Broken Sword 2.5 is a wonder. It's not been created by Revolution Software, it's strictly designed by hardcore fans to the original games.
It follows the structure of the first 2 games and use most of the settings from Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars. The background are however re sketched in to brighter higher resolution colors and the 2D character George looks more smashing than ever! Perhaps the backgrounds where a little bit better in the original games (in a nostalgic point of view) but the characters have really evolved.
The story is quiet decent, a follow up of what happened to the templars and even Khan makes an appearance. Some of the settings are however there only for show and doesn't evolve the story, but I loved it still the same. You get to revisit the Café, Nicolles apartment, Mountfacoun just to name a few places. You even get a visit from Duane - the CIA agent in his own mind.
The game play is superb, but the pussels are perhaps a bit easy - plusside is no frustration. The background sound is excellent and it never gets boring. It's a fun game to play. You have your inventory bar at the bottom of the screen, you combine objects and talk to people. The game "feels" the same as the original.
They try to make the dialog in the same way as the original games, and the contains a lot of humor. The only thing missing is Rolf Saxon's voice for George Stobbart. The voice cast is for now strictly German speaking, but the subtitles (made in the same way as in Broken Sword I & 2) are great - plus that English subtitles are on the way.
It gives you a solid 3 - 5 hours experience and it feels like being a tourist in the environments the first games was made in. But you are only a tourist, you don't get the 100 % feeling from the dialogs.
Another minus is the ending - It's great, don't be upset - but it's a moral choice from George's side that is out of place.
For an Independent game, it's a solid 10, but if we look at the big picture some reductions must be considered. I rate the game after how true it is to its core + entertainment.
Final verdict... 8. I can proudly stand by that number.
Great, great work!!
