Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon

 PC
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 32
  3. Negative: 0 out of 32
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  1. Just Adventure
    100
    A triumph. It’s at the same time a real 3D game and a crackerjack pure adventure. High levels of craftsmanship and designer TLC are evident throughout the game. Playing it is like falling into an exciting movie thriller. [Grade = A+]
  2. eToychest
    100
    Have you ever played a game that's so good that the simple knowledge of its existence is enough to put a smile on your face? This is one of those games. Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon is a shining example of what this genre is capable of, and it comes as close to perfection as any recent adventure game has.
  3. PC Gameworld
    97
    Slices through the lackluster myriad of ho-hum adventure games and breathes a new breath of fire into the genre.
  5. Gamer's Hell
    93
    An instant adventure classic.
  6. Game Chronicles
    92
    A stunning achievement in interactive entertainment. With a solid story, engaging characters, stunning visuals, and delightful dialogue, this is one adventure you simply won’t be able to tear yourself away from.
  7. Edge Magazine
    90
    A fairytale comeback. Extravagance was one of the signatures of the graphic adventure: extravagance to bring them in, and a cracking story well told to keep them.Both tenets of the Broken Sword series remain intact here, and that's all the devoted fans could have wanted. [Christmas 2003, p.94]
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  8. Gamers Europe
    90
    The best adventure game ever. Diehard 2D fans will hate us for saying this, but that they can’t let go of Beneath a Steel Sky is a matter for the shrink.
  9. GMR Magazine
    90
    With great dialogue, beautiful art direction, and generally high-quality puzzles, it's worthwhile to indulge the designers' crate fetish just to see what comes next.
  10. GameSpy
    90
    The best old-school adventure gaming to hit the scene in years.
  11. Next Level Gaming
    90
    A must have for anyone that is looking for an engrossing story or adventure and wants a change of pace from mainstream gaming genres.
  12. Worth Playing
    88
    The graphics are first rate, the dialogue was tight and witty, and most importantly, the story is fantastic and the game plays out like a well written book.
  13. Games Radar
    87
    A beautiful story, told in a brand new way...It's the giant leap that the genre so desperately needed. [PC Gamer UK]
  14. IGN
    84
    Cartoonish graphics, incredible voice acting and an engrossing story all make this a game to look at, that is - if you can get past the horrible interface and somewhat repetitive block puzzles.
  15. GameZone
    84
    A great adventure game, despite having a few technical problems and being a little too easy. There's really no excuse for the sound problem, and that is why I didn't rate this game higher.
  16. Play Magazine
    83
    Absolutely spectacular to look at - and I'm not just talking about the voluptuous 3D Nico. [Feb 2004, p.48]
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  17. GameSpot
    81
    It's not hugely innovative, and it has its share of faults, but its particular blend of features nevertheless gives it a fresh, fun feel.
  18. Computer Gaming World
    80
    Dynamic plot twists and cut-scenes flow through every exotic locale, and the later-game mechanical conundrums are worthy of the Broken Sword series. [Feb 2004, p.86]
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  19. GamerFeed
    80
    It's got everything a good adventure game should have in all the right places: great graphics, a compelling storyline, and interesting characters.
  20. Quandary
    80
    Despite the bumps and jolts I still had a lot of fun with Broken Sword 3 and this attests to the mesmerising quality and drawing-power of the game, and confirms Revolution as master storytellers when it comes to Ripping Yarns.
  21. Adventure Gamers
    80
    An unparalleled sucess at storytelling, and even the most stupefying crate puzzle can't overcome the ability to tell a great story.
  22. Four Fat Chicks
    80
    Is this the future of adventure games? If the development community uses this as a launching pad, and what we see here is just the infancy of incorporating interactivity into cutscenes, then we could be witnessing the birth of something truly extraordinary.
  23. Gamer's Pulse
    80
    George’s finely crafted witticisms and Nico’s finely crafted, er, investigative skills make the game a pleasure to play; moreover, the plot is engrossing and really pushes you to keep gaming in an effort to uncover more of the nefarious scheme being perpetrated.
  24. Gamezilla!
    78
    A well conceived and nuance filled title, Broken Sword 3 is marred slightly by its lack of real depth of puzzles.
  25. Xequted
    78
    The characters are memorable, the dialogue is sharp, and the puzzles (when they’re original) are usually pretty entertaining.
  26. RealGamer
    76
    An intriguing story telling adventure game that manages to get players engrossed in the gameplay in the hope of working out what happens next.
  27. netjak
    75
    An outstanding adventure game. The story is engrossing and authentic. While quite linear, it is very well told, and it almost feels like you are watching a movie where you play the lead role.
    All this publication's reviews

Awards & Rankings

36
#36 Best PC Game of 2003
50
#50 Most Discussed PC Game of 2003

User Reviews

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User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 128 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 74 out of 128
  2. Mixed: 39 out of 128
  3. Negative: 15 out of 128
  1. DantheMan
    Jan 12, 2012
    0
    The controls on the game are so broken as to make it impossible to play expect for the most dedicated of fans. The Sleeping Dragon is the onlyThe controls on the game are so broken as to make it impossible to play expect for the most dedicated of fans. The Sleeping Dragon is the only installment that is not point-and-click. In fact, it's impossible to use the mouse for anything. Instead all major actions in the game are done by the keyboard. The game manual brags about this "hybrid" system but it's horrible. This is implicitly acknowledged by the fact that the fourth installment went back to the point-and-click system. People who can shudder their way through the UI might find an otherwise excellent game. But the UI in this game is so totally different than the other three games in the series that I strongly advise anyone thinking of purchasing The Sleeping Dragon to download a trial or play a friends game. This is not what you'd expect from the Broken Sword series and it's unfortunate that they tried this experiment in the middle of the series.… Full Review »
  2. SpizyChicken
    Jan 4, 2011
    3
    Low rating because of the EXTREMELY POOR controls. The difficulty of the game is figuring out the default controls. There are few options toLow rating because of the EXTREMELY POOR controls. The difficulty of the game is figuring out the default controls. There are few options to customize the controls. You will spend the first hour trying to figure out the controls to make your charter do the obvious. I quite playing and uninstalled this game because of the extreme frustration factor in the key controls. The game play is VERY basic, and not fun at all.… Full Review »
  3. IamKing
    Mar 3, 2012
    10
    The story, voice acting, dialogue, and lovable characters make you forgive the "eeh" controls. While the box puzzles are repetitive, theThe story, voice acting, dialogue, and lovable characters make you forgive the "eeh" controls. While the box puzzles are repetitive, the others are very clever. One of the best adventures ever.… Full Review »
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