Charles Cecil on Broken Sword 3
Hats off for trying to bring new life into the adventure genre. However, I feel the move to 3D brings new pitfalls. I don’t think George and Nico will get involved in any bloodbaths, mind you. But the 3D engine makes it tempting to introduce more superficial action-based puzzles. How are going to find balance between traditional and 3D environment-based puzzles?
When we decided to shift the game into full 3D and move to direct control, we were keen to assure our fans that the game itself would remain, at heart, a Broken Sword title. A few were naturally concerned, and we’ve done our best to allay their fears by remaining open about our ideas for The Sleeping Dragon.
Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon is an adventure game in the truest sense, but it is absolutely not point-and-click. The interface features direct control of the character, with an icon map indicating the options that are available when within range of a hot spot. As before, the player embarks on a quest to solve mysteries, uncover conspiracies, and generally resolve the impending threat. The ‘detective’ element requires the manipulation and use of an inventory and the need to interact with a range of objects and items. We wanted the world to be much more dynamic and the player has the option to explore the environment in 3D rather than 2D through climbing, shimmying etc. One of the problems with adventures has been that the pace tends to stay constant, so we have included action elements, which are controlled through the standard interface, at the scene climax.
Finally, your comment about bloodbaths is correct; this is not a shoot-’em-up. Indeed, the game does not allow players to weild projectile weapons. This is an important point. People need to remember that we’ve chosen the move to 3D in order to radically alter the sense of immersion and explore a new form of adventuring. This is not an action game of any description; it’s a Broken Sword game pure and simple.
BS3 has caused for a bit of controversy on game forums. The foremost reason for the skepticism is probably how other adventure games have failed to implement 3D succesfully. King’s Quest 8 and Alone in the Dark became miserable action games; Monkey Island 4, Simon the Sorcerer 3D, and even Gabriel Knight 3 couldn’t benefit from the new engine. How will BS3 be different?
You’re right, of course. But where I think those games went wrong was in the translation; their move to 3D was literally just that–essentially the same game, but with an added dimension. Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon is so much more than that. We’ve maintained the same visual style, but moved to realtime 3D, sure–but we’ve radically redefined the control system and exploited this to open up more gameplay options. The puzzles will remain essentially the same–we’ve always had sections where you’ve needed to elude a guard or perform a task quickly. This move to 3D will hopefully make the game more appealing to those that have dismissed 2D adventures in the past. Then they’ll see what they have been missing.
Another subject of the debate is the BS3 trailer, which shows George running, climbing walls and jumping. Is this a clever promotional trick, or a sign of a new philosophy behind the game?
Not at all. The trailer was designed primarily to demonstrate the characters and some of the locations–not as a huge example of how the game would play. This isn’t Tomb Raider, that’s for sure. We were limited at the time in what we could show, but recognised the importance of showing something at ECTS. We had to put together a trailer which would demonstrate the game in its most exciting light.
Just to reassure the hard-core adventurers: there will be traditional puzzle solving, dialog-trees, inventory, etc. in the game?
Of course! Probably the best way to explain this is by looking at a specific example. (Warning! Spoilers for the intro scene ahead. Go to page 3 if you want to skip them.) Early in the game, the player sees the hacker, Vernon, being shot by a woman who appears to have been Nico. Now Nico has appeared at the same apartment. She checks a piece of paper that she is holding and looks at the numbers on the doors leading off the landing. She is about to knock on one of the doors when she hears three gunshots from inside the apartment. The camera cuts to show a look of horror cross her face.
Nico walks cautiously, looking around as she moves. The music creates a mood of tension and anticipation. The landing has a full-length window that overlooks the street. Nico opens the window and walks out a small balcony. She tries to grab the ledge above her but finds that it is too high. She pulls a flower box away from the edge of the ledge and can now step onto it. Jumping up she grabs the ledge. From here she can pull herself up onto the balcony above.
Nico drops onto the second balcony. Trying the door she finds that it is locked. She peers through the grimy window and can just make out an unidentifiable shape on the floor of the living room. Climbing over the railing, Nico drops over the edge, and pulls herself over the barrier. The full-length window here is slightly ajar–the catch is partly turned but the door is jammed. Nico gets out her plastic press card and slides it into the crack–ifting the latch. The door opens with a creek to reveal a dilapidated bedroom–the bed is unmade, the sheets look as though they haven’t been washed for months, and dirty laundry is strewn around the room.
Nico creeps through the room and into the living room, opening the connecting door very carefully. A tight close-up camera shot shows a body lying just inside the room. A camera close-up on Nico shows her gasp in horror.
Nico searches the corpse and finds a calling card. The camera cuts to show the card as she reads it aloud. Talking to herself, Nico’s confirms that this is the man that she has come here to meet.
Nico walks further into the apartment. The intensity of the music rises. A floorboard creaks stopping Nico dead in her tracks. Suddenly the impostor, Petra, leaps out and points a gun at Nico. Nico steps back in shock.
Nico lurches to the side as the gun is fired–but she has not been quite quick enough. The bullet grazes her arm. Petra takes aim for a second shot. Nico spins and kicks her hand–the gun goes off shooting a bullet into the ceiling and showering them both with plaster. Finding the gun is empty, Petra throws a punch–but is blocked by Nico who lands a hand chop on her shoulder. Petra curses, turns and dashes towards the window. She throws the window open and escapes down the fire escape, with Nico in hot pursuit…
Next: new forms of storytelling
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