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Happy birthday George and Nico, you globetrotting rascals!

As of last Friday, the Broken Sword series, the legendary point'n'clicks dealing in supernatural mysteries and shadowy cabals, have officially become 20 years old! This calls for a toast, but since we've tragically misplaced our Holy Grail, let's skip to the other most important part of this celebration: the <span class="bold">Broken Sword 20th Anniversary Sale</span>, which gives you the opportunity to complete the series for 75% off or grab any individual installment at a 60% discount!

Whether you are looking for globetrotting adventures across beautiful locations, quirky humor, romance, or a thrilling storyline, you can't go wrong with Broken Sword. But apart from the stunning presentation and clever brain-twisters, one of the main reasons why most of us keep coming back to the series is the tense dynamic between the two charming protagonists: George Stobbart, the uncharacteristically cordial American with the uncanny ability to stir trouble, and Nico Collard, the smart-mouthed photojournalist with the sexy French accent.

So what's your favorite Broken Sword moment? Was it an impressive cinematic stunt, a hilarious line, a dramatic confrontation, or the goat puzzle?

If you want a gentle push down memory lane, Charles Cecil, the main brain behind the 20-year-old franchise, recently gave a neat interview to Le Monde, where he discussed the Broken Sword legacy and how the games fit into the larger narrative of the point'n'click genre:


How do you explain that Broken Sword is so fondly remembered twenty years after its release?

At the time, the games stood out as being quite different to other adventure games. Stories were generally either slapstick, like the excellent Monkey Island, or deadly serious. I aimed to juxtapose humor with drama – to develop empathetic characters, and to use the very best talent from other mediums in art and music. The original Broken Sword games were unashamedly 2D, while around them adventures like Gabriel Knight 3 were moving to 3D. We were accused of being behind the times but disregarded the comments. It seems to have worked – the characters and the story appears to have a universal and timeless appeal. And while 3D technology advances fast, making older 3D games feel outdated, the 2D-look advances only in resolution. They appeal to fans from 25 years ago, but also a new generation who started playing the games on newer devices, particularly on mobile and tablets. I am hugely proud when we receive communications from people who were profoundly affected by the Broken Sword games.

How do you explain the fact that point’n’click games were one of the most popular genres in the nineties?

In the ‘90s the point and click adventure was the only genre that meaningfully told a story. Furthermore, it represented the cutting edge in technology – whether it was graphics or the use of the CD for full speech. That all changed with the advent of PlayStation and the obsessive move to 3D. Back then, the only sales route was through retailers, with the game funded by a publisher. Games became more and more expensive to develop – publishers became more and more risk-averse. 2D adventures were seen as ‘old fashioned’ and 3D adventures looked terrible and failed to convey the characterisation that was so important for the gameplay. Publishers and retailers stopped funding / stocking the genre – so, effectively, it died.


How do you explain that indie developers seem to be in love with PnC games ? My hypothesis is that it's a very convenient way to tell a story, for a small studio…

And so by the end of the ‘90s, the point and click was dead. But then everything changed with the release of the iPhone. Distribution was possible directly by developers, directly to their audience. Audiences made clear that they wanted to play point and click adventures – and the support of publishers and retailers was no longer required. Indie developers started writing point and click games and there was a healthy market. However, we need to be clear that point and click adventures are a niche genre. A sizeable niche, but a niche nonetheless. And they are expensive to write, because there is so much unique content. This makes the genre scary for the larger publishers – and ideal for indie developers.

Re-visit the glory days of adventure games or discover the franchise that will finally hook you to the genre, with the <span class="bold">Broken Sword 20th Anniversary Sale</span> - the perfect way to both celebrate a legend and add some classy classics to your collection for 60/75% off!
The sale will last until October 23, 2:59 PM UTC.
Post edited October 17, 2016 by maladr0Id
Love this series, especially the first game. I remember playing the demo and was immediately pulled in. Only a year after that did I find a secondhand game that my mom was willing to buy, but I was only allowed to play it the day after. The moments of finding the box with the screenshots on the back, as well as the summer morning where I would be able to play the complete game, the installation sequence with the minigame and wonderful music, are all memories that will continue to stand out. And not onlyh ad I found a secondhand version of the first game, I also found out there was a sequel that looked just as good. Happy times.
Favorite moments are hard to choose, but figuring out the way to "hide" the scroll before leaving the hotel Ubu was one of them.
I never figured out the goat puzzle myself. Me and a friend had spent days on it, and I had to go down for lunch but I tasked my friend to continue playing. When I came back up the goat got stuck. My friend didn't really seem to know how he had done it himself, but it didn't prevent the celebrations to commence.
If anyone wants to try - there's a free Broken Sword 2.5 fan-made game developed and released by German company MindFactory. Story occurs between The Smoking Mirror and The Sleeping Dragon.

http://brokensword25.com/
Does GOG version of Broken Sword 4 have the same bugs on modern systems that users in Steam discussions are complaining about?
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Ashnak: Somewhen in the last twenty years I played the first two, but their kind of humor is not for me. Humorous PnCs generally tend to not resonate well with me.
Have you tried the free Ben There, Dan That?
Post edited October 18, 2016 by kalirion
Happy 20th birthday Broken Sword! You always have Revolutionary approach in your genre.
I already have them all, but great sale for those new to the series (or needing to catch up).
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Siegor: I quite enjoyed Broken Sword 5. The story could easily be a Dan Brown novel and the puzzles were not too frustrating (except for the musical one near the end which almost had me ripping my hair out).
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blotunga: I should revisit the series. The last I've played was BS2. 3,4 turned me off because of the 3D crap. But 5 looks great.
I don’t recommend part 3, I have not played 4 because of it. It is not necessarily about 3D as such that put me off, but the game’s graphics lack the atmosphere, immersion and attention to detail. Most locations are very big and completely lifeless. The PC controls are also terrible, like a bad console port. Parts 1, 2 and 5 are all you need IMO.
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kalirion: Does GOG version of Broken Sword 4 have the same bugs on modern systems that users in Steam discussions are complaining about?
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Ashnak: Somewhen in the last twenty years I played the first two, but their kind of humor is not for me. Humorous PnCs generally tend to not resonate well with me.
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kalirion: Have you tried the free Ben There, Dan That?
It's on my backlog. Do you suggest I should raise it's relevance?
Post edited October 18, 2016 by Ashnak
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kalirion: Does GOG version of Broken Sword 4 have the same bugs on modern systems that users in Steam discussions are complaining about?

Have you tried the free Ben There, Dan That?
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Ashnak: It's on my backlog. Do you suggest I should raise it's relevance?
It's probably best if you've played old school Lucasarts adventure games like Monkey Island since there's some homages and parodies. Also, it does have some crude humor, I don't know if that's an issue for you.
Me: Oh boy! Broken Sword sale!

Owned, Owned, Owned, Owned, Owned...
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kalirion: Does GOG version of Broken Sword 4 have the same bugs on modern systems that users in Steam discussions are complaining about?
If you mean that George can not move and is stuck at some places, then yes, the GOG-version has these bugs too.
Post edited October 19, 2016 by Dedee
Do any of these games work in ScummVM? I want to play them on my phone :)
I own all of these thanks to the fact that I was gifted with the first game, and then purchased the rest in another sale, because I liked it so much. This is a game to get if you enjoy point & click adventures with an interesting story. My sister and I had lot of fun playing together for an hour on one cryptography puzzle. There's a variety of puzzles and situations and funny characters that are definitely entertaining in the first title alone.

If you don't already have this, go get it!
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Random_Coffee: Do any of these games work in ScummVM? I want to play them on my phone :)
1 and 2 do. use the included original versions, not the directors cut..
happy 20 anniversary and thanks for sale, i already got them all ;)
BS1 and 2 are awesome classics. Third one was the first 3D game and pretty forgettable actually. It's filled with crate pushing puzzles and is from the era when Charles Cecil was vocally shouting out all the time that adventure games are dead yadayadayada. The third one however is still a game that should be experienced.

BS4 is really cheaply outsourced and the worst of all the five games.

The fifth one is return to a little bit the style of the two originals. It doesn't quite reach the greatness, but is still better than the 3rd and 4th games.

I wonder, why hasn't Revolution ever released the enhanced Beneath the Steel Sky version on other platforms than iOS? Do they not want money?