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| Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon PC review | |
| developer | Revolution |
| publisher | The Adventure Company |
| author | Mike |
| date | Dec. 2, 2003 |
| graphics |   |
| sound | |
| gameplay | |
| value | |
| reviewer's toast | |
| overall | |
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Chromehounds
NA Review by Marcin
Oblivion-The First 3 Hours
PC Quicktake by walTer
Comic Quick Takes January 25, 2006
Feature by Mike
This game was provided at no cost to wickedtoast.com by the publishers.
The Good News
The announcement that the newest installment of the Broken Sword series would be in ‘3-D’ caused a bit of controversy in the adventure community. Many feared that it would be turned into an action game, and a few wrote it off completely. I am more than glad to report that those fears may be laid to rest – Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon is one hundred percent pure adventure – there is not a ‘jump’ button to be found. There is some jumping, but it’s more akin to Dragon's Lair than Tomb Raider. The first two Broken Sword games were triumphs for the genre, and BS:TSD does now what they did then – innovate.
The game has been transitioned to 3-D as promised, with terrific results. While I myself am a bit of a ‘point-and-click’ type, BS3 has me converted. Envision a more updated version of the Grim Fandango or Return to Monkey Island engines, and you’ll get a pretty good idea of what to expect here. BS3 improves greatly on those games, but also drags some small baggage along with them - more on that later.
The Setup
George and Nico return once again in Broken Sword 3. George is flying into the jungle to meet with someone about a patent, and his plane crashes. Nico discovers the body of a computer hacker that she is supposed to interview, and before long is staring down the barrel of a gun herself. As each character attempts to figure out their separate situations, their paths soon cross and our favorite adventure game couple is reunited again, finding they are both investigating the same case.
If you had the pleasure of playing the first two games in the series, you’ll have fond memories of George and Nico. In this reviewer’s opinion, they are two of the finest characters in any video game. Ever. They are expertly voice-acted, and the dialogue they are given always shines. They make a great team, and it’s about time they were back together.
So What’s New?
BS:TSD, as mentioned before, is now entirely 3-D. You control the characters by using the arrow keys. As you walk the characters around, anything important with be highlighted with a star. As you face the star, (or use the up/down keys to switch objects) it will highlight, and four option bubbles will appear. The options will change, depending on the object. Selecting an option is done with the WASD keys. The inventory is accessed by the space bar and, as in any good adventure game, you can examine what you have found, and combine and use objects. It’s really a seamless interface, but it does have a couple of drawbacks.
Moving the characters and having them do just what you want takes a bit of practice. For example, using the up arrow makes the character move forward. If the camera changes, the same key may suddenly have you walking backwards. It’s nothing that will ruin the game, but it can take some getting used to; the same issue plagued Grim Fandango. However, I have found a solution. If you have access to a gamepad I highly recommend using it. All of the buttons are re-mappable, and in a matter of minutes, I had my trusty Logitech Wingman Rumblepad up and running and things were much easier. XBox owners should be in for a real treat when BS:TSD is released on their platform. However, since the gamepad is not native to a PC, knock a tiny point or two off in the control section. It’s also sporadically challenging to line up with an object. Again, nothing drastic, it may just take a few extra tries to do something. The camera angles are all preset, and at times I would have liked to move the camera myself.
Another worry was that BS:TSD may become more of an action game than an adventure. This is not so. There are some action sequences, but they are brief and are very easy to grasp. For instance, Nico may have to grab a frying pan to avoid being shot. When this happens, an icon flashes and you need to hit the button in time. Simple. Early in the game, George is on the side of a cliff, and needs to jump from ledge to ledge. Walk George to the end of the ledge you are on, and a ‘jump’ icon appears. George then hops over to the next ledge. It’s no different than clicking on a location in a point-and-click game and the character simply moves there.
Graphics And Sound
The graphics are quite nice. There is a bevy of resolution options, so one will be able to find something comfortable to their computer. I would have liked to see a bit more detail in the face areas, but what is there is good and does the job well. There are many environments in the game, and each has their own distinct look. I also enjoyed the characters body animations, be it sneaking against a wall or hanging on a ledge, shimmying Metal Gear style under a window.
If I could give a game six toasts for sound, BS:TSD would be the first recipient. The audio in the Broken Sword games has always been first rate, and the same applies here. The voice action is some of the best I’ve heard in any game. The banter between characters, especially George and Nico is well written and entertaining. All of the sound effects are also spot on. It really goes to show that with a little extra time, a good writer and above average voice actors, a game can be as immersive as a movie.
Wrap-up
Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon is as near a cinematic experience as a game can get. Wonderful visuals, fantastic audio and a story that keeps you on your toes throughout the entire game. While there are a few drawbacks – movement can be a bit frustrating, and for me, the game was over way too soon – the positives outweigh the negatives. Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon is a game no serious adventure gamer should be without, and a fantastic place to start for the uninitiated. Put this game under the tree of someone you love this season. They will thank you, I promise.