CLibra’s Blog

Most of us have played the original first two Broken Sword games from Revolution Software, and more recently, the 3D versions of the third & fourth games. Broken Sword is one of the most popular series of point & click adventure games (up there with Simon the Sorcerer & SpaceQuest), so I was thrilled to play Broken Sword 2.5, a fan creation that acts as a filler for the first game, but chronologically comes between the second & third.

It’s a free download, complete with cover art, from http://www.brokensword25.com/. The game doesn’t require the user to burn a CD, but if you want a hard copy, the download gives you the ISO file ready to make. BS 2.5 is in German, so you have to go into the options and change text language to English & set subtitles, unless of course you speak German fluently, and currently only a Windows version exists; the game is built on the original engine from games 1&2, but there’s no support for running using ScummVM yet. And for any of you worrying about the legality of the game? Don’t worry, Revolution gave MindFactory permission to use graphics, sounds and code, so there are no copyright issues. Oh, did I mention it’s free?

If you’ve played either of the first two games, you know how this one rolls – point and click, options at the top, inventory at the bottom. Click around to move, talk to people, use things or pick up stuff, and right-click to examine. BS 2.5 re-uses some puzzles from the series, but presents them in newer ways, so familiar players will have a slight advantage. As you’d expect, there are some useful & useless items (some of which can be combined), and the player has a map to navigate, unlocking new areas in each location.

How well does it tie into the continuity? Nico’s apartment, as you’d expect, is the de facto central hub, and we see George revisit Paris and England, as well as seeing Portugal and China for the first time. Flap & Guido return, with a brief visit from André, but someone returns from beyond the grave – no spoilers here
The storyline itself is a little weak in some places, leaving a little unexplained, but the plot remains somewhat linear to the games. However, there are a few discrepancies, such as introducing elements from BS 1&2 that shouldn’t exist any more, that render the third & fourth games somewhat untrue, but if you take 2.5 with a pinch of salt, the story is a fun addition to the series.

Graphics stay true to the original format and, whilst not as sharp as Revolution’s rendering, MindFactory have done a good job, including a new 3D animations for the (previously 2D) cutscenes. Animation is slightly off at times, but only if you really look hard, it’s otherwise unnoticeable. The music score builds upon the original, using similar sounds, but more adapted to the feel of this game.

As mein Deutsch ist nicht so gut, I can’t really comment much on the voice actors, perhaps in the future if English voices get used in an update version I’ll be able to form an opinion. George’s sarcastic humour is present, often making allusions to previous games, so I would recommend you play the first two games to get a feel for the jokes he makes.

There are nine save-game slots, so you can keep a handful of save points, and when you complete the game, you’re given a bonus code to enter on the website, but I’ll let you find that part yourself

All in all, it’s a good game, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you haven’t played at least BS 1&2. Considering it was made by fans, the end product turned out pretty well, although I think the story could have been fleshed out a little more, I found it a brief game. 7/10

[http://www.brokensword25.com/]