Review Broken Sword Collection (Evercade) - A Pair Of Point-And-Click Classics

While Revolution Software's history stretches all the way back to the late 1980s, Broken Sword is arguably the company's most famous and enduring property.

Starring the investigative duo of George Stobbart and Nicole Collard, this beloved point-and-click franchise is ranked alongside the very best in the genre thanks to its gripping plot, fantastic animation, impressive voice acting and tricky puzzles. It's little wonder, then, that when Blaze announced it was bringing the first two Broken Sword titles to the Evercade, there was much cause for celebration.

The early Broken Sword games are remembered with fondness by fans of the series, despite the fact that subsequent instalments feature more advanced visuals and sound. The original game is also host to one of the most infamous puzzles of all time—something Revolution co-founder Charles Cecil even apologises for in the Evercade version's manual as part of an exclusive developer commentary. The full-colour manual also includes beginner's walkthroughs for the openings of both titles, as well as other bonus content (you also get a postcard from Paris written by Stobbart to his parents, which is a nice touch).

The versions of both Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars and its 1997 sequel Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror are based on the PS1 ports, so the interface is entirely driven by the D-pad and buttons. It's not as elegant as the mouse-based controls of the original PC versions, but it's adequate—and if you're one of the many people who experienced these games via their PlayStation incarnations, you'll have little reason to grumble.

Less welcome hold-overs from the PS1 ports include lower-resolution visuals when compared to the PC versions, lengthy load times and some occasionally choppy animation, but these are minor complaints which don't dent the appeal of the games. You could, if you were feeling particularly uncharitable, point out that various updates and remasters have comfortably outpaced the PS1 ports, but that doesn't take away from the fact that these are a pair of fantastic titles.

Simply put, these are two of the best point-and-click adventures ever made, and this pack represents a must-have purchase for any self-respecting Evercade owner, regardless of whether or not they're a fan of the genre.