| Broken Sword | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre(s) | Point-and-click adventure Adventure |
| Developer(s) | Revolution Software (in partnership with Sumo Digital in 2006) |
| Creator(s) | Charles Cecil |
| Platform(s) | Android, Game Boy Advance, iOS, Linux, Mac OS, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Switch, Palm OS, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii, Windows, Windows Mobile, Xbox, Xbox One |
| First release | Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars 30 September 1996 |
| Latest release | Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse 5 December 2013 |
Broken Sword is a series of adventure games. The first game in the series, Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars, was released and developed in 1996 by British developer Revolution Software. Its sequel, Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror, was released a year later, and was followed by Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon in 2003, Broken Sword: The Angel of Death in 2006, and Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse in 2013. A remake of the first game in the series, known as Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars – The Director's Cut, was released in 2009, and a remake of the second game in the series, Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror – Remastered, in 2010 for iOS devices; other platforms followed in 2011.
The main protagonists of the series are George Stobbart, an American patent lawyer, and Nicole "Nico" Collard, a French freelance journalist. While Nico does not appear as a playable character in the original version of The Shadow of the Templars, she does become playable in the Director's Cut.
The Broken Sword series was conceived in 1994 by Charles Cecil, Noirin Carmody and Sean Brennan, while talking about the mythology of the Knights Templar. The first three games in the series as well as the fifth game were developed by Revolution Software, while the fourth game was co-developed by Revolution and Sumo Digital. The Shadow of the Templars and The Smoking Mirror were critical and commercial successes, selling millions. However, The Sleeping Dragon and The Angel of Death received mixed reviews and were not as popular as the first two games. This was mainly due to the switch to 3D graphics and because the third game left the "point and click" interface for a more action-oriented gameplay. The latest game in the series, The Serpent's Curse, returned to the series' 2D roots. The series appeared on several top adventure game lists. A comic book was produced for each remake of the first two Broken Sword games.