Video Game Review - Broken Sword: Director's Cut

[Carl Fredricksen]

Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - The Director's Cut



[Edit: I'LL HOT LINK YOUR MOTHER, NINTENDO LIFE!!]

Despite its age, Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars is still an engaging experience, and the new additions in the director’s cut are welcome.

In late 1996, British game developer Revolution Software released what is perhaps their most well-known game. That game, of course, is Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars, a masterpiece in the point-and-click genre. Not only does it possess gorgeous visuals and tried-and-true gameplay, Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars (then known as Circle of Blood in some parts of the United States) also has an engaging story and interconnected characters. It is one of my favorite games of all time, and I was elated when I first heard that a director’s cut was being developed for the Wii and Nintendo DS. I purchased the Wii edition, and I am happy to say that time has been kind to this relic.

George Stobbart only wanted to spend a vacation in Paris…

The game’s main character is a young American man named George Stobbart. George was touring in France and enjoyed his time, and one morning he drank coffee outside of a café. A strange gentleman entered, and said gentleman was soon followed by a sinister-looking clown. Alas, the clown replaced an explosive accordion (and who says the accordion is a deadly instrument?) with the strange gentleman’s briefcase, and fled the area. The café exploded, killing the strange gentleman inside, but fortunately George survived. He soon meets a struggling, pretty French journalist named Nicole “Nico” Collard, and the two work together to unsolve this enormous mystery, which focuses heavily on the costume killer (the clown) and the famous Knights Templar. I’ve intentionally left the story description vague because much of this game’s charm is unraveling the secrets and mysteries at one’s pace. Trust me, though, when I say that this game has a fantastic story that still holds up very well over ten years later.

This event sets off George’s adventure, an adventure that spans much of Europe, but mostly takes place in Paris. At first the story is a murder mystery, but it later develops into a complicated and epic tale, with many interconnected characters. Like most adventure games of this genre, Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars features dozens of interactive characters, and most of them are humorous and memorable. This game would have suffered critically if George Stobbart and Nico Collard weren’t likable protagonists, but this is fortunately not the case. With Goerge’s biting sarcasm, slick wit and admirable determination, it’s almost impossible not to find George endearing. Although Nico isn’t quite as important as George, she still manages to be respectable in her own right. Besides these two leads, the game is filled with many supporting characters, and even the thoroughly pointless characters are worth talking to at least once.

… but he was unwittingly swept into a dangerous adventure that concerns the Knights Templar.

As I mentioned before, this is a point-and-click adventure game. Broken Sword was frustrating as hell to play on the PlayStation because of the lengthy load times and the awkward, clunky controls (a standard game controller is not ideal for point-and-click adventure games!), but on the PC it was a delight. Happily, the Wii is the one console that is perfectly ideal for point-and-click adventure games of old and new, and Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars fits the Wii mechanics like a glove.

Although the game focuses on George and Nico, you actually literally take control of the cursor, so this game uses the Wii Remote for everything. Certain buttons perform certain tasks, such as pulling up the menu screen and registering character action. Oddly, once you activate the menu screen while playing the game, you cannot press the B button to close it.

Most of the game is spent talking to amusing characters, going to locations, and combining and/or using items. As is the case with many point-and-click adventure games, the gameplay is very simple: you just point… and click. With that said, there are a few puzzles in Broken Sword where the game briefly shifts gears in gameplay. These instances are infrequent, but they help to keep the gameplay from going stale, though some of the sliding puzzles feel slightly awkward until you get the knack of it. The inventory system is simple, but it is possible to inadvertently close it just because you accidentally moved the cursor away from the inventory window, which can get annoying. The same applies to the item system: there were times where I tried to use selected items with objects, but I would miss those objects by mere pixels and my item would go back in the inventory window, just because I missed. It’s not enough to break the experience by any means, but it can be annoying.

There are many added features in The Director’s Cut version of the game. The biggest change is the role of Nicole “Nico” Collard. In the original version she was important but not playable, but in this deluxe edition she is actually the first playable character. In the original version, the game began with George at the aftermath of the café bombing, and indeed the game eventually segues into that event, but initially players take control of Nico, which already gives the feeling of a classic reworked. I am happy to report that in terms of story and character development, the new moments with Nico fit wonderfully into the original game, and it actually helps fill up several plot holes from the original.

There is a co-op mode, but in all honesty it’s nothing special. In co-op mode, one person has direct control of the game, and if said person wants the second party to play it can be achieved by just pressing the 1 or 2 buttons, and vice versa. The only circumstance I can imagine this “co-op mode” would be useful or even amusing is if the two players had never played the game at all, and they were struggling to figure out the puzzles. “I can’t figure this out,” player one could say. “Here, I have an idea. Let me try,” player two would insist. Other than that, this feels like a thoroughly unnecessary feature, but at least it’s something.

There’s one added feature in this game that wasn’t in the original version, but it is a nice addition here. It is the hint system; depending on how long you’re stuck with a particular puzzle, you have the option ‘buy’ hints to solve the puzzle. The game keeps track of how many hints you’ve retrieved, but I don’t think there’s any penalty. Extra features are unlocked after completing the game, which is a nice bonus.

The story only gets heavier and better.

But with all of these additions, there are a few omissions. The biggest omission is the fact that one cannot die. One of the reasons that made the original Broken Sword have risk was the fact that it was possible for George to die, and the game provided numerous dangerous events where George could die and result in a game over. When I played The Director’s Cut, I tried to get myself to die by leaving the hotel with the manuscript of the Templars in my possession. In the original, this would have led George to be abducted and killed by the two gangsters outside of the hotel, but in this version the game won’t allow it. If you try this, the game pretty much tells you, “This is dangerous! Think of something else!” instead of, “Sure, try that. Oops, you’re dead! Game Over.” Granted, this makes the game less frustrating and less risky for new players, but it’s still hard for longtime fans of the game like myself to not feel some regret with this omission, only because it does take a certain “edge” out of the game.

There are other omissions and changes in The Director’s Cut, but they’re not as major as the removal of death traps. Some of the dialogue, especially in the cutscene of the café exploding, has been altered, and the aforementioned conversation and inventory systems have been improved. Unfortunately, there are some conversations from the original that are scrapped altogether in this updated version. The biggest example of this, I think, is the hospital scene. In the original, George, pretending to be a doctor, had the opportunity to converse with several patients. Many of these patients were not important to the plot at all, but they provided very funny conversations. Alas, these conservations were not to be found in this updated version, and the loss is sad for me. It’s worth noting that this was just one example of such changes.

The new chapters with Nico blend wonderfully with the old game… in terms of story and character development.

But even with the changes, this is still the definitive version of Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars. The gameplay in general has been slightly improved, the new scenes and puzzles are delightful, and overall the game just feels right at home with the Wii.

Because Broken Sword is for the most part a game from 1996, it would be unfair to compare it with, say, Super Mario Galaxy and criticize the old game for looking like an old game. I will, however, comment on the graphics and style as a whole. The original sprites are beautifully drawn and fluid, and I still have the same “this is an animated film as a video game” feeling as I did in ’96. It is true that some of the CGI effects (such as the sports car in the Ireland segment) are extremely dated, and when George is close to the ‘camera’ his sprites are heavily pixelated and rough, but nevertheless the fluidity and style in general of the hand-drawn characters are just as impressive now as they were back then.

The graphics with the new Nicole segments are also well animated and fluid, but there’s a notable difference: the characters (including Nicole) in these new segments aren’t hand-drawn sprites, but are rather cel-shaded 3D models. This isn’t so noticeable on an SDTV, but in high definition it’s fairly obvious. This isn’t necessarily terrible, but it does make the gap between the old and the new wide. Also, the new cutscenes in general seem more Adobe Flash-esque than the old cutscenes.

Another addition is the implementation of character portraits during conversations. These constantly changing portraits of the hand-drawn characters weren’t in the original version, but they actually help give the characters more personality and dimension. Although the voice acting is mostly strong, sometimes the sprites aren’t plainly expressive (especially from a distance), so to see larger, clearer character portraits emphasize the dialogue is a very nice touch.

The difference between the old graphics and the new graphics are clear as day, but nevertheless they manage to work together. This game is still a very gorgeous 2D (in general design) experience, and it is as slick now as it was back then… maybe even slicker. The menu screens, however, appear very ugly and dated.

The “old vs. new” differences also apply to the audio department. One minute this game has high quality audio, and the next it is very old, tinny and of dubious quality. This is a shame, because there are many occasions where the differences are often and obvious. This doesn’t shatter the experience, but it can be jarring at times. But differing qualities aside, the audio as a whole is strong. The music is just as sweeping and riveting as it was so many years ago, and always sets the right mood.

The voice acting ranges from very good to mediocre. George Stobbart has always been voiced by actor Rolf Saxon, and Saxon brings great enthusiasm, acid wit and likability to the character. From my understanding, there are two actresses for Nico, the ‘old’ actress and a ‘new’ one. The differences in voice aren’t hugely noticeable (at least to me), and they both do their jobs well. The majority of the supporting characters are appropriately voiced, but there are a few bad apples. For example, one of the last villains George and Nico meet in the game is so melodramatic and slow, it’s almost impossible not to be simultaneously bored and unintentionally amused… by… his… ACT…ING! Thankfully, the acting as a whole is more positive than negative.

There are many characters featured in this game.

This game is a classic of the adventure genre. Although it sparked three sequels, this is still my personal favorite of the series. Sure, there are some sorely missed conversations and gags there were removed from this edition, but nevertheless this is the definitive version of the game to play. The story is easier to follow this time around, and the new features are welcome. Depending on how much you can think in and outside of the box, the sometimes obscure puzzles in this game can vary in length.

In the end, this is a classic adventure that is still as great as it has always been. If you prefer more direct control of characters and gritty action, give this game a pass. If, however, you enjoy character development, interaction and solving puzzles at your own pace, then at least give this game a rental. Just watch out for accordions and costume killers.

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Graphics and Presentation: The old and new visuals are easy to tell apart, but this is generally a beautiful-looking game. I absolutely love the “animated film for older audiences” feeling this game possesses. The menus are downright ugly, sadly.

Audio: The music is sweeping and majestic, and the majority of the voice acting, led by Rolf Saxon, is good. Only a few characters seem flat. It’s unfortunate that the old dialogue is lacking in sound quality, and the difference in quality between old and new dialogue is tremendously noticeable and at times jarring.

Story and Characters: An engaging story with admirable, likable characters; this game has a better story than a lot of current movies from Hollywood. George Stobbart is one of my favorite video game protagonists in history. The ending still feels somewhat abrupt, but it has been extended with new scenes and audio.

Gameplay: Very basic, but it is after all a point-and-click adventure game. Some of the new puzzles keep the experience fresh and varied. The new additions outweigh the omissions, and are welcome. Co-op is unnecessary and tacked on, but it’s something.

Conclusion
If you’re a fan of good point-and-click adventure games, or a fan of “characters and story over shooting” games in general, I highly recommend checking out this classic. It is a relic that has (mostly) improved with age.

8.5/10