Broken Sword 2: Remastered (2010)

Did you know that after the instant success of the original Broken Sword, the studio wanted to develop the sequel, but the publisher had a condition - it had to be finished by the end of the year? Developing a game in such a short time is extremely difficult, but Revolution Software managed to do it. However, this is the reason why the game is so short and uses the original Broken Sword's graphic engine. The remastered version of Smokin Mirror is exactly like the director's cut of the first Broken Sword. It features some improvements to the graphics and interface of the original game. Otherwise, it is the same classic point'n'click: great story, locations, puzzles, dialogue and characters. As Smoking Mirror does not continue the Templar theme of the first Broken Sword and instead explores the Mayan mythology, the story - apart from some first locations in Paris and Marseille - takes place mainly in Central America. A player would meet some old friends, such as Andre Lobineu or Pealr and Duane Hendersons, and make some new ones. If you haven't played this classic point-and-click game yet, I'd highly recommend picking up the remastered version to familiarise yourself with it!

Broken Sword 2 was the first adventure game that I truly and utterly lost myself in. I originally played it on it's release and was utterly mesmerised by both the animated graphics and the wonderful characters. I became George Stobbart and was invested in the interesting story. The puzzles are excellent and are neither too challenging or too easy but are perfectly worked out to enable you to keep trying without experiencing any frustration. The voice work is of the highest quality and the soundtrack is phenomenal and stands up to the best on offer today. It's a game that will serve as an excellent starting point for any would be adventure gamers out there and is perfect to play through again and again. I myself have completed it numerous times and it has lost none of its wit or charm for me. A definite must have for any adventure gamer.

I don't think I can add much to all the other reviews, but I'd like to say that I thought the remaster was done really well, and it was a pleasure to play through. That being said, it's true that I like the tone of this game less than I did the first one (this one is a bit more laid back and humorous) and the story is pretty basic. But, the globetrotting is good, the puzzles are mostly good, and the side characters are pretty great. Also it has pirates. EVERYTHING. IS BETTER. WITH PIRATES. For people who want to play through the series, I do recommend it.

Compared to the first game, Broken Sword 2 is a bit of a letdown. The first one definitely had goofy moments, but managed to keep a sense of excitement, urgency and danger while still being lighthearted. This one is a lot weaker- you can still die, but the villains are poorly developed and not very intimidating, and the stakes and setting feel a lot smaller in scope despite the focus being on a world-ending Mayan god. After a promising, adventurous start, it seems to become rather unfocused and mundane. The puzzles are decent, still just about the right difficulty, aside from a couple annoying pixel-hunting moments, but they make less sense and one wonders whether it's really that difficult to, say, grab a ball away from a cat. Many characters appear briefly and vanish again after showing just enough personality to entice you, and it always feels like part of the game is missing as a result. The plus side is that the remastered edition isn't a severely dumbed-down, blurry version of the original like the remastered Broken Sword 1 was. The only differences are a couple (literally only one or two) missing clickable points, journal entries by the main characters, characters portraits during speech, a few paths missing from the jungle maze, and a very slight graphics overhaul. I played them both one after the other and hardly noticed the difference. I think the character portraits are a little unnerving and prefer the original game, but this is all a matter of personal taste rather than one obviously being superior to the other. If you're looking for a fun, light adventure game with a few funny moments and some decent puzzles, it's worth a buy, but don't expect epic adventure and danger in the vein of Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Gabriel Knight, or even the first Broken Sword.

This one has a lot more of moon logic than the first one, it's really tiresome trying to solve a puzzle where you can see the solution, but the character just prevents you from getting there until you have completed a series of unnecesary steps that left you trying every object on every surface just to see what sticks to the wall, the only reason for me to keep going is to see the end of the story