Game Review: Broken Sword 5: The Serpent’s Curse, Part 2 (Mobile)

So to re-cap…

George Stobbart & Nico Collard are reunited in Paris & both present at an art robbery that turns into a murder. George’s employer insured the exhibition so he is determined to find out why the painting was stolen & a man was murdered for it. Nico wants a story as she always does…

Their investigations lead them to a shady Russian businessman in London, England & eventually to a renowned art restorer who also dabbles in forgery. The painting (La Maledicció) is of great importance to the Gnostic faith & apparently holds clues to the location of the Tabula Veratatis. An important artefact that is believed to be able to shift the balance between Heaven & Hell allowing either Jehovah or Lucifer to reign supreme.

At the end of Episode One George & Nico had recovered La Maledicció, worked out where the Tabula might be held & escaped a burning building.

Episode 2 sees the duo travelling to Spain & to the Marques family home….the place seems deserted until George gets shot at. After managing to get his way past the shooter inside (thanks in part to an old enemy) they discover Marques still alive with his daughter. She doesn’t share her father’s Gnostic values but wants to protect him no matter what so agrees to help George & Nico.

Through exploration a hidden Gnostic cathedral is found & the actual location of the Tabula is discovered….a Monastery in Southern France.

Their enemies are on the trail as well though & it is a race against time to see who can reach the Tabula first….

Whew…I’ve danced around the plot as much as possible as the surprises that come through this episode are worth finding out yourself (including some series favourites re-appearing). Unlike the first episode this time we really delve into the history of the Gnostics & the lore surrounding the Tabula Veratatis is fascinating stuff.

The locations visited in episode 2 are gorgeous & I’ve not seen a better looking game on the iPad to date. The story is a perfect Broken Sword story with just the right amount of fantasy. The constant talking of Heaven & Hell, Jehovah & Lucifer can bog you down after a while though.

Unlike the first episode some of the puzzles are somewhat harder with you having to decode messages & compare texts that you’ve read earlier. These don’t feel that seamless in comparison to some of the more imaginative puzzles (such as playing Ava Marie – such an excellent puzzle).

The voice acting & conversation trees are outstanding (even if I wish there was more silly stuff to talk about) & you’ll want to hear George & Nico’s thoughts on everything.

It’s a pity the same can’t be said for the bad-guy who promptly rears his head in Episode 2. You can’t help but say…really, him? He’s not a convincing big bad boss & makes strange decisions happily killing one moment but leaving George & Nico alive guarded by an inept guard.

You could argue that all Broken Sword bad-guys haven’t been that memorable but this guy is probably the worst of the bunch.

Slightly worse than the first episode because of the more formulaic puzzles & below par bad-guy. However in every other department it more than makes up for it. Broken Sword 5 could never have lived up to the first 2 games in the series but it does an admirable job of staying true to their excellent formulas.