(3 / 4)
Also on: Android, iPad, iPhone, Linux, Macintosh
A QUICK BANG FOR YOUR BUCK
Ah, quick sequels. Why even try to deny they're made for money over artistic ambitions? Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror was originally released in 1997, only one year after the surprise hit Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars. With the adventure game genre in decline, you might forgive Revolution Software for trying to grab a quick final buck before its passing.
This sequel is no continuation nor deepening of the concept. It is rather the establishment of a franchise designed to go on with new stories for as long as there's an interest. Although directed and written by history enthusiast Charles Cecil, there are no intriguing history lessons, archaeological digs, and certainly not a lot of the mature realism the first game would have us expect. There's not even a broken sword. (Well, technically there is, but it's just an alibi - an inventory item with no significance to the plot.)
What we do get is another point-and-click adventure starring the lovely couple George Stobbart (still voiced by Rolf Saxon) and Nicole Collard (series newcomer Jennifer Caron Hall), both of whom get entangled in a plot involving an ancient Mayan ritual. As for the Knight's Templars and the Assassins, they're on hold this time, but will make their triumphant return in the next sequel.
As such, it's not a bad game, but it lacks the predecessor's holistic sense of location. That first game's orchestral score against the Parisian backdrops and cozy villages in the autumn created a great sense of time and place, whereas The Smoking Mirror feels more like a series of small key locations strung together to support a plot. It doesn't stick together as well, and falls apart in memory soon upon completion.
The story picks up about six months after the end of The Shadow of the Templars, during which George was away tending to his dying father. Now the couple's back together. In his absence Nico gained possession of an ancient Mayan stone, emblazoned with carvings of a coyote, whilst researching a story. Trying to uncover its significance, the pair pay a visit to an archaeologist, professor Oubier, at his estate.
But as soon as they arrive, George gets knocked out cold from behind. As he comes around, he finds himself still in the estate, tied to a chair in a room on fire, threatened by a big, poisonous spider. Nico is nowhere to be seen. It's up to you to get him free, and then find out what happened to his girlfriend.
This very first room illustrates the difference between this game and its predecessor - more inventory puzzles and less dialogue. This improves gameplay slightly, to the detriment of the plot. The remaster uses a modified version of the same streamlined interface as the first game, with only the two mouse buttons and no verb commands, resulting in a very simplistic adventure game. I finished it in only a couple of two hour sessions, getting stuck for no longer than a few minutes at the most.
Other improvements in the remaster include polished cutscenes, graphics and music, as well as a diary keeping track of your progress, a Dave Gibbons interactive comic explaining recent affairs, and a drag-and-drop interface suitable for handhelds. Nothing gamechanging, really. You'd be just as well off playing the original.
The adventure starts off in Paris, and takes our protagonists on a chase for answers around the globe. It ends up in a Central American pyramid for the final showdown, which introduces some silly, supernatural elements to the franchise. On their way they rob a museum, cause a ruckus in another museum, crash a film set, arrange a jail break and antagonize the military dictatorship of a tropical nation. It somehow reminded me of a lightweight Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis.
An easy game doesn't mean it is bad. The puzzles are actually a bit better than in The Shadow of the Templars, as they are often fairly obvious and logical. When they aren't, the downscaled interface limits the time you spend in "try everything"-mode. Besides, the remaster comes with a brand new hint system, adapting to your current situation. By far the shortest game in the series, you should be able to breeze through The Smoking Mirror in a weekend with plenty of time to spare.
Don't miss out on the two hilarious easter eggs - one of them a weirdly naughty puzzle skip, the other a callback to a previous Revolution game - you can encounter in the sequences where you play as Nico.
With quality writing and a good dose of humor, it's a good, worthwhile adventure for fans of The Shadow of the Templars. If you haven't played that one, I recommend starting there to get a better first impression. Though the vibe and historical themes may be mostly gone in The Smoking Mirror, we still get the charming central characters who remain steadfast through any change their creators force upon them. These changes will prove dire indeed in sequels to come. The last game created within the Virtual Theater engine, the changes made to Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror are mostly tonal, and completely excusable.
Between this one and the third installment, however, the 3D revolution happened and the graphical adventure genre died. Revolution Software had to adapt to keep up. Did they succeed? Stay tuned for a review of Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon.
This sequel is no continuation nor deepening of the concept. It is rather the establishment of a franchise designed to go on with new stories for as long as there's an interest. Although directed and written by history enthusiast Charles Cecil, there are no intriguing history lessons, archaeological digs, and certainly not a lot of the mature realism the first game would have us expect. There's not even a broken sword. (Well, technically there is, but it's just an alibi - an inventory item with no significance to the plot.)
What we do get is another point-and-click adventure starring the lovely couple George Stobbart (still voiced by Rolf Saxon) and Nicole Collard (series newcomer Jennifer Caron Hall), both of whom get entangled in a plot involving an ancient Mayan ritual. As for the Knight's Templars and the Assassins, they're on hold this time, but will make their triumphant return in the next sequel.
As such, it's not a bad game, but it lacks the predecessor's holistic sense of location. That first game's orchestral score against the Parisian backdrops and cozy villages in the autumn created a great sense of time and place, whereas The Smoking Mirror feels more like a series of small key locations strung together to support a plot. It doesn't stick together as well, and falls apart in memory soon upon completion.
The story picks up about six months after the end of The Shadow of the Templars, during which George was away tending to his dying father. Now the couple's back together. In his absence Nico gained possession of an ancient Mayan stone, emblazoned with carvings of a coyote, whilst researching a story. Trying to uncover its significance, the pair pay a visit to an archaeologist, professor Oubier, at his estate.
But as soon as they arrive, George gets knocked out cold from behind. As he comes around, he finds himself still in the estate, tied to a chair in a room on fire, threatened by a big, poisonous spider. Nico is nowhere to be seen. It's up to you to get him free, and then find out what happened to his girlfriend.
This very first room illustrates the difference between this game and its predecessor - more inventory puzzles and less dialogue. This improves gameplay slightly, to the detriment of the plot. The remaster uses a modified version of the same streamlined interface as the first game, with only the two mouse buttons and no verb commands, resulting in a very simplistic adventure game. I finished it in only a couple of two hour sessions, getting stuck for no longer than a few minutes at the most.
Other improvements in the remaster include polished cutscenes, graphics and music, as well as a diary keeping track of your progress, a Dave Gibbons interactive comic explaining recent affairs, and a drag-and-drop interface suitable for handhelds. Nothing gamechanging, really. You'd be just as well off playing the original.
The adventure starts off in Paris, and takes our protagonists on a chase for answers around the globe. It ends up in a Central American pyramid for the final showdown, which introduces some silly, supernatural elements to the franchise. On their way they rob a museum, cause a ruckus in another museum, crash a film set, arrange a jail break and antagonize the military dictatorship of a tropical nation. It somehow reminded me of a lightweight Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis.
An easy game doesn't mean it is bad. The puzzles are actually a bit better than in The Shadow of the Templars, as they are often fairly obvious and logical. When they aren't, the downscaled interface limits the time you spend in "try everything"-mode. Besides, the remaster comes with a brand new hint system, adapting to your current situation. By far the shortest game in the series, you should be able to breeze through The Smoking Mirror in a weekend with plenty of time to spare.
Don't miss out on the two hilarious easter eggs - one of them a weirdly naughty puzzle skip, the other a callback to a previous Revolution game - you can encounter in the sequences where you play as Nico.
With quality writing and a good dose of humor, it's a good, worthwhile adventure for fans of The Shadow of the Templars. If you haven't played that one, I recommend starting there to get a better first impression. Though the vibe and historical themes may be mostly gone in The Smoking Mirror, we still get the charming central characters who remain steadfast through any change their creators force upon them. These changes will prove dire indeed in sequels to come. The last game created within the Virtual Theater engine, the changes made to Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror are mostly tonal, and completely excusable.
Between this one and the third installment, however, the 3D revolution happened and the graphical adventure genre died. Revolution Software had to adapt to keep up. Did they succeed? Stay tuned for a review of Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon.
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