Broken Sword 5: The Serpents' Curse - Part II

On the second part of the latest Broken Sword thriller The Serpent’s Curse, George and Nico’s journey continues from the point where they left. Great hand drawn 2D graphics and voice acting keeps on like the first part but there is a little bit lack on the storyline.

Finally, everything that we love (and hate) about Broken Sword clicks together. Anyone who loves the series will be right at home. [Issue#242]

The game does a good job of replicating the atmosphere of the first two two-dimensional Broken Sword games, successfully integrating new 3D modelling with traditional hand-drawn backgrounds and old-school point and click techniques.

The fifth episode is one of the best entries in the whole series. George and Nico are more charming than ever and almost everything feels right. Nevertheless it's a pity that many players had to play it split in two.

Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse is a witty adventure that follows in the footsteps of its forebears delivering a captivating story with great characters and humor.

Splitting it into two parts didn't do it any favours, but when taken as a whole, Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse is a gorgeous, clever, and witty adventure that skilfully follows in the footsteps of its forebears.

Played as a single game, it’s incredible, but as I was made to experience it, it falls a little short of greatness. I wish I were reviewing the full game, because the complete package deserves a higher score. The two halves compliment each other perfectly, but on their own, they are wanting.

A mildly unsatisfying conclusion that still has enough charm and challenge to justify fans' faith in the project. [July 2014, p.88]

Quotation Forthcoming

Apart from those silly puzzles, a rushed ending and the absolute conviction that Revolution made a colossal mistake in splitting the game into two (and did it poorly anyway), Broken Sword 5 is still a good game and a worthwhile new chapter in the classic series.

The second half of Broken Sword: The Serpent's Curse is a great step forward and it's better than the first. Puzzles are clever and the story, epilogue aside, it's fine too. Take a chance and go with Nico and George: and don't forget Paris.

Compared to games like The Raven everything seems old-fashioned. But in a kinda good way.

Even though the project as a whole still feels uneven, the strong puzzles in Broken Swords' final chapter right some of the first part's wrongs.

Broken Sword’s puzzles excel at only one thing – breaking the pace of story and your immersion. A minute ago, you were George Stobbart - lawyer, amateur sleuth and thrill-seeker, - and now you’re sitting in front of your monitor, reading instructions from the game's developers. “This puzzle has these and these rules. Go solve it!”

Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse, Part 2 is another admirable attempt at recapturing everything that was great about the adventure series, complete with more improved puzzles and new exotic locations to visit.

The first part wasn't perfect, but at least in comparison with the second part it remained solid and well-executed regarding its narrative and technical aspects of the game. So the second part once for all buries all hopes for a worthy successor to the original title. However, there is still a link between the renowned brand name and still quite an engaging yet outdated adventure game.

As it stands, while highly enjoyable, it’s strictly for fans. Hopefully they waited for both parts to be available: the decision to split it remains pig-headed and it undoubtedly works best as a coherent whole. Still, if you played and enjoyed part one, this is an admirable conclusion to a loveable series.

This second part of Broken Sword 5 is quite better in its atmosphere, but it still suffers the same issues, and the ending is a bit disappointing. That's still a nice point n' click though, and now the story is complete.