Broken Sword Q&A

By Staff, GameSpotPosted Feb 26, 2002 5:58 pm PT

Find out how Revolution Software and Bam Entertainment are bringing Broken Sword to the GBA in our Q&A.

The Broken Sword games on the PC and the PlayStation have been well received by gamers thanks to strong storylines, detailed graphics, and atmospheric music. While bringing the series from the PC to the PlayStation was a fairly natural progression, developing a Broken Sword game on the Game Boy Advance doesn't sound like a viable option. However, developer Revolution Software thinks otherwise and is set to bring the series to the GBA. We talked to Charles Cecil, managing director at Revolution Software, to find out how you take a graphics-intensive PC and PlayStation series and make it fit on the Game Boy Advance.

GameSpot: How do you go about converting a game like Broken Sword to the GBA?

Charles Cecil: With great care! The idea for Broken Sword on the Game Boy Advance actually started as a flippant suggestion. We investigated and discovered that we could just about write the game but were determined to only do so if we could get a great resulting game.

The game isn't really a conversion; it is more of a reinterpretation. We decided to reimplement the game from scratch rather than simply convert it. This has allowed us to create a completely different direct-control interface, which works really well and is almost truer as an interface than the original point-and-click. It has also allowed us to tweak some of the puzzles, such as the ubiquitous goat-and-plow obstacle that tripped so many people up previously. We have also reduced the amount of dialogue. And we were also able to add unique elements specific to the Game Boy Advance version.

A scenic vista.

GS: How large is the team working on the game? How long has the game been in development?

CC: We've had a team of six people working on the game, plus external production under the vigilant watch of the development team at Bam. The programmers have written GBA-specific engine and tools, artists have taken the original art assets and adapted them, and three designers have completely reimplemented the game. It will have taken us nearly a year to complete the project. Much of this time was spent experimenting with the technology and the control interface, both of which were vital elements.

GS: What did you feel were the most important gameplay and graphic elements to retain on the GBA?

CC: When we launched the original game on the PC and, later, the PlayStation, there were no expectations. What we did was revolutionary in terms of adventures. This time around, and despite the fact that we believe the GBA version will appeal to a host of gamers who've never experienced the series before, we are aware that there are high expectations. We decided that the game must retain the quality of the visuals as much as possible and that a unique interface must be written to suit the GBA.

The environments will offer a nice amount of detail.

We felt that the visual look needed to be maintained, despite the limited memory. We employed some extraordinary compression that has allowed us to faithfully include most of the assets, except for speech, which would have been impossible. All the characters, locations, objects, and puzzles are fully featured. We have been able to include a full complement of sound effects and musical themes.

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