Broken Sword

About

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

In "Broken Sword: Director's Cut," journalist Nico Collard and American George Stobbart become entangled in a conspiracy after a murder at the Palais Royale. This classic adventure game takes players across the globe, solving puzzles, uncovering ancient mysteries related to the Knights Templar, and enjoying new humor and narrative threads in this enhanced version.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

93%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,322 reviews

story335 positive mentions

stability8 negative mentions

Engaging story with a fascinating plot involving secret societies and historical intrigue.
Well-written dialogue and memorable characters, particularly George and Nico.
Challenging yet logical puzzles, with a helpful hint system for players who get stuck.

The Director's Cut version simplifies some puzzles and removes the ability to die, which detracts from the original's challenge.
Some new content feels tacked on and disrupts the flow of the main story.
Audio quality is inconsistent, with noticeable differences between new and old voice recordings.

story
710 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
51%
2%
The story of "Broken Sword" is widely praised for its engaging narrative, rich character development, and clever writing, often revolving around historical conspiracies involving the Knights Templar. Players appreciate the dual perspectives of protagonists George and Nico, with many noting that the director's cut adds depth to Nico's character, although some feel it disrupts the original story's pacing. Overall, the game is celebrated for its intriguing plot twists, humor, and immersive atmosphere, making it a standout in the point-and-click adventure genre.
- “What unfolds is a fascinating story of mystery and conspiracy that is superbly written with lots of puzzles and interesting locations.”
- “The story follows George and Nico as they unravel a conspiracy involving the Knights Templar.”
- “The game has a rich and immersive atmosphere that will make you feel like you are part of the story.”
- “There is a ton of missing content, including missing dialogue, puzzles, animations, and storytelling.”
- “The dialogue and voice acting are well done, but the story itself is hard to follow.”
- “The story is boring and convoluted (but was probably good for its time) and the puzzles weren't anything special.”
graphics
228 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, holding up well even by modern standards. While some players appreciate the vintage aesthetic and the updated visuals in the director's cut, others find the mix of old and new graphics jarring, with occasional glitches and inconsistencies. Overall, the art style is praised for its cartoonish quality and attention to detail, contributing significantly to the game's immersive atmosphere and storytelling.
- “Beautiful visuals: the hand-drawn 2D animation adds charm and atmosphere, especially for its time.”
- “The graphics strike a perfect balance between vintage charm and old-school comic aesthetics, ensuring that the game doesn't feel too dated by modern standards.”
- “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 updated graphics look like they were put through 2xsal without any other editing, and I am all for more Nico segments, but the way they were implemented really screws up the flow of the game.”
- “The clashing art styles and different asset qualities make the game feel terribly disjointed.”
humor
133 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
97%
3%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its clever writing, memorable characters, and witty dialogue, particularly the dynamic between George and Nico, which adds depth to the experience. Many players appreciate the blend of humor with intriguing storylines and logical puzzles, although some note that certain jokes and dialogues have been cut in newer versions, diminishing the overall comedic impact. Overall, the game is recognized for its charming, humorous elements that enhance the adventure experience, making it a standout in the point-and-click genre.
- “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
91 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
46%
3%
The music in the game is widely praised for its immersive quality, enhancing the atmosphere and emotional depth of the experience. Composed by Barrington Pheloung, the soundtrack is described as beautiful, nostalgic, and perfectly matched to the game's scenes, contributing significantly to the storytelling and gameplay. While some players noted minor issues with volume mixing, the overall consensus is that the music is a standout feature that elevates the game's charm and engagement.
- “The music serves to build tension at the right moments, and 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.”
- “The art style, the music, the voice acting, the humor, all brilliantly crafted together to create (arguably) the greatest point-and-click adventure game to ever exist.”
- “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.”
- “I found all the music out of place and some of the special effect sounds got on my nerves.”
- “The music also seems extremely loud compared to the voice acting.”
gameplay
91 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
76%
3%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by classic point-and-click mechanics, enhanced with quality-of-life updates and additional puzzles that provide fresh challenges. While many players appreciate the intuitive controls and engaging story, some criticize the simplification of certain mechanics and the removal of elements that contributed to the original's charm. Overall, the remastered version offers a solid gameplay experience, though opinions vary on whether it surpasses the original.
- “The addition of new puzzles and scenes in this version adds depth to the gameplay and provides fresh challenges for both new players and fans of the original.”
- “The gameplay stays true to classic point-and-click mechanics but introduces quality-of-life updates.”
- “The play mechanics are intuitive and the puzzles are enjoyable and not too difficult.”
- “Moments like the goat where the mechanic of the puzzle was introduced weirdly, so I thought I was stuck missing an item or something because earlier puzzles all had the same mechanics.”
- “The gameplay experience of this new version feels slightly unbalanced and barely adds any necessary value.”
- “I played through some of the director's cut version, but with the new voice actor for Nico and the changes to gameplay, it just doesn't have the same feel.”
atmosphere
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
42%
10%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its beautiful hand-drawn 2D visuals and immersive sound design, which together create a captivating world filled with charm and discovery. Players appreciate the detailed locations, atmospheric music, and the rich storytelling that draws them into the experience, making it feel alive and engaging. However, some note that changes in the director's cut version detract from the original's atmospheric depth, impacting the overall enjoyment.
- “The game has a rich and immersive atmosphere that will make you feel like you are part of the story.”
- “The hand-drawn art style and atmospheric score by Barrington Pheloung immerse you in its world, from Parisian cafés to ancient ruins.”
- “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.”
- “Games like Broken Sword at least have an atmosphere that draws you in.”
- “A classic noir atmosphere quest.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
80%
Overall, the game's stability is mixed, with users reporting various technical glitches, including minor graphical issues, out-of-sync cutscenes, and some puzzles failing to function correctly. While some players experienced a smooth performance after addressing initial bugs, others noted persistent problems that detracted from the overall experience. Despite these issues, a few reviews highlighted the game as polished and enjoyable once the glitches were resolved.
- “It also runs smoothly, with no glitches or bugs; it's an all-around polished game.”
- “There are a few minor performance issues found, but it runs great once you iron them out, and it also has the stellar added intro of the female deuteragonist for some extra gameplay.”
- “A small warning, 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.”
- “I just don't know what they did, but there are lots of graphical glitches, and the cinematics (which were excellent) look poorly encoded.”
- “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.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience, with some enjoying the engaging dialogue and well-implemented puzzles, while others criticize the slow pacing and tedious backtracking. The game features frustrating item combinations and repetitive tasks that can detract from the overall enjoyment, although a quest log helps mitigate some of the tedium. Overall, while the game has its enjoyable moments, the grinding elements can feel laborious and detract from the experience.
- “It's obvious that a lot of effort has been put into the writing and the voice acting of the dialogue, but I found much of it to be tedious and, again, slow-paced.”
- “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.”
character development
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
20%
30%
Character development in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the blend of humor and serious narrative elements, others criticize it for lacking depth and coherence, citing plot holes and inconsistent character designs. The overall character design and voice acting receive praise, contributing to an engaging experience, but some feel that more attention to character arcs would have enhanced the story. Ultimately, the game successfully combines narrative and puzzle-solving, but it leaves room for improvement in character development.
- “It elegantly navigates between the comical and the serious traditions in its approach, telling a serious conspiracy story with lots of humor and immaculate comical character design.”
- “The humor, the character development, and the puzzles are wrapped in an amazing murder mystery, involving the ancient order of the Templars.”
- “I loved the way it combined narrative, character development, and puzzle solving into a game that was consistently interesting and fun to beat.”
- “The bad - the character development needed more.”
- “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.”
emotional
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
89%
33%
Reviews highlight a mixed emotional impact, with some players feeling disconnected due to technical issues and narrative changes in the director's cut, which detracted from the original's emotional depth. Conversely, others appreciate the charming dialogue and handcrafted scenes, finding the experience heartwarming and enjoyable, reminiscent of classic adventure games. Overall, while some elements resonate emotionally, the game's ability to foster attachment varies significantly among players.
- “Well, if we are to go back to the story, one heart-breaking change for me was the introduction.”
- “The lovingly handcrafted scenes, the charming dialogue, and the captivating story culminate into a heartwarming and thoroughly enjoyable adventure game.”
- “Very, very amusing and heartwarming experience; I feel like it's a game that aged very well.”
- “The emotional moments felt forced and didn't resonate with me at all.”
- “I found the character interactions to be shallow, lacking any real emotional depth.”
- “Despite the attempts at emotional storytelling, I felt disconnected from the characters.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The reviews on replayability are mixed; while some players find the game an absolute classic with significant replay value and lasting memories, others consider it a one-time experience with little incentive to replay. The depth of the storyline and character development may enhance replayability for some, but overall, opinions vary widely.
- “Absolute classic that paved the way for point and click adventures, that surprisingly holds great replay value even today.”
- “This game has stayed with me for decades and has given countless memories and endless replay value.”
- “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.”
- “Is there any replay value?”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The game's optimization is highly inconsistent, with some players experiencing severe issues that require community fixes, particularly in fullscreen mode. However, others report a smooth experience with minor performance hiccups, indicating that once optimized, the game can run well and is generally polished.
- “This game runs smoothly.”
- “It also runs smoothly, no glitches or bugs, just an all-around polished game.”
- “There are a few minor performance issues found, but it runs great once you iron it out and it also has the stellar added intro of the female deuteragonist for some extra gameplay.”
- “The game suffers from extremely poor optimization, to the point where you cannot play the game (nor DLC) without checking community threads first for solutions. Even then, when playing in fullscreen, it crops away part of the game due to missing compatibility, which players have to fix themselves.”
- “Optimization issues make the game nearly unplayable, requiring constant adjustments and fixes that should have been addressed by the developers.”
- “The lack of proper optimization leads to frequent crashes and performance drops, making it frustrating to enjoy the game.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with some players wishing for a more integrated experience that includes a "non-director's cut" version, while others appreciate the new story branch that adds depth for seasoned players. Overall, the updates and advertising have sparked interest, though some feel certain elements may feel forced.
- “The monetization strategy feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
- “It's frustrating that essential features are locked behind paywalls, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- “The constant push for in-game purchases disrupts the flow of gameplay and feels exploitative.”