What makes Broken Sword so good?

In which I ramble a bit about why point and click adventure games have endured, and what it is I think people love about them.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments!



#indie #devlog #gamedev #indiegaming

[craigmcguire]

The thing I like about point and click adventure games is the story

Broken Sword 1&2 are some of my all time favourite games due to their amazing storylines, characters

[pokechamp]

I remember playing the demo of Broken Sword 2 when I was in my teens. I was amazed at how realistic it felt compared to other games I had played. Instead of shooting my way through everything I actually had to work with the environment and characters. When I got my hands on the full game I was totally engrossed. I remember how shocked I was the first time I managed to get George killed. It felt super intense.

[resurrection]

Totally agree with this, adventure games are characters in good stories. It's nice to have the puzzles and thought provoking conversation trees though or it would be just another visual novel. Personally love the feeling that you didn't just watch the story unfold, you literally had to make it happen. That feeling of accomplishment when you figure out how to carry the melting grog cups all the way into the prison.... Nothing like it.

[mkdfan]

You’re right! Nothing better on a cold and rainy day than to make a nice cup of something hot, get under a blanket and play a point and click adventure. I’d put a game like Stardew Valley in the same category too.

[vicek]

Good point. But most of today's walking simulators have nothing but a good and rich story. Those games are safe too, but it's not the same kind of experience as in good old point & click adventure games. I think one of the most important differences is the pace of narration. If the game is too easy or puzzles are non-existent, we have to concentrate on story, and we don't have a moment to breathe. In point & click adventure games we have puzzles, and if we try to solve them, we take a break from the plot. Such a rest makes us want to know the rest of the story even more. So I believe that paradoxically, the moments spent on thinking are the main element of coziness in point & click adventure games.

[clairereesretouching]

The Broken Sword series are amongst the best games of all time. I have so much love for BS1 and BS2, they are literal perfection. George and Nico feel like old friends and every single time I replay the games (at least once a year) I enjoy them just as much as I did as a child in the 90s.

[savannahlevy]

I remember playing point and click games when I was little on my dad's computer. They really were the most memorable games I've ever played solely because the genre encourages you to just sit, take your time, and take everything in. Point and click adventure games are memorable but not in the same way as other video games, the whole game feels like something you lived through and experienced uniquely from everyone else, much like the feeling you get when reading a book. Like you're in a personal bubble. I think its because they're so open and simple in nature that they play off of whatever mood you were in while playing them, unlike other games that are so keen on forcing you to feel and act certain way from scene to scene if that makes sense.

[Nutricula]

I feel the same way! I wasn't expecting you to say "cosiness" at all. You articulated a point that I'd felt but not fully realised. I enjoy a wide variety of genres, but there's always a special place with me for point and click adventures. Thank you

[isatche]

For me it's the story, characters and adventure. Also, it feels really good when you solve the tough (but fair) puzzle.

[richardwaddington]

Some excellent points, I could waffle for hours about how I came to PnC games but the fact of the matter is I love them, nearly all of them and on several platforms . It probably helps that my first PnC game was broken sword, just after I had fallen in love with FF7, a game where you had to check EVERYTHING. So by that time I didnt have a problem with try to match one item with another no matter how obscure, to find the correct combination to progress. Its a dying art form and it will die with us but im still looking for the ultimate PnC games list . I cant bear to finish BS5, as it will be the last and so as long as I dont finish it, its still alive. Same with the Runaway series, So Blonde, etc . I love a bit of unrequited romance in my stories.
It feels a bit like playing the Fighting Fantasy books of my childhood, me, the story, the adventure and nothing else existed at that time .
Happy Memories.

[tabulaluden]

I was definitely going to say the puzzles were what made the games interesting due to them being the main differentiator between a visual novel/walking sim and an adventure game.

[stephenfrawley]

Nail on the head mate. Cozy, you get to completely innersive yourself in the atmosphere and what's going before you have to make a game changing decision. Ugh I realise I'm old but God I miss games like this

[MrSpanielson]

Great vid - would agree with others though that you shouldn't underestimate the appeal of a good puzzle. I do remember satisfying adventure game puzzles, and the "a ha!" moment when you nail the solution. Adventure games that don't present a challenge, or an interesting variety of puzzles, will be less engaging.

The thing I personally love about adventure games, especially those with a verb interface, is the level of interactivity you have with the game world: any area of the environment might potentially give you something or someone to look at, speak to, push, use etc. Often modern games have meticulously crafted environments that are just set dressing.

[icysaracen]

100% on the feel-good book. After work there nothing like winding down into a different world. Immersing yourself in the story.

[tokens]

It was always the story and characters that made me like it even if waiting for any adventure games to come out.
love the video

[vthunder]

Great perspective. Similar feeling to watching an episode of ice road truckers when it’s snowing outside, except I have to earn the page turn in a game which gives that nice dopamine hit that I’m being successful and get to keep discovering while maintaining the escapism.

[DOLBECMAD]

Me and 3 of my friends have started playing click story games on discord we just chat and one of us plays and stream it. It's really chill and help finding solutions

[Ganesh_nyk]

My first point and adventure game was syberia. The game was so good i still remember it sometimes brings back memories😊

[Johnlmooring]

I wish more games like Blackwell Legacy and similar would come out. Those games were super fun and the soundtrack was great

[Epictronics]

Hey, maybe you're right. This is my all-time favorite game. Decades ago, I use to play it as the last thing I did before bedtime because it's so calming : )