Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse Reviews
Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse is very much a title at odds with itself, as it's stuck half way between offering a classic point-and-click adventure and being a more modern experience. As a result, it can be somewhat hard to recommend.
Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse has some excellent voice acting, peerless artwork and some thoroughly enjoyable puzzles, that just about compensates for a story that occasionally feels rushed or unfocused.
Awkward controls and an uninspiring score thankfully don't sink a game with an intriguing story and well-designed puzzles.
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.
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.
This first episode of Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse is a noble attempt at recapturing the spirit of a classic from a bygone era, that doesn't quite reach the same lofty standards as the original.
With the second part added, Broken Sword 5 could certainly reach beyond three stars – but, until then, it's wise to remain agnostic about Charles Cecil's latest offering.
Pure fan service in every sense, which ensures an enjoyably nostalgic adventure but also means a number of flaws that wouldn't be tolerated in other circumstances.
A fun adventure that takes a while to get going but when it does, Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse becomes a thrilling adventure hindered by its beginning.
This intentionally slow, character development-centered, and fluid piece of art is worthy of admiration.
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 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.
Part one of Broken Sword: The Serpent's Curse sets a decent standard for the franchise. In a return to its roots it shows that a beautifully imagined 2D world can still be engaging and relevant. Its puzzles are varied without being over-strenuous, but the game's narrative makes them feel somewhat linear, which could put some gamers off. Overall though it's a worthwhile purchase, assuming the second half can maintain the same standard or even surpass 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.
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.
A cracking Broken Sword caper brought to life thanks to Kickstarter.
Veterans of the genre may find many of the puzzles straightforward but it's worth picking up if you haven't already.
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
Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse - Part 1 is thoughtfully constructed with low-pressure environments and the promise of a global thriller with a supernatural curse reaching back to Biblical times. It's strung me along this far, so I'm ready for part 2, but part 1 is doing very little to hint at any major payoff for this sleepy but good-natured point-and-click adventure.
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.