Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse Reviews
I had a great time playing Broken Sword 5. Is it as good as my personal favourites, the first two games in the series? No, it is not, but it's still an excellent Point & Click adventure that I would personally recommend. It's quite a different experience to the more recent releases in the genre that adheres to a more classic format, which both works in its favour and against it, depending on how you look at it. It's definitely a solid title, especially considering the fact that it was funded via Kickstarter, and with the low price point in mind, I'd definitely consider giving it a go - you won't regret it.
The Serpent's Curse will no doubt provide a great nostalgia trip for those who grew up on Nico and George's adventures, and it's a well executed and entertaining enough 9 or 10 hours with all the over-the-top, Indiana Jones-esque exploits we've come to expect from the franchise.
While I definitely preferred the first half the second still fits in as "good" and I'm happy to give it a "good" score. Overall Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse is probably around a 7.5, and that's despite not featuring any snakes or curses at all. There are goats and pet cockroaches at least, and that's good enough for me.
Veterans of the genre may find many of the puzzles straightforward but it's worth picking up if you haven't already.
A cracking Broken Sword caper brought to life thanks to Kickstarter.
Awkward controls and an uninspiring score thankfully don't sink a game with an intriguing story and well-designed puzzles.
The Nintendo Switch has several strong point-and-click games, it's true. But while some have tried to re-design the genre, Broken Sword 5 reminds how it helped cement the best of it in the first place. The series has a timeless quality, and part 5 simultaneously offers a celebration of the past and encouragement of heading in the right direction for the future. It hits the ground running to get you hooked, and its weaknesses end up not hurting the overall package, which took me just under15 hours, as much as you might've thought. Throw in some Switch exclusive behind the scenes movies (better late than never for this port) and you have even more of a winner.
Broken Sword 5: The Serpents Curse is a worthy addition to the successful and truly unique series.
Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse is a solid little point-and-click adventure that's let down by its clunky controls and its sometimes nonsensical puzzles.
An instant classic in the point and click genre that plays great on the PS4 and goes highly recommended.
George Stobbart and Nico Collard are sleuthing again, and it feels pretty good.
It's definitely a shame the animation is so awkward and stiff; it pales in comparison to the visual splendor of the hand-drawn backgrounds, and it's nowhere near as impressive as the graphics of The Shadow of the Templars were in 1996. Still, it'd be an even bigger shame if that put anyone off from experiencing this classically-inspired adventure. This is worth looking into for any fan of the point-and-click genre, and you're not likely to get many more like it on PS4.
It is safe to say that Broken Sword 5 on the Switch is the ultimate version of Charles Cecil's Adventure game. Being able to switch (no pun intended) between handheld and console mode is a great feature for a game such as this one. And the addition of brand new bonus videos is a nice touch for fans of the franchise.
Review in French | Read full review
Genre fans will of course be happy of this revival, but the writing isn't as good as we hoped.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Despite Broken Sword 5 feeling like a game made for Broken Sword fans, with tons of references, recurring characters and threads from previous games slipped in, it's hard not to appreciate what Revolution has achieved here. It isn't the best adventure game released in recent years, but it's charming, fun and a worthy update of a four-year-old title that you might have overlooked.
It can't shake its past, running as it does through every beat of its game design, for better and worse, but The Serpent's Curse concludes satisfyingly, wrapping in such a way that has one just about forgiving, if not forgetting, its more frustrating moments. Players experienced with '90s adventure games will no doubt revel in how Broken Sword 5 moves in some maddeningly mysterious ways, and happily muddle through its poorly-paced first half. But those short on patience and with a low tolerance for bad acting (and worse accents) should seek out the aforementioned superior Switch adventures before investigating this curious concoction of mostly redundant old-school sensibilities mixed with flashes of evergreen flair and modern HD artistry.
Broken Sword 5 will slowly worm itself into your affections if you expose yourself to its ever so gentle humour for long enough. Whatever the opposite of subversive is, this is it, and there's something bizarrely, stupidly funny about Stobbart's straight-delivery of an idea that his trap of putting a biscuit inside a matchbox is good enough that he might fall for it himself.
Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse is an entertaining title with a few disappointing aspects, including linear puzzles and awkward animations, which makes for a lukewarm revival. If you're a fan of the adventure genre, you'll probably be able to overlook most, if not all, of the shortcomings listed above with very little difficulty. Newcomers, on the other hand, may wish to spend their money elsewhere.
Veterans of the genre (or series) will no doubt enjoy Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse for what it offers. It's an interesting story, has a plethora of puzzles that need to be solved (regardless of either being too easy or difficult at times), and is simply fun all the way to the closing credits. The few issues I did experience will vary on your love for the genre, and once you've completed it there's really no reason to run through the game again.
Whilst point and click games may not be to everyone's taste, Broken Sword 5 manages to weave in a sense of mystery and a bunch of puzzles, which allows it to appeal to a wider audience. Even veteran puzzlers may find themselves stuck for a little while at some points in this adventure, but there are hints throughout the game should you feel you need the extra help. You are thrown straight into the excitement of the murder, and the story only gets better the deeper into the game you get. Although the conversations are often slow and drawn out, the characters are amusing and the game constantly pokes fun of itself and is never too serious, even given the subject matter. Players of any of the previous games should feel right at home here, and for fans of puzzles that may be a little outside of the box, there is plenty to keep you entertained. There's a lot of fun to be had here and it will definitely get the cogs whirring in your brain, even if it doesn't quite hit the mark all the time.