbelievable character developments.”
- “As the main game starts, the first problem appears: the sound quality; the new recordings really stand out against the old ones from the main game, and also some of the character designs look worse than the main game. One good example is when the character visits a hotel in Paris and there is one character reading a newspaper in an armchair. For some reason, his outline was removed; he looks like a black mass of animation.”
- “There are some really stupid plot holes, as well as unbelievable character developments.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
58%
25%
The reviews present a mixed perspective on replayability, with some titles being praised as classics that offer significant replay value, while others are criticized for being one-time experiences with little incentive to replay. Overall, the replayability of these games varies widely, with some being seen as niche and short, lacking in replay value, while others are noted for their depth and challenge, potentially encouraging multiple playthroughs.
- “Absolute classic that paved the way for point and click adventures, that surprisingly holds great replay value even today.”
- “Very challenging and in-depth storyline and much more playable than the old PS version.”
- “Replayability: none (one-timer :d)”
- “I know these games are short and have no replayability value; they are pretty niche, and developers should probably make them out of passion rather than hoping to become millionaires.”
- “I'm not sure if Nico is a more playable character in the later games, so they wanted to flesh out her role in this one to be more in line with later games or what.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspects of the game to be tedious, particularly due to slow walking and frustrating puzzles that require repetitive actions, such as entering numbers with a wheel. While the dialogue and character interactions are engaging, some item combinations and certain tasks are criticized for being nonsensical and overly tedious, detracting from the overall experience.
- “As there is a lot of back and forth in this game, the slow walking felt tedious.”
- “Some of the things you had to do were downright stupid and made no sense--one puzzle essentially makes you enter a set of numbers by tediously turning a wheel and pressing a button, and if you don't get every number right you have to start over again.”
- “There are a few teeth-grindingly stupid item combinations, and the ending is pretty weak, but it's worth the ride.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including numerous bugs affecting the GUI, puzzles that fail to function correctly, and various graphical and sound glitches. Players have reported problems such as out-of-sync cutscenes and audio inconsistencies, particularly when played in full-screen mode on modern devices. Overall, the game's stability is a major concern, detracting from the overall experience.
- “The UI is incredibly basic, the new audio mixed with the old recordings sounds awful, some cutscenes are out of sync and even missing, and it's insanely buggy.”
- “There are sound glitches whereby I heard Lady Piermont's piano playing in other random locations, among other problems.”
- “The game is kind of buggy with the GUI; I found a couple of puzzles that, despite doing things exactly as needed, just didn't work.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by a sense of nostalgia and heartbreak, particularly regarding changes in the story that affected the player's experience. While some players appreciated the adventure's engaging qualities, the game's technical issues detracted from their overall enjoyment and emotional connection.
- “Well, if we are to go back to the story, one heart-breaking change for me was the introduction.”
- “This is a decent point and click adventure--made me feel like I was part of a Johnny Quest cartoon.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's optimization is severely lacking, leading to significant issues that require players to seek community solutions, particularly for fullscreen compatibility problems. In contrast, some users report a smooth gameplay experience, indicating a mixed reception regarding optimization.
- “This game runs smoothly.”
- “The game suffers from extremely poor optimization, to the point where you cannot play the game (nor DLC) without having to check community threads first for how to solve such issues. Even then, when playing in fullscreen, it crops away part of the game due to missing compatibility, which players have to fix by themselves.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with some players wishing for a more integrated experience that includes both the original and updated content without additional costs. However, the new story branch is appreciated for adding depth and discovery, even for seasoned players. Overall, while there are desires for a more cohesive package, the updates do provide value.