February
19, 2005
And
now, as a benefit to my readers, allow me a few words about a
little-seen, but critically-received game called
Broken Sword. This blongs squarely in that category of
Gameboy Advance titles that deserved an audience, but came and
went without much notice. A diamond in the rough. Older
fans of computer games will recognize the name.
It was a successful series of adventure games from that bygone
era, and they still invite a warm nostalgia to anyone who remembers
them. These
kind of games were more common in the 1980's and 1990's, when
home computers were content to let the consoles have all the
fast, arcade games. A graphical adventure game like, oh, Broken
Sword (can't let myself wander too far) is a slower, more literary
experience. It's much more about creating a vivid word with character
and story, and not about running around and shooting things. The
story involves an American on vacation in Paris, who nearly becomes
the victim of a cafe bombing. Despite the pleas of the local
authorities, he is determined to solve the case singlehandedly.
Perhaps he is a little like Joe Cotton's character in The
Third Man, something of a mild caracature of cowboy Americans.
To bad there aren't any Orson Welles cameos. In
any case, he discovers some leads, meets several interesting
people, and finds himself caught in something far bigger than
himself. It would be cruel of me to reveal any more of the story;
you will have to discover all the great moments for yourself. This
installment in the Broken Sword series, titled The
Shadow of the Templars, is a port from the PC, where it was a best-seller.
It's remarkable how the entire game was translated to the handheld
format without any cuts or compromises. Revolution Software deserves
our appreciation.
The
game's visuals are striking, bold; they stand out as among the
finest this handheld as ever seen. There's a terrific amount
of detail on the tiny screen, and I'm impressed how clear
everything looks. Everything is drawn in a realist American
cartoon style, a little bit like Brad Bird's little gem The
Iron Giant. If
you own a Gameboy Advance and you're looking for something a
little different, then you absolutely should give this a chance.
I think you'll thank yourself for the effort. It ranks among
the best of the lost gems. I can't recommend it enough. |
