NekoJonez: First Impression: Broken Sword 5 – The Serpents Curse (PC – Steam) ~ Fan Funded!
Gorge and Nico are back baby! In the full 2(.5)D glory. When I saw this game being created by a kickstarter I was hyped. And the big surprise is that the studio’s budget was as big as the money donated by the fans. Sadly, I wasn’t in time to donate. But I think some promotion like this will pay my debt back. If you wonder what I’m talking about, let me explain you. I’m a big fan of this series. It’s the best point and click adventure game build in Europe. This game actually made me enjoy this genre of gaming and it stuck with me ever since. For my Christmas present I actually asked to get the collectors edition of this series. And recently, this game popped up on Steam. I’m personally fond of Steam versions instead of GOG.com games. No offence GOG, but I prefer Steam just a bit more. Also, this game is only 20 bucks! And in addition to that, the big finale, which is going to be released at the start of next year, is going to be free if you bought the first episode. Anyways, enough introduction! Let me know in the comments what you think of this game and / or my article.
Story, not perfect.
In terms of story, this game is neat. A story in this series starts with a big problem and then through-out your adventure you start to learn what has been going on. And some conspiracy is always the outcome.
The writing is again brilliant, yet it’s a bit weaker this time around. Don’t get me wrong, I think some moments are extremely funny and some thrilling. Yet, it doesn’t have the right power to be as good as the previous stories. Lots of critics complain about it. But it’s something different that destroys the story for me.
It’s the presentation of the story that’s flawed. I’ll talk about the graphics later. Just to be clear, I’m talking how the story is being told to us. One thing that bothers me is that the dialogue isn’t fluid. The next line waits until the animation is done. This makes for sometimes short and awkward pauses in a conversation and that breaks the immersion a bit.
Talking about the animation, it’s pretty well. They are pretty realistic and well made. Each character has it’s own set of animation like his or her own personality. With the brilliant voice acting, the animation is top notch. If you ignore one thing though. The lips. I don’t know how, yet sometimes when a character speaks their lips don’t seem to move. As if they were thinking. And that’s the second issue with the story for me. I start to notice that and the charm of the story goes lost.
New and better!
Apart from the issues with the story’s presentation I have one other complaint with this game. And that’s the movement. For one, there isn’t a run button. And secondly, you can’t really walk freely around without having to click on things. That’s what I dislike the most about this game.
Yet, the game is more newcomer friendly. With a great tutorial, that’s optional (take notes devs!), you get introduced to the game’s mechanics really easily.
Also, the fact that hints now unlock way easier is a big plus! Also the presentation of the hints is just amazing. It’s the question people ask when they are stuck. Like “I can’t get the door to open. What should I do?” And while I love to find out everything by myself, I sometimes can’t resist clicking the hint button to enjoy the writing.
Now about the graphics. They are mind blowing. If you look at screenshots and such, the characters might not really fit in. I give you that. But keep in mind that apart from that, everything is hand drawn. And I get a realistic feel. Like real characters sat in front of a green screen. And I do think that this style fits the series extremely well.
The puzzles itself are again amazing. Some make you truly think and I honestly missed that. Also, the style of achievements like in Alan Wake to take your progress is just a neat idea. That way you have a nice list how far you are in the game. Yet, I do find it extremely silly that every achievement displays “100%”. Almost like they are somewhere visible. Yet, I do think, while it’s neat and all that, this makes for spoilers. As the achievements give some spoilers if you would display them on the steam page.
Just exploring.
The music of Broken Sword was never really my favorite to listen to. And please, don’t get me wrong. I don’t turn it of or anything, it builds the atmosphere really well. Yet, I enjoy more melodic pieces of music instead of the music of Broken Sword. So, what I am say is that this game has as a critic’s standpoint, great music. Yet, it’s out of my interest zone.
What could have used some polishing work is the sounds. I feel like the music is there to “cover up” the lack of sound effects. There were many moments where my mind added sound effects. Like in dialogue or walking sounds. That would have been amazing.
The story has been cut into two. I’m really curious to the rest of the story. Since this time it’s more then just a murder. It’s also a theft. And you are a prime suspect. Also, you can see that the characters moved with time. Some characters return and they are as great as ever.
I have only finished 19% according the achievement list, so I have a whole lot left to play. And in my full review when I full beat this game, I’ll also talk about the options and more in depth of every aspect of this game. So, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this article. And now I’m going to enjoy myself a bit of Broken Sword 5! I have been waiting on it.
