Broken Sword 5: The Serpents' Curse - Part I

 PC
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 171 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 116 out of 171
  2. Mixed: 40 out of 171
  3. Negative: 15 out of 171

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  1. Mellow_Online4
    Mar 22, 2016
    7
    I was so happy that one of my favourite point and click franchises was getting a new game, 7 years after the last game was released. I was jumping with excitement. What did I think of it when it came out? It was good..... That's basically all I can say about it. I really wanted to say more about this because I was expecting more, especially after a hugely successful kickstarter campaignI was so happy that one of my favourite point and click franchises was getting a new game, 7 years after the last game was released. I was jumping with excitement. What did I think of it when it came out? It was good..... That's basically all I can say about it. I really wanted to say more about this because I was expecting more, especially after a hugely successful kickstarter campaign making more than double the original target. I loved all of the broken sword games, I even have a disagreement with how people treat the 4th game. But it just seems to be missing the charm the other games had, the same goes for BS4. Whereabouts does this game rank along with the broken sword games, it ranks 4th. It's better than 4 but not as good as 2,3 or 1.

    My one gripe I have with this are the puzzles seem way too simple and straight forward. Same thing as the director's cut of the original. They dumb down the puzzles so that people with half a brain could do. You just need to do the basic adventure things in order to do the puzzles. It doesn't really do much to stand out from the crowd. They also have the hint system make a return from 1 and 2, but unlike them, the hint system seems unnecessary. Again because of the simple puzzles.

    The artwork is beautiful, as usual for broken sword. But the artwork in this seems better than the other games, especially the dated graphics of 3 and 4. Movements seem crisp and smooth which is a huge improvement of the awkward movements of NPCs in 1 and 2.

    Dialogue is basically the same as the previous games so not much to talk about there.

    Characters are again your typical broken sword characters. So not much to talk about there.

    I think a few of the critics are missing the point of this game as well as other point click games. They're saying that it's timeless. Any point and click game can be timeless as long as it's done right. Point and click games are similar to old Atari 2600 games and nes game. They're so simple by today's standards but if they're done correct they can leave an impact on the gaming community as a whole. Easy to make but hard to master.

    I love the idea of resurrecting old franchises as it appeals to all sorts of gamers. Newer gamers grab it because it looks new and interesting and older gamers grab it for the nostalgia. That's why I just love the feeling of playing another Broken Sword game and it was a good experience. Now I just need to wait for the next Monkey Island.    … Expand
  2. Mellow_Online2
    Jan 10, 2016
    7
    I was so happy that one of my favourite point and click franchises was getting a new game, 7 years after the last game was released. I was jumping with excitement. What did I think of it when it came out? It was good..... That's basically all I can say about it. I really wanted to say more about this because I was expecting more, especially after a hugely successful kickstarter campaignI was so happy that one of my favourite point and click franchises was getting a new game, 7 years after the last game was released. I was jumping with excitement. What did I think of it when it came out? It was good..... That's basically all I can say about it. I really wanted to say more about this because I was expecting more, especially after a hugely successful kickstarter campaign making more than double the original target. I loved all of the broken sword games, I even have a disagreement with how people treat the 4th game. But it just seems to be missing the charm the other games had, the same goes for BS4. Whereabouts does this game rank along with the broken sword games, it ranks 4th. It's better than 4 but not as good as 2,3 or 1.

    My one gripe I have with this are the puzzles seem way too simple and straight forward. Same thing as the director's cut of the original. They dumb down the puzzles so that people with half a brain could do. You just need to do the basic adventure things in order to do the puzzles. It doesn't really do much to stand out from the crowd. They also have the hint system make a return from 1 and 2, but unlike them, the hint system seems unnecessary. Again because of the simple puzzles.

    The artwork is beautiful, as usual for broken sword. But the artwork in this seems better than the other games, especially the dated graphics of 3 and 4. Movements seem crisp and smooth which is a huge improvement of the awkward movements of NPCs in 1 and 2.

    Dialogue is basically the same as the previous games so not much to talk about there.

    Characters are again your typical broken sword characters. So not much to talk about there.

    I think a few of the critics are missing the point of this game as well as other point click games. They're saying that it's timeless. Any point and click game can be timeless as long as it's done right. Point and click games are similar to old Atari 2600 games and nes game. They're so simple by today's standards but if they're done correct they can leave an impact on the gaming community as a whole. Easy to make but hard to master.    … Expand
  3. GaNTZzZ_Pele
    Jan 8, 2016
    6
    Pros: Un gran trabajo artístico y el humor que se espera de la saga. Un par de situaciones tiene verdadera gracia.

    Contras: Facilón, sobretodo por las pocas cosas de las que dispones para interactuar. El ritmo puede llegar a hacerse pesado.

    Tiempo empleado: 7h.
  4. SenshudoTV
    Oct 1, 2015
    7
    “Push through the first half to enjoy a great second half.”
    ‘Broken Sword 5: The Serpent’s Curse’ is not quite as good as the first two games in the series, but then very few games are and it is made all the more tragic by the fact that without its first half, it perhaps could have been. But fans of the series and/or genre will find a game which is full of witty dialogue, familiar    “Push through the first half to enjoy a great second half.”
    ‘Broken Sword 5: The Serpent’s Curse’ is not quite as good as the first two games in the series, but then very few games are and it is made all the more tragic by the fact that without its first half, it perhaps could have been. But fans of the series and/or genre will find a game which is full of witty dialogue, familiar characters and challenging new puzzles.    … Expand
  5. tsakiym
    May 15, 2015
    5
    I do not have to say anything more. But i need to write one hundred and fifty characters. i think my score can describe it............................
  6. markodon
    Oct 12, 2014
    6
    As a massive BS fan, I was thrilled to be able to play a new 2D, old-school style BS title. What was not great news is that it was split into two parts. The episodic format works fine with Telltale games because they are like a well-written TV series. The Serpent's Curse, on the other hand was simply cut in half, in a very abrupt manner. To make it worse, the second part didn't come outAs a massive BS fan, I was thrilled to be able to play a new 2D, old-school style BS title. What was not great news is that it was split into two parts. The episodic format works fine with Telltale games because they are like a well-written TV series. The Serpent's Curse, on the other hand was simply cut in half, in a very abrupt manner. To make it worse, the second part didn't come out for months, with each new postponement making me less and less excited. As for the game itself, it's weird writing the review for the first part only, so I will just include the whole game here. Unfortunately, I have to say this game is nowhere near the brilliant Shadows of the Templars and it's sequel. The old BS feel was restored to some extent when compared to the 3D titles, but some of the writing was silly and the humour definitely can't match the 90's titles. Graphically, although reminiscent of BS 1 and 2, the game is also far behind those titles, which can be forgiven considering the budget for this one. Overall, there is still some pleasure to be had, especially for nostalgic reasons, but The Serpent's Curse simply could not restore the Broken Sword series to its old glory.… Expand
  7. experience86
    Sep 18, 2014
    8
    George and Nico are back and they're back for good. The only problem about this first chapter is that it is a launching pad for the second episode. That is why I think it is unfair to judge the two chapters on their own (mainly because it wasn't conceived to be splitted in two parts). The graphic is great, the characters and dialogues are perfect. Probably the game is too easy, but itGeorge and Nico are back and they're back for good. The only problem about this first chapter is that it is a launching pad for the second episode. That is why I think it is unfair to judge the two chapters on their own (mainly because it wasn't conceived to be splitted in two parts). The graphic is great, the characters and dialogues are perfect. Probably the game is too easy, but it improves in the second half. I think Metacritic should create another page where we can review the COMPLETE game and not the single episodes.… Expand
  8. StormyEarth
    Jul 3, 2014
    7
    I didn't finish this game completely so I might change my review later when or if I found something interesting but so far I played it almost half so I believe I am suitable enough to write a review for making it easy to read I would group my review into few categories. first I would review the technical side of the game and then gameplay and then how it fits into the modern ideologies andI didn't finish this game completely so I might change my review later when or if I found something interesting but so far I played it almost half so I believe I am suitable enough to write a review for making it easy to read I would group my review into few categories. first I would review the technical side of the game and then gameplay and then how it fits into the modern ideologies and then rest of the things.

    when it comes to technical side I will explain about graphics, sounds, technical issues ,saving, loading and its time. the graphics are obviously great and it's somehow awesome for a 2D game I would say it's quite rare to see hand made gorgeous ambient graphics in a western game though they are quite prominent in anime games like visual novels so I really like the ambient graphics but when it comes to the characters it's not that great they are look so boring and less detailed and I noticed that the items you can interact can be more detailed while not intractable items can be less detailed it's like an old school cartoon but it's not that visible unless you pay more attention to them. the game has both day and night missions and it looks amazing how it contrast the day & night different while the area is still same. the game is obviously in 2D but the characters are 2.5D and the entire game is fully HD but there are slight jaggy lines around the characters when they are far away from the screen but when they come close to the screen they disappear. the game has a fixed camera position so you can't rotate the camera. the option has only few settings. screen resolution, subtitles and its style like in comics you can see what player talks on top of him/her and obviously it's point and click style game.

    the sound is somewhat fine and it has ambient music and dialog sounds are really realistic but it doesn't make the player scared like in previous games you feel like it's calm even in serious situations but still the game tries to make it realistic depend on the situation and the game seems has only one music and it keeps playing in everywhere even in different places so it doesn't make any sense. and in option music, ambient sounds and the speech sounds' level can be changed. the game is required to have OpenAL installs so if someone doesn't have this software make sure to download and install unless it wouldn't work the dialogs are really realistic it doesn't sound perfect but still so realistic and people have different tongues depend on their mood like if they are mad the they sound like so mad and if they are playful they sound really playful and if they are romantic they sound romantic.

    there ain't any technical issues in the game the game seems rock solid but once right after the cut scene the game stuck for few seconds but again it fixed itself I didn't see any technical issue so far and loading and saving features are also perfect and the game loads immediately, game has a flawless frame rate and it doesn't stutter or lag at all. judging by its system requirements I would say if you have a P3 computer around 1000MHz speed and an onboard graphic card like Intel you can still play it without any issue but make sure the RAM has roughly 512MB space unless the game might constantly access to the hard disk in order to load its data so then they game might start lagging. the game needs at least Window XP machine but I am pretty sure you can still try on Windows 98 machine but I am not sure it works or not.

    the game play. the puzzles can be a bit hard when you are tired but when the mind is fresh they can be solved so easily, it needs some common sense but knowing about the European history and Christianity might be useful and the game seems less violent and no violence at all from the George but still Nico can be a bit violent and aggressive but I didn't see she attacks anyone. and the game is a bit funny because there are funny dialogs from time to time specially from George I guess he is my favorite character but sadly most of guys in the game can be a bit aggressive on him while respect the Nico. it makes me feel like most of guys in the game might want to sleep with nico.

    the game doesn't have any discrimination on anyone no sexism or racism and women and men are respected well but still I feel like George is respected less perhaps because he is a guy so the game might be slightly misandrist but again mostly guys treat him badly and women seem like george. there is a character in the game who resembles the look of putin and I feel like it makes fun of him. and the game has heavy religious root when it comes missions it's mostly about Christianity so if you have no idea about the Christianity and its history you might have to pay attention to dialogs unless you might miss a lot of important information. the game has a bit intermediate english so if you are from a non english speaking country it's better turn on the sub and keep a dictionary close to you.I guess that's all about it.    … Expand
  9. skogsgurka
    Jul 2, 2014
    8
    If you liked the previous Broken Sword games, or point & click-games in general, don't hesitate.
    + Great mystical story,
    + Very nice puzzles, several of them of mini-game type, like ciphers for example. + Nice difficulty level. Provides a smooth storytelling while making you 'actually' feel smart. + Gorgeous artwork throughout the game. + Alright humour, and great voice acting. -    If you liked the previous Broken Sword games, or point & click-games in general, don't hesitate.
    + Great mystical story,
    + Very nice puzzles, several of them of mini-game type, like ciphers for example.
    + Nice difficulty level. Provides a smooth storytelling while making you 'actually' feel smart.
    + Gorgeous artwork throughout the game.
    + Alright humour, and great voice acting.

    - The episode splitting is very noticeable. Breaks the the storytelling. First scene is so obviously made for piloting/demoing.
    - Too few characters in certain environments. Feels desolated.
    - Lacking programming of dialogue. Large gaps of time between lines.
    - The quality of animation is far behind the quality of illustrations.

    Overall, had a GREAT experience. Recommend it to anyone who's in to mysteries/crime novels/etc.    … Expand
  10. johnnieisle
    Feb 2, 2014
    10
    Back to its roots, beautiful game, really well drawn I was quite taken aback when it opened with the eagle flying off. Somehow expecting it not to look as good as it does! , good dialogue as we're used to in these games. And a good storyline. This is how the series should have evolved Looking forward to part two and hopefully broken sword 6! Don't listen to critics this is a great game!Back to its roots, beautiful game, really well drawn I was quite taken aback when it opened with the eagle flying off. Somehow expecting it not to look as good as it does! , good dialogue as we're used to in these games. And a good storyline. This is how the series should have evolved Looking forward to part two and hopefully broken sword 6! Don't listen to critics this is a great game! Although I am a fan of the series and point and clicks in general I wouldn't have rated it so positively if it wasn't that good! Happy man right here… Expand
  11. strav
    Feb 1, 2014
    8
    I'm often amused by how, for some games, the "official critics" response to a game can be far from the general public appreciation. My guess is that, two main factors are responsible for this. The first is that, nowadays, as games are being touted as a serious art form, it seems that critics feel as if they now must theorize on what makes a good game, they built up expectations on what aI'm often amused by how, for some games, the "official critics" response to a game can be far from the general public appreciation. My guess is that, two main factors are responsible for this. The first is that, nowadays, as games are being touted as a serious art form, it seems that critics feel as if they now must theorize on what makes a good game, they built up expectations on what a game should be and in some places, the meeting of this expectation simply replaces sheer enjoyment and appreciation. The second factor is that, most critics don't have the time to properly review all the games that come out and they simply "inspire" themselves from other "reputable" opinions. Actually, concerning the Broken Sword 5, I wouldn't be surprised if most of the mixed reviews we see are just clones of the RockPaperShotgun's appreciation.

    As for myself, as most of the other reviewers around, I feel that that Broken Sword 5 is on par with the first two games of the series. The story unfolds in very natural way and is punctuated with glimpses of the same silly humour that made Broken Sword 1 & 2 so enjoyable. I felt that the intrigue, while verging on the mystic and mysterious, was told in credible and enticing way. As a first episode of two, by definition, it is incomplete and somewhat of an intro to the whole story but it sure got me hooked into playing the second act.

    On the technical side, the graphics are mostly very well done. Every background is hand-drawn and they all are, with respect to the series, colourful and lovely detailed. As for the characters, while being 3D rendered, they do integrate very well with their surroundings but to be honest, the animation part is 70% of what it should have been. (The main problem is that most of the characters have very limited movement routines and it sometimes leads to situations where you really feel like playing with cheap puppets). Most of voice acting was equally good with the notable exception of Nico - her accent is just off and her intonations are often misplaced. As for the music, it does the job well enough (nothing overstated).

    In the end, if you enjoyed the first Broken Sword games, chances are you'll really appreciate this one. And if you're somewhat new to point and click adventures, I guess this would be a good title to begin with (in my opinion, it surely is far more appreciable then most of that Daedalic have done in last few months)!    … Expand
  12. RustyJames
    Jan 23, 2014
    8
    Quite nice game and very enjoyable to play. Every location and character are well drawn and contain so much details. The music and sound are great, very appropriate for this game. The story is pretty interesting, but the game, unfortunately, is too short. The puzzles aren't difficult, but very interesting to solve some of them.

    Broken Sword 5 is a very nice adventure game and it retains    Quite nice game and very enjoyable to play. Every location and character are well drawn and contain so much details. The music and sound are great, very appropriate for this game. The story is pretty interesting, but the game, unfortunately, is too short. The puzzles aren't difficult, but very interesting to solve some of them.

    Broken Sword 5 is a very nice adventure game and it retains the style of the whole series.    … Expand
  13. VonSeux
    Jan 8, 2014
    9
    Perfect return to form!!! The graphics and animations are very beautiful and collorful. Nice art direction. The start of the game is, again, a crime scene. A love letter to all fans. True point and click adventure. Highly recommended!!!
  14. RealGameReviews
    Dec 30, 2013
    8
    The serpents curse returns in this excellent sequel, broken sword 5. Serpent must navigate his way through many challenges in this point and click adventure wich will have viewers on the edge of there seets in suspense, reccomended to people who like adventures.
  15. Xlavatzis
    Dec 26, 2013
    9
    I have no idea what these critics were thinking...This is a great game. It's a game that gave the people who funded it everything they asked for. Gorgeous 2d graphics, a beautiful story with lots of twists and well designed logical puzzles. If you like adventure games, don't think twice before buying this.
  16. Storm1672
    Dec 25, 2013
    7
    Up to the series good ol reputation. Kinda expected more tho after all these years. And the story is kinda weak so far. At least, compared to the other games of the series.
  17. nutcrackr
    Dec 23, 2013
    8
    A solid first part of an interesting tale involving murder and mystery. Most of the puzzles are not particularly hard, there was only one puzzle that makes zero logical sense but the hint system will help you solve any. I found the dialogue had long pauses between each exchange, and this made some of the dialogue kinda painful. Funny at times, relaxing to play.
  18. Lambo442
    Dec 23, 2013
    2
    The trailer made this look as if it was old school broken sword, but it's not. It's completely banal and does nothing to try and set itself ahead of other titles in the same genre. People will always buy it because it's part of a nostalgic franchise, but it's such a lazy title. Stobart thinks nothing of robbing corpses and stealing items from people just because they happen to accidentallyThe trailer made this look as if it was old school broken sword, but it's not. It's completely banal and does nothing to try and set itself ahead of other titles in the same genre. People will always buy it because it's part of a nostalgic franchise, but it's such a lazy title. Stobart thinks nothing of robbing corpses and stealing items from people just because they happen to accidentally 'drop' them right in front of him. Revolution need to buck their ideas up and come up with something innovative that moves George into the 21st century,… Expand
  19. Pars
    Dec 20, 2013
    10
    Wonderfully crafted point and click adventure with a story to keep you hooked and some great voice acting and backdrops. Pay no heed to the critics they obviously didn't get paid off when reviewing this. If you enjoyed the previous broken sword games or classic point and click nostalgia then you will want to give this a shot. All in all a very fun game and highly recommended.
  20. akarnokd
    Dec 16, 2013
    7
    One of the most beautifully drawn point & click game I've seen so far. The backdrops blend nicely with the character model. The familiar character voices are great. However, the head scratching starts at here: I don't know. The story didn't excite me as I hoped for. The dialog, although well delivered, it didn't feel inspiring. I planned to play through it without any guide, but got stuckOne of the most beautifully drawn point & click game I've seen so far. The backdrops blend nicely with the character model. The familiar character voices are great. However, the head scratching starts at here: I don't know. The story didn't excite me as I hoped for. The dialog, although well delivered, it didn't feel inspiring. I planned to play through it without any guide, but got stuck a few times and had to look up the solution; usually, the solution was to use some item I somehow managed to not use with everything else, or a talk option has show up by someone. Part one completed, George was more in the center of events than Nico. Hopefully, part 2 will balance things out for Nico. The game came with exclusive first day bugs; scenes crashing, cutscenes not playing, etc.; but at least the autosave saves the day. I can't understand why studios release their game on Thrusday or Friday, so they are unable fix the most annoying bugs due to the weekend? Despite the shortcomings, I'd recommend this game; buy it now, wait for the free update and play it as a whole. I would give this game 7.5 so far. I'll revise my score once the second half is out.… Expand
  21. AvalancheBoy
    Dec 14, 2013
    9
    Broken Sword back to its strengths, theres plenty of Stobbart charisma and the story is an interesting one, I'm a little disappointed with it being a little short but I look forward to the second half, hoping theres some tougher puzzles. But it is like others say a breath of fresh air, if they keep adding to the broken sword series I'll keep playing them.
  22. Bmane
    Dec 14, 2013
    7
    Broken Sword, the fifth in a trilogy that has seen its ups and downs, has finally arrived. Was the wait worth it? Did it live up to its expectations?

    I'd say a tentative yes in certain aspects. Serpents Curse tries its best to bring back the nostalgia from the first and second 2D games of the series. At times, it is rather successful in doing this and at other times it tries too hard.    Broken Sword, the fifth in a trilogy that has seen its ups and downs, has finally arrived. Was the wait worth it? Did it live up to its expectations?

    I'd say a tentative yes in certain aspects. Serpents Curse tries its best to bring back the nostalgia from the first and second 2D games of the series. At times, it is rather successful in doing this and at other times it tries too hard. The 3D drawn characters for example; beautifully rendered but come across as strange and often appear stiff like mannequins with awkward movements.
    This is even more apparent in the opening intro especially considering they are portrayed against the backdrop of masterful handrawn 2D backgrounds that just don't mix well with the 3D movements and rendered characters. What madness processed them to go along with this approach escapes me.

    Some developers just can't let go off 3D altogether, and Serpents Curse tries to blend both worlds together but fails to do both right. Don't get me wrong; the backgrounds are masterfully done and are fantastic, as limited as they are, and the characters themselves, while they do appear stiff and rigid, have a tremendous amount of detail to them. It's just a shame Cecil decided to try to blend both 2D and 3D together because it simply does not work.

    Regarding what I said about the backgrounds being limited, well, they are. There's not that much backgrounds at all to be fair. Episode one mainly takes place in Paris and features a lot of heavily re-used backdrops and you don't get the feeling that your 'going places' but rather stuck going back and forth to the same locations. This is quite understandable considering the quality of the backgrounds and the size of them. At such a high-resolution, drawing them must take up a considerable amount of time, but Broken Sword 5 misses out on the feeling of traveling to a wide selection of area's that was very much present in the 1st and 2nd. Sure, at the end of episode 1 its clear we'll be off to a certain place, but I get the slight impression not much will change in Episode 2 in terms of background variety.

    Broken Sword The Serpents Curse general plotline is nothing to marvel at; at least in the confines of what Episode 1 presents us with. Having completed the game in full now, I can honestly say I foresaw practically every twist that came my way. I generally knew who was 'bad' and who was 'questionably good' but the story tries to present its twists and turns as shocks but in reality they didn't. I can't say much without going into spoiler territory, but I will say that the death of a prominent character did not surprise me one bit. The story is also filled with little plotholes and in-consistency now and again which don't make much logical sense, but if anyone played the previous two games in the series, then you learn to suspend reality while your playing a Broken Sword game.

    The characters don't have as much depth as past characters did in the first two series. Broken Sword 2 has a wealth of complex characters; who remembers Raoul, who was ruled by his mother but you soon learn later on that there is a lot more to the cowardly Raoul than meets the eye?

    Sadly Serpents Curse characters are rather one-dimensional. Laine and his overly sense of entitlement. Father Simeon and his constant overbearing sense of religious burning hatred for you know who. Detective Naveat (I'm sure I spelt that wrong) and his rather unrealistic portrayal of just bad detective work.

    But this is getting all very negative and now its time for some positivity. Having completed the fifth game, I can honestly say I felt satisfied with how episode 1 has turned out. It's a step in the right direction, but only a step. For me personally it doesn't surpass the quality fo the first two games, but it certainly races past the 3rd and 4th game whose name I shall not speak. In that way, Serpents Curse is a resounding success for what it's trying to do, and that is trying to redeem itself from the last two games.

    It just falls ever so slightly short of reaching its goal. Perhaps episode 2 will have some of that missing charm and complete the saga of nostalgia. Who knows.

    But I am certainly looking forward to the next episode.    … Expand
  23. SimonSorcerer
    Dec 10, 2013
    6
    I'm a huge fan of Broken Sword series and I've supported the Kickstarter campaign just to be able to play this game so my expectations were quite high but as I've just finished the game (first part that is) I have to tell that my feelings are quite mixed.

    Graphics: Firstly the graphics is great location backgrounds are superb as in Shadows of the Templars it's one of the aspects I    I'm a huge fan of Broken Sword series and I've supported the Kickstarter campaign just to be able to play this game so my expectations were quite high but as I've just finished the game (first part that is) I have to tell that my feelings are quite mixed.

    Graphics:
    Firstly the graphics is great location backgrounds are superb as in Shadows of the Templars it's one of the aspects I was looking forward and wasn't disappointed. The downfall is that there is very (very) little of them and to prolong the experience they are reused a lot.
    Even if the second part will offer similar number of locations it still won't be on the same level as BG1 or 2.
    I was a bit worried about using 3D models for characters and while it was not as bad it was not good either. It still requires som touches shading didn't feel that natural and for 3D models I would expect a bit larger scale of animations.

    Characters:
    As someone mentioned here already the characters (especially Nico) were a bit shallow in this part motivations, feelings, backgrounds I couldn't enjoy playing as George (or Nico) as much as in previous installments. Even a small improvements here would help a lot e.g. Intro could be a bit longer and focused more on George/Nico. Why are they in the gallery, how did they get there, how come George is in Paris and hasn't contacted Nico, etc...

    Story:
    Story was quite ok for me. It was intriguing, yet not too complex and got me in. The bad part is that as this was only first part I will have to wait for second to find out how the story evolves further.

    Gameplay:
    Too easy. To emphasize TOO easy! For us who played old school adventure games when these were ruling the computer world, this was really a peace of cake. I know that nowadays the difficulty of games is lower to appease wider public and not discourage casual players, but this was still way too easy and the puzzles didn't provide virtually any challenge. The same goes for item combinations and usage. I looked into the hints section only once and it was just to see what it looks like :)
    Please work on this in the second part. While it doesn't have to be like the legendary goat from BS1, we still would like some challenge.

    Resume:
    While I've had a good time playing this game I was expecting more from the matadors of the genre (the competition is not small these days) and especially when I see the release price for the first part (which I would be expecting for full game rather).
    Also I'm not sure if this semi-episodic model was the best strategy for game like Broken Sword, but I guess your analysis will show later on.
    Hope the second (and any further) parts will improve and I'm already looking forward to them.    … Expand
  24. krimokrimo
    Dec 10, 2013
    10
    This is an great Point and Click Adventure, which is especially made for the Fans of the first and the second Broken Sword games, because the Graphics are really beautifully hand-drawn.
    I am really happy, that they made the sequel, and I am really pumped for the second part
  25. pvtmalte
    Dec 10, 2013
    9
    when i finished the game i felt how endorphins where rushing through my body. what else matters?
    (apparantly metacritic wants more than that, but it's all i have to say)
  26. dazsin
    Dec 9, 2013
    9
    I'm a bit baffled by some of the reviews here. Broken Sword 1 is my favourite game of all time I won't deny that. I wasn't a huge fan of the 3D element of 3 and 4, however I felt the story and humour remained, so I still enjoyed them. I had high hopes for the belated fifth installment, and wondered how it would turn out. I am delighted to say it has exceeded my expectations. The look andI'm a bit baffled by some of the reviews here. Broken Sword 1 is my favourite game of all time I won't deny that. I wasn't a huge fan of the 3D element of 3 and 4, however I felt the story and humour remained, so I still enjoyed them. I had high hopes for the belated fifth installment, and wondered how it would turn out. I am delighted to say it has exceeded my expectations. The look and feel of it is reminiscent of the first 2 games, however it has been given a bit of 21st century sheen. The story is intriguing, and the Stobbart deadpan humour is here in bucketloads. I have laughed out load on numerous occasions to his little jokes, or his amusing responses. I also love the secondary characters reactions to the odd items Stobbart carries around with him.
    Probably the only quibble I have is that it is a bit easy. We are only halfway through (part 2 is due in January) but nothing has had me stuck like the first game (i'd go days just wandering round, trying every item with everything) however, the developers have made the superb decision not to include a 'hotspot' key which basically turns point and click games into interactive stories.
    If you are considering buying BS5 i'd strongly urge you to do so. In a world of an endless stream of Call of Duty and FIFA games a new Broken Sword is extremely welcome especially when it is done this well.    … Expand
  27. Holyhesk
    Dec 9, 2013
    6
    The Good Excellent charactors, each one has its own personality. George's script again amazing. Nice environments. Story is very interesting and urges you to continue to see what unfolds.

    The Bad Part 1 of the game is way to short 50% of the game is now complete, took me about 9 hours and thats with taking my time. Puzzles and item use are far to obvious and easy. This new hints    The Good Excellent charactors, each one has its own personality. George's script again amazing. Nice environments. Story is very interesting and urges you to continue to see what unfolds.

    The Bad Part 1 of the game is way to short 50% of the game is now complete, took me about 9 hours and thats with taking my time. Puzzles and item use are far to obvious and easy. This new hints system (which a lot of adventures these days seem to use) kind of ruins the challenge. Turned these off and still had no problems solving the puzzles. Lack of different environments while they do look very nice there isn't enough of them. They use the same scenes over and over. Not many places the charactors can walk to, each scene is way to small, i'd like to of seen more scrolling while walking to enjoy new environments, frustating when you can only walk George a few steps to the end of the scene.

    I'm afraid the Bads outweigh the Goods in this one. Part 2 needs to be vastly improved for me to score this any higher than a 6.    … Expand
  28. kellyc7c
    Dec 9, 2013
    8
    The game is pretty good, at least the first half of it is as we'll have to wait until January for the rest!

    The games plays just like the first two broken sword games which is a good thing. This is a classic adventure game, none of this modern dumbed down stuff. There's tons of items to pick up and some of which need combing to solve puzzles (most of the Telltale games scrapped this    The game is pretty good, at least the first half of it is as we'll have to wait until January for the rest!

    The games plays just like the first two broken sword games which is a good thing. This is a classic adventure game, none of this modern dumbed down stuff. There's tons of items to pick up and some of which need combing to solve puzzles (most of the Telltale games scrapped this mechanic). Unfortunately the puzzles themselves seem to be too much on the easy side. I think part of the problem is a lot of puzzles are restricted to one room so you either have all the items you need to solve all the puzzles already or they're in the room to be picked up. I'm hoping we'll see more multi-room puzzles in the second half.

    The backgrounds in the game are beautiful, all hand drawn. The character animations are all pre-rendered and to be honest I'm not a huge fan but they're still quite good for the most part. There are a few glitches with them though. One annoying glitch is the walk cycle animation resets if you click somewhere else on the screen when George is already walking; It's quite jarring. There are some scenes where the characters lips don't move while talking if they're already doing some other animation. Also when first talking to a character there is often a long pause between George saying 'hi' and the character responding as if the game is waiting for their idle animation to finish. Finally a few times the character will jump to another part of the room when talking and then jumping back. These are annoying glitches which make the game feel like it was rushed a bit before release. But the rest of the game doesn't feel rushed at all.

    The music is awesome as Barrington Pheloung from the first two games returns to compose the score. He's also the guy behind the music from the British TV shows Morse and Lewis. This really adds to the nostalgia. The voice acting is not great but not bad either. Rolf Saxon returns as the main character George Stobbart and he's awesome as always. The problem is with the rest of the characters. Personally I didn't mind the voice acting although I know a lot of other people have criticised it.

    It's difficult to comment on the story without seeing the whole game. It is a bit slow at the beginning but does start picking up halfway through. It is a completely authentic Broken Sword story although I don't want to spoil anything.

    The game is great value, only £15 on Steam at the moment and that includes the second part that comes out in January! To be honest my only real disappointment with the game is that the puzzles are too easy. Although the first two Broken Sword games were never that hard. The other issues such as the animations and voice acting are really down to production values and you can't really complain when you consider how much you're paying. I don't understand the low scores given by the professional critics. They seem way too harsh. This a completely authentic Broken Sword game that could be straight out of the 90s! If you love Broken Sword or Adventure Games in general I can completely recommend this game!    … Expand
  29. playbill
    Dec 8, 2013
    6
    Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse is like one of those reunion special shows on TV. You are happy to see your favorite characters again, remember the old jokes, the forgotten romances but fact is the show has ended years ago and it kind of feels not the same anymore. In a sweet but also disappointing way...

    Broken Sword 1 is the best game I have ever played. Back then it was the    Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse is like one of those reunion special shows on TV. You are happy to see your favorite characters again, remember the old jokes, the forgotten romances but fact is the show has ended years ago and it kind of feels not the same anymore. In a sweet but also disappointing way...

    Broken Sword 1 is the best game I have ever played. Back then it was the Ferrari of Adventure Games and Adventure Games were the Lamborghini of Video Games. Note to young gamers- in terms of publicity, reputation and success Broken Sword in 96 was the Top Dog. Just like what Skyrim is today. Or COD. Or whatever 'big' game you can imagine.

    The sequel was up to standard, third and forth came out in the playStation-sandbox- 3D acceleration era where story heavy games were considered a sin and nobody was playing them. But everything goes round and in the past three years adventure games, story driven games are on the offensive mostly due to some brilliant new companies (Telltale and co), some indy gems and touch screens. So what better timing than now for a new Broken Sword game.

    + It feels like a Broken Sword game. George's voice, the music, the atmosphere, the pacing, the plot. Everything is so familiar all of a sudden, like meeting your best friend from school that you haven't seen in years.
    + Story is good. Not excellent, not very good but good (reserving judgement because it's only the first chapter).
    + Beautiful hand drawn backgrounds. We are talking pure art that surpasses any 3D. It was expected though and we have seen it before.
    + George Stobbart will always be one of the best characters of video gaming history.

    -Very weak character models. They blend well with the hand drawn background but they have extremely limited animation. Keeping the characters fairly large on screen makes matters worse. I was constantly failing to immerse myself in the game due to lack of facial expressions and movement overall.
    -Very few locations. And I mean really few. The whole game was revisiting the same 2-3 basic locations. No not twice. More than twice. I don't remember how many times I sat in the cafe. Honestly,It feels like watching a stage play. It should feel like watching a movie!
    - Very few characters
    - Abysmal Nico Collard. Charles Cecil what were you thinking? Terrible voice acting, very badly written and generally with no purpose. She had such a sardonic humor! At least she maintains her natural sidekick role in this one (I never got the George and Nico face a new challenge blah blah. Broken Sword is the adventures of George. End of story)
    -The biggest flaw. The game is ridiculously easy and suffers from awful puzzle design. Again, Charles Cecil what on earth were you thinking? Everything you need to solve a certain problem is right there in front of you. Literally. No originality, no creativity, no complexity. Very lazy work. Or should I dare say rushed?
    - Some rather macabre humor. Why on earth should you insist on maintaining a dead man in an open casket inside an apartment three days after his death? Creepy.

    To sum up it feels good to play Broken Sword again. I'm very anxious for the second episode and I will make my full judgment after I see the whole picture. But I'm afraid all these major flaws will restrict BS role to the video gaming reality of our times to a brief cameo. Hope I'm wrong.    … Expand
  30. bls128
    Dec 8, 2013
    10
    Critics reviews of 60% are just ridiculous. I can buy the 80% review of those unbiased, for fans this is an absolute winner though. Those who loved originals BS games will love the latest installment. Those who feel otherwise can return to the boredom of Assassin's Creed or similar.
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Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 39 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 39
  3. Negative: 0 out of 39
  1. GameStar
    Apr 27, 2014
    74
    This sequel ignores the less popular Broken Sword 3 and 4. One the one hand that's great, because it revives the atmosphere of the first two games and it works. But technically it's not up to date and the important puzzles are too easy to solve. But there's hope for part 2.
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  2. Adventure Gamers
    Apr 27, 2014
    80
    Eminently playable, cheekily characterised and delectably artistic, The Serpent’s Curse rekindles the romance of the much-loved Broken Sword series.
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  3. Game Over Online
    Apr 27, 2014
    70
    The Serpent’s Curse might be a little bit like the recent Veromica Mars movie, where if you’re a fan of the series then you might be happy enough just seeing what George and Nico are up to. But for everybody else, there isn’t much to get excited about, and there are probably better options out there for your gaming time and money.
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