Software:Broken Sword: The Angel of Death

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Short description: 2006 video game
Broken Sword: The Angel of Death
Developer(s)Revolution Software
Sumo Digital
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Charles Cecil
Producer(s)Gary Edwards
Designer(s)Charles Cecil
Neil Richards
Ross Hartshorn
Nana Louise Nielsen
Programmer(s)Tom Sedden
Paul Porter
Artist(s)Dominic Hood
Composer(s)Ben McCullough
SeriesBroken Sword
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • EU: 15 September 2006
  • AU: 21 September 2006
  • NA: 13 February 2007
Genre(s)Point-and-click adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Broken Sword: The Angel of Death (Secrets of the Ark: A Broken Sword Game in North America) is a 3D point-and-click adventure game developed by Revolution Software and Sumo Digital, which was released in 2006 in Europe and Australia and in 2007 in North America. It is the fourth iteration of the Broken Sword series, following 2003's Software:Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon. Being released only on Windows, it is the only game in the series not to be released on any console. The player assumes the role of George Stobbart, an American patent lawyer, as he and Anna Maria, a girl with an old manuscript, search for a great treasure that the manuscript leads them to. The game uses a point and click interface, though George's moves can be controlled using a keyboard.

Revolution Software and THQ announced The Angel of Death in August 2005. According to game director Charles Cecil, after the release of The Sleeping Dragon, the demand from fans for a sequel was overwhelming. Though The Sleeping Dragon benefited commercially from being released on console as well as Windows, it was held back by the constraints of the console versions. As a result, The Angel of Death was written for Windows only. As a series' first, it was co-developed by Revolution and Sumo Digital instead of having Revolution as the sole developer. It uses Sumo's Emmersion engine and was the first game to use the amBX lighting technology.

The game has received mostly positive reviews, with critics praising it as a fine example in the adventure gaming genre. While most critics agreed the game addressed many flaws in The Sleeping Dragon, it has also received some criticism, particularly for its rushed ending and poor controls.

Gameplay

Broken Sword: The Angel of Death uses both a point and click and direct control interface. The player guides George Stobbart's movements with a mouse or keyboard, and Nicole Collard is also a playable character in selected portions of the game. George must collect objects that can be used with other collectible objects, parts of the scenery, or other people in the game world to solve puzzles and progress in the game. George can engage in dialogue with other characters through conversation trees to gain hints of what needs to be done to solve the puzzles or to progress the plot. As in the first three Broken Sword games, the death of the player character is possible in The Angel of Death.[1]

Plot

Two men standing in a salami store.
George in a salami store in the meat packing factory. The bottom of the screen displays "subject icons" which command George what to talk about.

After the events in The Sleeping Dragon, George Stobbart is running a bail bonds office in New York with his partner Virgil. George meets Anna Maria, a girl with an old manuscript who wants his help to decode it. A group of mobsters after the manuscript ransack Anna Maria's hotel room, as well as George's bail bonds office, and steal the manuscript. George discovers that the mobsters are led by Fingers Martino, who runs an old meat packing factory. George sneaks into the factory and overhears a conversation between Fingers and Mr. Spallaci, who has obtained the manuscript. George manages to covertly take back the manuscript, which he examines with Anna Maria. George figures out that the fortified city on it must be Istanbul.

In the Pasha Palace hotel in Istanbul, a waiter named Mevlut informs George about a citadel that is located beneath the Topkapi Palace. George and Anna Maria enter the palace and its catacombs where they find a golden cherub; they take it back to the hotel. After a romantic night with Anna Maria, George wakes up without her, and Mevlut comes in armed with a gun. George is locked up in a cell, as he is suspected to be a terrorist. In his cell, George gets a visit from Father Nicolas and Sister Immaculata, who says that he should meet her on the roof. George escapes from the cell and meets with Immaculata, who turns out to be Nicole "Nico" Collard (his companion in previous installments). They return to the hotel, where George finds out Anna Maria has an apartment in Rome. In Rome, in front of Anna Maria's apartment building, George meets Brother Mark. After George figures out how to enter the building, Mark is not willing to give him a package that has arrived for Anna Maria. Inside her apartment, he finds a photo of Anna Maria who, dressed as a nun, is standing in front of a Vatican wall. Another clue mentions a place near the Vatican, and he also discovers an airline ticket to Phoenix, Arizona.

At a monastery in the Vatican, George covertly enters a wafer factory and finds Anna Maria's file in an office. After George is discovered and is being escorted outside by Cardinal Gianelli, Father Gregor tells him that Anna Maria used to work there, but that she has stolen a manuscript, and he hands over his business card. By showing the card to Mark, he is willing to help and gives George Anna Maria's package. From Mark, he learns about the Black Cat club. The package contains a DVD with an interview with a man called Maynard, who has managed to make "monatomic gold". Nico leaves to Phoenix to check things out. George gains access to the Black Cat club, where he meets Duane (who he has met before in previous installments). Duane reveals that Spallaci owns the club. Afterwards, George is caught for stealing a towel and tied to a chair. Spallaci interrogates him about Anna Maria, and he overhears the recorded voice of Nico. Shots are being fired, so he thinks Nico has been killed. When he finds a way to escape, he goes for a drink, trying to forget the loss of Nico. The next day, still drunk, he arrives at Anna Maria's apartment, where Nico returns and George faints.

In a flashback scene, Nico explores an old facility in Phoenix, where she is confronted by Spallaci's men, but is saved by Maynard. However, Maynard dies after he gets locked in the centrifuge, and Nico manages to escape by tricking Spallaci's men. Back in Rome, Nico informs George that the monatomic gold is being used to build a weapon called the Ark. They return to the monastery and witness Father Gregor shoot Gianelli; Nico is taken away and George is knocked out. When he awakens, the dying Gianelli hands over a manuscript in Latin, and tells him that the Ark's purpose is to use the monatomic gold to destroy the unbelievers. George goes to rescue Nico and meets Anna Maria in the catacombs, who tells him her side of the story and that the Ark needs a human interface to be activated, in order to be sacrificed and summon an "Angel of Death" who exterminates the unbelievers. George arrives at the ceremony to see Nico chained to the Ark, ready to become the new Angel of Death. Mevlut, who is in fact ex-Turkish security and only pretended to be a waiter and priest, enters the scene armed with a gun, but Anna Maria points her gun at him as well. George succeeds in stopping the ceremony in time and frees Nico, but Anna Maria and Mevlut shoot each other and die.

Development

Image of balding man
Charles Cecil was the game's director.

Revolution Software and THQ announced Broken Sword: The Angel of Death on 17 August 2005.[2] According to Charles Cecil, the Broken Sword series was originally planned to be a trilogy, but that after the release of Software:Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon, the demand from fans for a sequel was overwhelming.[3] Though The Sleeping Dragon benefited commercially from being released on console as well as Windows, this approach required certain development compromises as the PC version, with its superior graphics and processing power, was held back by the constraints of the console versions.[3] As a result, Revolution agreed with THQ to write The Angel of Death for Windows only "so as to really push the boundaries in terms of the technology and graphics."[3]

The Angel of Death was co-developed by Revolution and Sumo Digital, as opposed to the other games in the Broken Sword series, which had Revolution as the sole game developer.[3] Cecil believed that because of the requirement for ever larger development team sizes, it was no longer possible to maintain a large team to write single, original titles.[3] As a result, Revolution concentrated on design, while Sumo concentrated on production.[3] The game uses Sumo's Emmersion engine.[3] It was the first game to use the amBX lighting technology.[4]

Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon was criticized for featuring a high number of action elements, which aimed to put the player under pressure. While Cecil still stood behind this principle, he thought the action elements were not the right approach.[5] The Sleeping Dragon was also criticized for using a high number of crate puzzles. As a result, Cecil reduced the number of them in The Angel of Death.[5] The music in the game was composed by Ben McCullough and features tracks by Übernoise.[6] While Rolf Saxon returns to voice George Stobbart, Nicole "Nico" Collard was this time played by Katherine Pageon, making this the first time Nico was voiced by a native French speaker.[3][7] The rest of the credited voice actors were Regina Regan, Toby Longsworth, Bob Golding, Wayne Forester, Andrew Secombe, Tasmin Heatley and Alison Pettitt.[7]

The Angel of Death was released in Europe on 15 September 2006 and in Australia on 21 September 2006.[8][9] It was released in North America on 13 February 2007 as Secrets of the Ark: A Broken Sword Game.[10] The game may be purchased from GOG.com,[11] and is also a part of the Broken Sword Complete package from Mastertronic.[12] As a series' first, the game's soundtrack, Broken Sword: The Angel of Death: Soundtrack to the Video Game, was released on the iTunes Store on 12 September 2006.[6]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic73%[13]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Eurogamer7/10[8]
PC Zone7.8/10[14]
Adventure Classic GamingStarStarStarStarStar[15]

The Angel of Death received mostly positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the game received an average score of 73 based on 31 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".[13]

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".[14] Adventure Classic Gaming wrote: "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".[15] 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".[8]

References

  1. ↑ Broken Sword: The Angel of Death Instruction Manual. THQ. 2006. 
  2. ↑ "News: Broken Sword 4 announced". Gamers Hell. 17 August 2005. http://www.gamershell.com/news_24049.html. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 "Charles Cecil - Revolution Software - Interview - Adventure Classic". Adventure Classic Gaming. 18 December 2006. http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/interviews/236/. 
  4. ↑ "Philips showcase amBX with Supreme Commander". Hexus. 8 January 2007. http://hexus.net/gaming/news/hardware/7564-philips-showcase-ambx-supreme-commander/. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Adventure Gamers : Charles Cecil interview". Adventure Gamers. 27 April 2006. http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,627. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Broken Sword - The Angel of Death (Soundtrack to the Video Game)". Sugarstar Records. 12 September 2006. https://music.apple.com/us/album/broken-sword-angel-death-soundtrack/188195954. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Sumo Digital/Revolution Software (September 2006). Broken Sword: The Angel of Death. PC. Scene: Credits. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 EuroGamer (2006). "Broken Sword: The Angel of Death (Review, UK Release)". http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=67661. 
  9. ↑ Jastrzab, Jeremy (August 28, 2006). "Updated Australian release list, 28/08/06". http://www.palgn.com.au/article.php?id=5187. 
  10. ↑ "Secrets of the Ark: A Broken Sword Game". http://www.ign.com/games/secrets-of-the-ark/pc-766595. 
  11. ↑ "Broken Sword 4: The Angel of Death ( Secrets of the Ark ) - GOG.com". GOG.com. 18 October 2011. http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/broken_sword_4. 
  12. ↑ "Mastertronic - Broken Sword Complete". Mastertronic. 15 December 2011. http://www.mastertronic.com/productMastertronic.asp?pid=1014&productLabelID=2pid=1014&productLabelID=2. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Broken Sword: The Angel of Death". http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/brokenswordtheangelofdeath. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 PC Zone (2006). "Broken Sword: The Angel of Death (Review, UK Release)". http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=146055. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Adventure Classic Gaming (2006). "Broken Sword: The Angel of Death (Review, UK Release)". http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/reviews/229/. 

Further reading

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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