Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse Reviews
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.
All in all, Broken Sword 5 is a good adventure with good visuals, a good story, and enjoyable puzzle segments. It's not the hardest, it's not the best, and it certainly comes at a price point many won't find acceptable, but it's an enjoyable experience nonetheless.
It's always a pleasure to meet George and Nico again in their latest adventures to date. The Switch version contains some new features, especially two modes of gameplayand a renewed interface. We only regret a less successfull final act, than before and some illogical riddles which need to refer to the game help.But if you never have played this game, this ''ultimate'' version is an excellent opportunity to discover it.
Review in French | Read full review
This intentionally slow, character development-centered, and fluid piece of art is worthy of admiration.
Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse is a point-and-click adventure that harkens back to the great titles that inspired it. Its puzzles are challenging, and completing them gives the player a great sense of accomplishment. If you want a true gaming challenge that will stretch your mind and endurance, then this is the game for you.
Broken Sword 5 features a story that slowly uncovers but leaves you hanging for more and a plot that is grand but equally simple enough to grasp. The puzzles are once more the highlight here, but the controls will take some time to get used to, and even then, they are not that extraordinary.
Director Charles Cecil and his team at Revolution have done a grand job.
Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse is a great point&click adventure, a heir worthy of the first two original game from Revolution Software.
Review in Italian | Read full review
As a whole that’s the gist of what’s most crucial to know about Broken Sword 5, that its production values are top notch, it’s story is an interesting ride, and that it has its own sense of humor that’s more reserved than the typical genre fare. If you’re not much of an adventure fan I don’t think it will cause a change of heart since it is unapologetically a member of the genre in a classic way, reminiscent of earlier classic titles in many regards. That said, among its brethren on the Switch it does an above average job at remaining interesting, not relying solely on silliness to keep you engaged, and helping you avoid getting stuck in trying to figure out what you need to do next. For genre fans it’s a quality pick-up.
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.
Joining many other quality examples of its genre on Switch, Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse continues the series' excellent storytelling and puzzle structure, with what is sure to please both fan and newcomer alike with fiendish brainteasers and the optional hint system. A more contained story structure, and character movement hitches aside, point-and-click adventure devotees will find a lot to love here.
Awkward controls and an uninspiring score thankfully don't sink a game with an intriguing story and well-designed puzzles.
Broken Sword 5 delivers a competent point-and-click, with a cast of colorful characters, a rollicking-if-cheesy adventure, and solid puzzle design. Some minor issues with gameplay and puzzle design don't harm the game's quality too much, and in such an undeserved genre they're forgivable. The biggest issue with the game is that it is a bit too married to convention both in plot and gameplay. Broken Sword 5 won't stick with like classics of the point-and-click Golden Age, but it's still a solid adventure and I'll be keeping my eyes open for future (and past) travels of George and Nico.
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 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
The Nintendo Switch has turned out to be a fantastic new home for this game, as the portability, touch screen and joy-con support lend much freedom as to how you choose to play this game.
Broken Sword 5: The Serpent’s Curse doesn’t do anything special for the point-and-click genre, but that’s perfectly fine as it does exactly what it sets out to do. As a fan of the first two games, this was what I wanted. Not everything is perfect, such as the animations and some inconsistent voice acting. However, if you’re a fan, you will find a lot more to love than the average player.
Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse returns the series to its former glory with excellent storytelling and characters.
As much as I've enjoyed playing The Serpent's Curse again, it's high time George and Nico had a new adventure.
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