Broken Sword: The Shadows of The Templars by Astraware Review

As the Windows Mobile platform as grown and developed over the last ten years, the desire and indeed demand for a more "desktop-like" experience has grown as well.  You do not have to look for to see applications that closely replicate desktop functions onto the mobile platform (See SoftMaker's Office 2006, WebIS' FlexMail 2007, and Resco File Explorer as examples).  This trend however has not just followed along utilities or applications but in the game arena as well.  With the steady improvement of graphics, memory, processor speed and performance, games for Windows Mobile devices have steadily improved and some games have even been ported over to the mobile format.

Once such game is Broken Sword: The Shadows of the Templars.  Originally created for Windows PC and Sony PlayStation, Astraware has ported this incredibly addictive and graphically rich game to the Windows Mobile platform.  Astraware has done amazing work in keeping the graphics truly eye-popping and with easy-to-understand game controls, have made it equally as addictive.  Even the casual gamer, such as myself, can easily get into Broken Sword!  Complete the packages with video cut scenes, text dialog, full speech soundtrack and music - you get a true desktop-like gaming experience in the palm of your hand.

Broken Sword: The Shadows of the Templars is a massive 109MB download and requires installation onto a Storage Card in your Windows Mobile device.  You will need to installed the game via ActiveSync and when the files are copied to your device you will receive an installation failure notice.  This failure notice is a well documented issue with Windows Mobile 5 (not Astraware) but can easily be worked around.  ActiveSync, in reality, successfully put the .CAB file on your storage card as expected.  All you need to do is use File Explorer and navigate to your storage card.  Tap the Broken Sword .CAB file and follow the installation steps. The reason the installation is so large will be evident when you first start playing Broken Sword.  The cinema-like graphics and rich detail simply take space to create!  An important note here:  Be sure that you download and purchase the correct version for your device.  Broken Sword is available for Pocket PC 2003 and Windows Mobile 5 but have separate installers.  Links to each version will be provided at the end of the review.

After the game is installed and started you will be playing the game in landscape mode on your device.  The opening credits and video are fantastic and really give you a good flavor of what is coming your way in Broken Sword.  The plot of Broken Sword is laid out in these first opening frames as your character, George Stobbart, is witness to an explosion at a cafe in Paris which kills a patron.  George, who is vacationing in Europe at the time, quickly discover that he is more than a witness to a deadly explosion but that an ancient manuscript has been stolen from the victim of the explosion.  This manuscript was created by the Knights Templar in the 14th century and it leads to the location where their legendary sword of power has been hidden for centuries.  With the help of a photojournalist, Nico Collard, George sets off to discover the sword and how it relates to the bombing at the beginning of the game.  If the plot sounds complicated that is because it is complicated!  This is unlike a simple side-scrolling game where limited plotlines are commonplace.  Rather, Broken Sword has a rich, twisting storyline that keeps you playing and drives you to discovery.

Figure 1:  Great Cinema-like Video Cuts Are in Broken Sword

The game play in Broken Sword is stylus driven and straight forward.  On the game screen you simply tap on the screen where you what George to go or with whom to interact with.  This can be made easier as you are starting out by using the magnifying glass in the lower left-hand corner of the screen.  When you tap this, small circles will highlight people, objects and places that George can (and often should) investigate.  It is important to remember that when you are interacting with a character that you do so as much as possible.  Often the characters of the game will have important information for you and it make take your interaction with them to get them to give it to you.  Additionally, as you play, do not "tap your way through" and skip the commentary or responses from characters.  This can be very important in solving this mystery and it is easy to miss something if you don't pay attention!  Each character in Broken Sword is unique and expertly animated for the game.  Some of the characters will change their answers and/or reaction to you based on the answer or information you give them.

As you play Broken Sword you will note that the icons on the lower taskbar change depending on what you are doing in the game.  For example, if you are interacting with a character and are asked a "Yes/No" question, the icons change to a thumbs-up or thumbs-down instead of the magnifying glasses.

Figure 2:  The Magnifying Glass Points You To Interactive People, Places and Things

If the game play and characters are not enough to make you want to try Broken Sword then the stunning graphics of the game should do the trick.  It is hard to express to you in this review just how well done the graphics are in the game.  The 3D backgrounds and life like character movements are nothing short of impressive.  Indeed many of the objects that you can use in the game display their own characteristics, making them truly interactive.  As mentioned before, throughout the game are video cuts which only add to the cinema-like feel of the game.  These interludes offer clues and information to help solve the mystery but also are a powerful example of how well done the "eye candy" of this game has been done by Astraware.

Figure 3:  The Graphics in Broken Sword are Simply Stunning

Adding to this rich graphical feast is the outstanding soundtrack and speech in Broken Sword.  Within minutes of starting the game you will realize that each character has full speech (with subtitles offered as well by default) which offers a richness to this game that others lack.  Doug Goldring in his review of Broken Sword on Just Another Mobile Monday sums it up best:  "It is this kind of minor detail that truly sets Broken Sword apart from other Pocket PC games." 

Figure 4:  Full Speech and Subtitles May Game Play Easier - and Fun!

As you would expect with a game of this caliber, there are many aspects of Broken Sword which you can customize to fit your personal style better.  Items such as speech subtitles can be enabled or disabled, sound can be disabled and and brightness and contrast can be adjusted.  Additionally you can save games for later play.  If you do not like playing the game in landscape mode you can adjust it to portrait although I personally find the game much more fun to play in the default mode.

Figure 5:  Options and Adjustments of Broken Sword

I have admitted many times to many people - including the readers of Clinton Fitch (Dot) Com! - that I am not much of a gamer.  Aside from a few I have on my PC and even less on my Windows Mobile device, I have never been much of one.  However there have been a few games that I have found fun and addictive and Broken Sword without question is in that category.  The graphics and sound are stunning and the plot line of the game makes it very hard to put down.  During this review I found myself playing late into the night simply because I was either stumped or eager to press on.  I can only imagine what this game must be like in the hands of a hardcore gamer!  It is a great game, well worth the price of admission!

As mentioned before, Broken Sword: The Shadow of The Templars is available for Windows Mobile PocketPC 2003 and 5.0 (you can also get it for Palm devices as well).  When you get the trial or purchase the game, be sure to get the correct version for your device.  You can download the trial or purchase the game from the Clinton Fitch (Dot) Com! store by clicking on these links:

Windows Mobile PocketPC 2003(SE) Owners Click Here
Windows Mobile 5.0 Owners Click Here

Regardless of platform, Broken Sword sells for $29.95 (US) and is a part of the Clinton Fitch (Dot) Com! Top 25 List.  That means you can save 20% off when you purchase Broken Sword from the store.  All you need to do is use the coupon code CFTOP25 when you check out to get the discount.

Clinton Fitch, MVP-Mobile Devices
Clinton Fitch (Dot) Com!