Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon
Encyclopedia
Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon is the third installment in the Broken Sword
series of computer games, and was released on November 17, 2003 on the Microsoft Windows
, Xbox
, and PlayStation 2
platforms. However, the PlayStation 2 version was only released in Europe and Japan.
, which is contrary to most previous Point-and-click adventure games.
to meet a scientist who claims to have found a source of unlimited energy. They arrive at the scientist’s lab in time to see him gunned down by a pale, lanky man and his bodyguard. A postcard hidden in the lab prompts George to travel to Glastonbury
, England
, to search for a man named Bruno.
He finds Bruno as he rushes to save an old man from a burning building. The old man turns out to be a former member of the Neo-Templars from the first game
. He claims that the cult has been taken over by a man named Susarro, who renamed it the Cult of the Dragon. It is revealed that Susarro is the pale man who killed the scientist in the Congo. The old man says that Susarro seeks to gain immortality through the use of the Earth’s ley lines. Bruno is able to track the ley lines and believes that Susarro may be going to Paris
.
Bruno leads George to an abandoned theatre
in Paris. Inside, George finds Susarro, a mysterious woman, and Flap, a character from the first game, interrogating
Nico, George’s girlfriend from previous games. After Susarro and the woman leave, George knocks Flap unconscious
and rescues Nico. George learns that Nico was following the woman, named Petra, because she had killed a friend of hers. George and Nico continue to search the theatre, looking for the source of the energy Bruno detected. They find two keys; one has an omega symbol on it, the other is the energy source. Outside, George is tazed
by an unknown assailant and the energy key is stolen.
Back at Nico’s apartment
, Bruno reveals that the stolen key was the Key of Solomon
; Susarro would need it to access a special armillary in an ancient building whose location is unknown. In time, they collect two more keys like the omega key, and they determine that the armillary is in Egypt
. Before this discovery, however, Bruno is captured by Susarro.
At the armillary building, George and Nico arrive to see Susarro forcing Bruno to activate the armillary. As it powers up, George and Nico subdue Susarro. Petra arrives with a hooded man seen twice before in the game, who proceeds to kill Susarro with supernatural powers. It is revealed that the hooded man is the Grand Master of the Neo-Templars, thought to have been killed in the first game. With the armillary active and the location of a large power site displayed, the Grand Master sets off dynamite
in the building as he escapes, trapping George, Nico, and Bruno inside. The only way for them to escape is for one of them to sacrifice themselves in one of the puzzle rooms. Bruno takes the responsibility, hoping to atone for past sins so that George and Nico can stop the Grand Master.
George and Nico arrive at the power site in Glastonbury. As Nico confronts Petra, George tries to stop the Grand Master. He arrives in time to see the Grand Master absorb the energy at the site, turning him into a dragon
and causing the ground beneath them to collapse. George finds a sword
in the cavern, which he uses to slay the dragon and save the world.
stated in an interview that the development costs were £2 million.
giving the game a rating of 8.4, placing it under the "Impressive" category. GameSpot
gave a score of 8.1, saying that it was "refreshing to play a game like Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon". However, both IGN
and GameSpot
noted that the interface was difficult to use and the puzzles in the game were repetitive. Other critics praised the game for being a good example of the adventure genre for gaming.
Broken Sword
Broken Sword is a video game series created by game designer Charles Cecil of Revolution Software. The game series revolves around the adventures of Idaho-born George Stobbart and the French Nico Collard in several fictitious stories based on history and mythology. The first two games in the series...
series of computer games, and was released on November 17, 2003 on the Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
, and PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
platforms. However, the PlayStation 2 version was only released in Europe and Japan.
Gameplay
The Gameplay in Broken Sword: Sleeping Dragon is a departure from previous installments in the series, consisting of keyboard strokes (up arrow, down arrow, left arrow, right arrow, w, a, s, and d as default settings), rather than the sole use of a mouseMouse (computing)
In computing, a mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user's hands, with one or more buttons...
, which is contrary to most previous Point-and-click adventure games.
Plot
George, the protagonist, and Harry, his friend, are flying to the CongoCongo Basin
The Congo Basin is the sedimentary basin that is the drainage of the Congo River of west equatorial Africa. The basin begins in the highlands of the East African Rift system with input from the Chambeshi River, the Uele and Ubangi Rivers in the upper reaches and the Lualaba River draining wetlands...
to meet a scientist who claims to have found a source of unlimited energy. They arrive at the scientist’s lab in time to see him gunned down by a pale, lanky man and his bodyguard. A postcard hidden in the lab prompts George to travel to Glastonbury
Glastonbury
Glastonbury is a small town in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,784 in the 2001 census...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, to search for a man named Bruno.
He finds Bruno as he rushes to save an old man from a burning building. The old man turns out to be a former member of the Neo-Templars from the first game
Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars
Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars is a point-and-click adventure game released to the PC on November 5, 1996. It was released on the PlayStation in December that same year and on the Game Boy Advance March 19, 2002. It has also been ported to the Mobile phone, and re-released to the Wii, PC,...
. He claims that the cult has been taken over by a man named Susarro, who renamed it the Cult of the Dragon. It is revealed that Susarro is the pale man who killed the scientist in the Congo. The old man says that Susarro seeks to gain immortality through the use of the Earth’s ley lines. Bruno is able to track the ley lines and believes that Susarro may be going to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Bruno leads George to an abandoned theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
in Paris. Inside, George finds Susarro, a mysterious woman, and Flap, a character from the first game, interrogating
Interrogation
Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...
Nico, George’s girlfriend from previous games. After Susarro and the woman leave, George knocks Flap unconscious
Unconsciousness
Unconsciousness is the condition of being not conscious—in a mental state that involves complete or near-complete lack of responsiveness to people and other environmental stimuli. Being in a comatose state or coma is a type of unconsciousness. Fainting due to a drop in blood pressure and a...
and rescues Nico. George learns that Nico was following the woman, named Petra, because she had killed a friend of hers. George and Nico continue to search the theatre, looking for the source of the energy Bruno detected. They find two keys; one has an omega symbol on it, the other is the energy source. Outside, George is tazed
Taser
A Taser is an electroshock weapon that uses electrical current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles. Its manufacturer, Taser International, calls the effects "neuromuscular incapacitation" and the devices' mechanism "Electro-Muscular Disruption technology"...
by an unknown assailant and the energy key is stolen.
Back at Nico’s apartment
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
, Bruno reveals that the stolen key was the Key of Solomon
Key of Solomon
The Key of Solomon , is a grimoire, or book on magic incorrectly attributed to King Solomon. It probably dates back to the 14th or 15th century Italian Renaissance...
; Susarro would need it to access a special armillary in an ancient building whose location is unknown. In time, they collect two more keys like the omega key, and they determine that the armillary is in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. Before this discovery, however, Bruno is captured by Susarro.
At the armillary building, George and Nico arrive to see Susarro forcing Bruno to activate the armillary. As it powers up, George and Nico subdue Susarro. Petra arrives with a hooded man seen twice before in the game, who proceeds to kill Susarro with supernatural powers. It is revealed that the hooded man is the Grand Master of the Neo-Templars, thought to have been killed in the first game. With the armillary active and the location of a large power site displayed, the Grand Master sets off dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
in the building as he escapes, trapping George, Nico, and Bruno inside. The only way for them to escape is for one of them to sacrifice themselves in one of the puzzle rooms. Bruno takes the responsibility, hoping to atone for past sins so that George and Nico can stop the Grand Master.
George and Nico arrive at the power site in Glastonbury. As Nico confronts Petra, George tries to stop the Grand Master. He arrives in time to see the Grand Master absorb the energy at the site, turning him into a dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
and causing the ground beneath them to collapse. George finds a sword
Excalibur
Excalibur is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain. Sometimes Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone are said to be the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separate. The sword was...
in the cavern, which he uses to slay the dragon and save the world.
Development
Revolution's director Charles CecilCharles Cecil
Charles Cecil MBE has worked in the interactive entertainment industry for 25 years. He is currently operating as Managing Director for UK based company Revolution Software which has released such critical and commercial hits as Beneath a Steel Sky and the Broken Sword series...
stated in an interview that the development costs were £2 million.
Reception
The Sleeping Dragon received generally favourable reviews, with IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
giving the game a rating of 8.4, placing it under the "Impressive" category. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
gave a score of 8.1, saying that it was "refreshing to play a game like Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon". However, both IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
and GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
noted that the interface was difficult to use and the puzzles in the game were repetitive. Other critics praised the game for being a good example of the adventure genre for gaming.