gamesbriefs
9:35in productionCh. 1 · What kind of game is it?/ 9:35 · ceiling 15 min
Puzzle · Retro

Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror

Revolution Software · 1997

A tightly wound puzzle box disguised as a globetrotting thriller—its rigour is its reward, not its flaw.

Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror is a 1997 point-and-click adventure by Revolution Software. It runs on PC and PlayStation. Players guide George Stobbart—and briefly Nicole Collard—through hand-drawn 2D environments using a mouse or gamepad. Interaction relies on right-clicking for clues, branching dialogue for exposition, and collecting/combining objects to solve puzzles. A dynamic map unlocks new locations as the story progresses. It sold one million copies in the mid-1990s and was well received.

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Chapters & takeaways4
  1. 1:10
    What kind of game is it?

    It is a 2D, third-person point-and-click adventure—not cinematic, not real-time, not open-world.

  2. 2:41
    How do you actually play it?

    You control George (and briefly Nicole) with a mouse or gamepad, talk via branching trees, and gather clues by right-clicking.

  3. 3:54
    What is the puzzle loop?

    Puzzles demand object collection, combination, and contextual use—no trial-and-error guessing if you read the clues.

  4. 5:43
    What did it achieve then?

    It was well received and sold one million copies in the mid-1990s—but that does not make it frictionless today.

Worth your time?

Yes. Play the whole thing.

4/ 5
What works
  • Its dialogue trees are precise and purposeful.
  • Right-clicking reliably surfaces narrative and mechanical clues.
  • The map integrates geography and progression without abstraction.
  • Puzzle solutions follow consistent internal logic.
What does not
  • It does not offer modern accessibility features.
  • It does not allow skipping dialogue or puzzles.
  • It does not support save-anywhere or autosave.
Play it if
  • Players who treat puzzles as conversations with the world.
  • Readers who trust writing over spectacle.
  • Those who accept consequence as part of engagement.
Skip it if
  • Players who rely on visual cues over text.
  • Those who avoid backtracking or trial-based failure.
  • Anyone expecting systemic depth beyond the point-and-click loop.
The written brief1 min read

What the game is

Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror is a 1997 point-and-click adventure game developed by Revolution Software for PC and PlayStation. It is a story-driven sequel to Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars, played from a third-person perspective in 2D.

How it actually plays

The player moves George Stobbart (and occasionally Nicole Collard) across hand-drawn 2D scenes using a mouse or gamepad. Right-clicking objects reveals descriptions and clues. Dialogue unfolds through branching trees to extract hints or plot progression. Puzzles require collecting items and combining them with scenery, people, or other objects. A map expands as the story advances, enabling travel between newly unlocked locations.

What works

The dialogue trees deliver sharp, character-led exposition. The map system cleanly organises geographic progression. Right-clicking objects consistently yields useful textual clues. Puzzle logic stays internal to the world’s rules—no moon logic, no arbitrary inventory combinations.

What does not

It offers no adaptive difficulty, no undo for fatal missteps, and no alternative paths once a puzzle locks progress. The interface gives no feedback on unimplemented actions. Its linear structure with hard gates means backtracking is mandatory, not optional.

Who it is for, and who it is not

It is for players who enjoy parsing environmental detail, weighing dialogue options for narrative leverage, and solving self-contained spatial and logical puzzles. It is not for players who dislike reading, need constant feedback, or reject death-as-consequence.

Is it worth your time

Yes—if you want a tightly written, puzzle-driven point-and-click adventure that trusts your attention and rewards methodical observation. No—if you expect modern pacing, fail-safe design, or mechanical variety beyond the core loop.

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Broken Sword: The Shadow of the TemplarsRevolution Software · 1996Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars is a 1996 point-and-click adventure game developed by Revolution Software. It stars George Stobbart and Nicole Collard in a globe-trotting investigation sparked by a bombing in Paris. Players solve puzzles using a point-and-click interface, hand-drawn environments, and dialogue-driven exposition. Death is possible — a rarity for its time — and saves are manual. It launched on PC and PlayStation in 1996, with a Game Boy Advance port in 2002.
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