There has definitely been a resurgence in the classic point and click adventure genre with the help of great games like The Walking Dead and TelleTale’s latest game The Wolf Among Us. But one company that has been mastering the point and click adventure genre for years has returned. Revolution Software, most noticeably recognized for their Broken Sword series has returned to the fore front to remind us why the point and click adventure genre is here to stay.

George Stobbart and Nico Collard are back in their classic familiar form of solving crimes, as a mysterious thief barge his way into an art gallery and made off with a rare painting La Malediccio, leaving one unfortunate gallery owner in his wake. Now it’s up to George and Nico to solve this crime scene, all the while meeting some of the most memorable characters with larger than life personality.

It feels great to be back with George and Nico in Paris, somewhat of a nostalgic feeling bringing the game back to its roots of where the original had started. Paris was such a nice return to the story creating the set piece of an incredible adventure. This is a thrill ride of a classic adventure as George and Nico travel from location to location solving intuitive puzzles with the help of fascinating characters. I could not get enough of each of the characters. They brought such life to the game as each character had their own memorable moments with interesting dialogue that would flow from whitty jokes to interesting conversations. I often found myself sharing my inventory items to the characters just to hear what they had to say about that item, whether or not it had anything to do with the puzzle I was facing or not it didn’t matter because I wanted to hear what they had to say. 

The art style has an excellent hand painted feeling that gives depth to each location George and Nico venture into. Scenes are well painted and planned to have the player not only look for clues but enjoy the beauty of each scene. The main characters have been updated as well with their own artistic touches that match the look and feel of the backgrounds. Smooth transitions and fluid movement with the characters.

As the story unfolds, George will travel from a location to often return to the same location as he reveals other clues and pushes the story forward. I always had a sense of where I was going and why, that isn’t to say that there aren’t some tough puzzles which there are a few puzzles that took longer solving than others. Having a choice with how to pursue a character in conversation was a nice addition – challenge a character for more information by taking a hard approach (presented as a brick) will take your conversation in a manner that may not answer your question. But talk to them softly (presented as a Teddy Bear) could be the right approach and answer your question and help you gather the clues you need to move forward.

There is a great pace to the game that gives you a thrill of meeting new characters and solving puzzles without going too quickly and losing the player. The sound track is fantastic, creating the surroundings of Paris and setting the mood for each scene as you talk with the interesting characters that are full of meaning and life with extremely well-acted cast.

Broken Sword 5 - The Serpents Curse is a great return to a long awaited classic title. With memorable characters that will keep you on your toes with laughter and fantastic conversation, an incredible thrill ride of adventure and storytelling kept me eagerly awaiting my next opportunity to jump back into the world with George and Nico. I am left with wanting more of their story and am looking forward to George and Nico’s next adventure. I would totally recommend Broken Sword 5.

- Kutter28