Broken Sword: The Angel of Death
Encyclopedia
Broken Sword: The Angel of Death, known in North America as Secrets of the Ark: A Broken Sword Game, is the fourth installment in the Broken Sword
series of computer games, released for PCs running Windows
in Europe on September 15, 2006, and in North America on February 13, 2007. It is the first game to be amBX
enabled, and also the first one in the series not to be released on any console.
, George has failed to get any real work as a patent lawyer, and as a result, had to work delivering bails to his many aides.
When George is approached by Anna-Maria, the beautiful femme fatale
who is aided by only a manuscript of great importance, the two are assaulted by a group of thugs hired to track down and kill Anna-Maria. George and Anna-Maria escape, and the two begin searching for this great treasure that the manuscript leads them to.
Soon however, the group of thugs return, and reveals another whole level of danger, when George finds and reveals corruption in Rome, the Vatican, and the Convent. Soon enough, Anna-Maria is captured, and it's up to George to work out who's taken her, and what is going on.
and Revolution Software
.
For the first time, Revolution Software was not the developer; instead, it was outsourced to Sumo Digital
, a game development studio from Sheffield, England. Sumo Digital provided consultancy on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of The Sleeping Dragon. Rolf Saxon
who voiced George Stobbart in previous games is back and a new voice actress by the name of Katherine Pageon was hired to play Nico Collard.
Ben McCullough composed the music for the game although the soundtrack also features several tracks from the electronic band Ūbernoise, all specially written for the game. There is also an accompanying soundtrack album on Sugarstar Records available exclusively from iTunes
.
.
Adventure Classic Gaming said, "Not only the game succeeds in addressing many of the flaws in Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon that have plagued the previous title, this sequel is able to surpass the high standard and expectation set forth by past games in the series to create yet another chapter in the legend of the Knights Templar
."
Eurogamer
said, "As an example of classic, back to basics point and click adventuring, there can perhaps be no finer recent example in the genre than The Angel of Death - it's a nailed-down must-buy if you're an adventure diehard who plays every one."
PC Zone
said, "It's hard, its opening acts don't match the quality of those which follow and some characters grate - but as a modern rendition of a traditional formula, The Angel Of Death has both pointed and clicked wisely. It's another nail out of the adventure gaming coffin - although admittedly quite a few remain."
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, released for PCs running 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...
in Europe on September 15, 2006, and in North America on February 13, 2007. It is the first game to be amBX
AmBX
AmBX is an internationally patent protected technology for controlling incandescent and white/coloured LED lighting and other enabled devices...
enabled, and also the first one in the series not to be released on any console.
Gameplay
The game is played by either using the mouse or the keyboard arrows. When you hover over something that you can use, the mouse icon changes to a symbol relating to what you can use the object for. Eg, lips for talking, or cogs if you can use it.Plot
The story begins, when George Stobbart down on his luck, is working for a Bail Bonds company. Since the events of Broken Sword: The Sleeping DragonBroken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon
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...
, George has failed to get any real work as a patent lawyer, and as a result, had to work delivering bails to his many aides.
When George is approached by Anna-Maria, the beautiful femme fatale
Femme fatale
A femme fatale is a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetype of literature and art...
who is aided by only a manuscript of great importance, the two are assaulted by a group of thugs hired to track down and kill Anna-Maria. George and Anna-Maria escape, and the two begin searching for this great treasure that the manuscript leads them to.
Soon however, the group of thugs return, and reveals another whole level of danger, when George finds and reveals corruption in Rome, the Vatican, and the Convent. Soon enough, Anna-Maria is captured, and it's up to George to work out who's taken her, and what is going on.
Development
On August 17, 2005, the fourth game in the series was announced by THQTHQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...
and Revolution Software
Revolution Software
Revolution Software Ltd. is a British adventure game company, based in York in northern England.The company was founded in 1990 by Charles Cecil, Tony Warriner, David Sykes and Noirin Carmody...
.
For the first time, Revolution Software was not the developer; instead, it was outsourced to Sumo Digital
Sumo Digital
Sumo Digital Ltd. is an independent game development studio based in Sheffield, United Kingdom. Set up in 2003 following the closure of Infogrames Studios Sheffield/Gremlin Interactive...
, a game development studio from Sheffield, England. Sumo Digital provided consultancy on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of The Sleeping Dragon. Rolf Saxon
Rolf Saxon
Rolf Saxon , is an American actor living in London.Saxon was born in Alexandria, Virginia. He studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, England where he was awarded the Gold Medal on his graduation, and also studied acting at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco,...
who voiced George Stobbart in previous games is back and a new voice actress by the name of Katherine Pageon was hired to play Nico Collard.
Ben McCullough composed the music for the game although the soundtrack also features several tracks from the electronic band Ūbernoise, all specially written for the game. There is also an accompanying soundtrack album on Sugarstar Records available exclusively from iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
.
Reception
The Angel of Death received mixed reviews. The game received an aggregate score of 73/100 on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
.
Adventure Classic Gaming said, "Not only the game succeeds in addressing many of the flaws in Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon that have plagued the previous title, this sequel is able to surpass the high standard and expectation set forth by past games in the series to create yet another chapter in the legend of the Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
."
Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
said, "As an example of classic, back to basics point and click adventuring, there can perhaps be no finer recent example in the genre than The Angel of Death - it's a nailed-down must-buy if you're an adventure diehard who plays every one."
PC Zone
PC Zone
PC Zone was the first magazine dedicated to games for IBM-compatible personal computers to be published in the United Kingdom. Earlier PC magazines such as PC Leisure, PC Format and PC Plus had covered games but only as part of a wider remit. PC Zone was founded in 1993.The magazine was published...
said, "It's hard, its opening acts don't match the quality of those which follow and some characters grate - but as a modern rendition of a traditional formula, The Angel Of Death has both pointed and clicked wisely. It's another nail out of the adventure gaming coffin - although admittedly quite a few remain."
External links
- Official Revolution Software website
- Official Sumo Digital website
- Official Sugarstar Records website
- Broken Sword: The Angel of Death at Game RankingsGame RankingsGameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
- Interview with Charles Cecil about Adventures and Broken Sword 4 (2006)