A great adventure, but sadly a victim of ‘sequel syndrome’.
If you happened to read my previous review, chances are that you probably figured out that Broken Sword: Shadow Of The Templars is one of my favourite adventure games. On certain days I may even go as far as to call it my favourite, but in a slightly bizarre turn of events, it was actually the sequel which I played first, and which contributed (along with numerous Lucas Arts titles) to my appreciation of the story and world in which a game is set, which in my opinion makes a game far more enjoyable than just having the ability to point at things and shoot. Picking up 6 months after the events of Shadow Of The Templars, the sequel opens with the series’ protagonist George Stobbart returning to Paris after spending a number of months in America tending to his sick father. Upon his return, he discovers that his photojournalist girlfriend Nico is on the brink of exposing a drug smuggling ring, when she receives a mysterious obsidian stone of Mayan origin, rather than the consignment of narcotics she had expected, which was the last piece of evidence she needed to crack the drug case. The couple seek advice on the artefact from a local Parisian archaeologist, who has an interest in Mayan history, but upon arriving at his house, Nico is struck by a poisoned dart, and kidnapped by a mysterious Central American stranger, who leaves George to deal with a giant & deadly tarantula, while tied to a chair in a burning room. Upon escaping, George is propelled on a quest to rescue Nico, uncover the significance of the Mayan stone, and ultimately save the world (again!). There is no denying that the game has a certain charm, and the story is definitely captivating, but sadly, I didn’t really feel that it attained to the heights of intrigue and mystique present in Shadow Of The Templars.
The score is well written, epic in scale, and really fits the Central American/Aztec theme well
I really felt like the much of the life & spark of the first game was brought by a host of well animated, individual, and hugely memorable characters, that possessed a depth of characterisation rarely seen in a video game. The voice acting was outstanding, and each character possessed a certain quirkiness, which made them incredibly lifelike and believable. Again, sadly I didn’t feel like the characters in The Smoking Mirror possessed these qualities. Many of the characters really feel like they are there to fulfil a purpose or speak their piece and disappear into the background. Aside from a handful of the main characters, most simply fade into obscurity without it ever really feeling like they’ve contributed anything of significance to the story. Similarly, the voice acting is somewhat lacking in this game. Some of the characters stick out like a sore thumb in their locations, given their supposed accents, and it’s obvious at times that the same actors are used in multiple roles. I realise this was probably also the case in the first game, but it was never something I felt conscious of. Music was definitely a stronger point in this game, and I felt like Barrington Pheloung went with a ‘less is more’ approach to this game, which seems to contain less music overall than the first, but which is used to greater effect to emphasise moments of suspense, tension, shock, romance etc. The score is well written, epic in scale, and really fits the Central American/Aztec theme well, featuring heavy use of sinister chanting, which sounds almost ritualistic in nature. The game’s graphics are another strong point, and are based on the same colourfully animated style as the first game, but with what felt like a little more attention to detail paid in certain places. The visual style fits the game’s more humorous moments well, without ever diminishing the more serious moments or breaking the mood. To conclude, The Smoking Mirror is despite everything I’ve said a great adventure game, and well worth playing. Sadly it is however hampered by the familiar ‘sequel syndrome’ that affects so many games, films, albums etc. In spite of this, it does possess a strong storyline, with some great humorous moments, as well as parts that will keep you firmly attached to the edge of your seat. The game features some great puzzles (the Mayan Discs puzzle at the end of the game still ranks as one of my favourite of the series), and is still great fun to play despite its flaws. Overall, this is still amongst my favourite adventure games, and is definitely worth getting hold of in whatever format you can.
The Good: A strong story,; Great musical score,; Some really fun puzzles.
The Bad: Never quite matches up to it’s predecessor,; Uneven pacing takes some of the mystery out of the story,; Most of the characters are somewhat forgettable.
