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Interview with Charles Cecil

Once more, Aventura y CÍA has had the chance to speak with one of the most important designers of the adventure game industry: Charles Cecil. Creator of lost treasures such as Lure of the Temptress or the wonderful Beneath a Steel Sky, he founded in 1989 what today's still Revolution Software, and since then he's wanted to do honor to the name of his company offering little outbursts of originality to his adepts. But innovation comes for a price...

# By Paco García |

Interview with Charles Cecil

Leaving BS3 aside, the increasing number of 'action-adventure' products has created a big controversy among the adventurers; most of them think that mixing both genres is unfeasible, since it doesn't satisfy either player: adventurers will find action scenes boring, and vice-versa. In fact, there are very few action-adventure games which have actually worked and pleased both action and adventure players.

I would claim that action/adventure games are, in reality, action with a plot tacked on at the start and end of each level, which is why the cut scenes and other narrative progressions seem uncomfortable. In film writing one of the key rules is ‘hide your exposition’ – something that many games do extraordinarily badly. We aim to weave the narrative and the gameplay together so that exposition scenes are quick and exciting.

A couple of years ago, with the release of In cold Blood, they said that adventure games were forgotten and that 'hybrids' will be the future of the genre. Now the same people praise the adventure games, but the games to be released are still the same. What has changed since then?

In Cold Blood aimed to genuinely interweave action with adventure – something that we felt had not been done at that time. The game was clearly a hybrid and while the game was broadly well received, I feel that as soon as you give a player a gun, certain expectations are made which are very hard to reconcile with adventure gameplay. Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon is very much an adventure rather than a hybrid.

Another controversial statement from Revolution was that one saying 'point and click adventures are dead'. We are fed up of hearing that the main thing in an adventure is the script and the story, and we certainly think this is true. So, is the interface really important when there is a good story behind it?


The script and story are vital to an adventure. But in the contemporary world of games, most people expect great gameplay too. While some still believe that ‘point and click’ is the best control method, most people have moved onto different game genres that offer a more exciting experience. Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon offers the script, story, narrative and characterisation of a traditional adventure but offers gameplay that, while being primarily cerebral, is more entertaining.

It was said at first that BS3 wouldn't be released for PC, since the console versions of your previous games sold more than the computer ones. In fact, new generation consoles represent an important part of the market, and it's an important step to the adventure games to get into them, without forgetting PC's, of course. Will this entry into the console world mean any sacrifices on the purity of the genre?

Not at all. We’re using a cross-platform engine, so we can work on each version almost simultaneously. The only real difference between the PC and console versions is in the interface – and we’ve optimised both.

Among the many trailers of Broken Sword one could hear (almost subliminally) the words 'next generation'. You even say without hesitation, that this game will change the genre. If you don't mind, we would like to test your ability at synthesis: summarize in three main points the revolution you spoke of.


1. We are introducing a woven narrative into a direct-control game, taking interactive story-telling to a whole new level.
2. We are directing the characters within the game with an cinematic level of detail. Our facial animation system creates real empathy with the game characters; the player will really bond with the game’s characters.
3. We are introducing a whole new gameplay mechanic in the form of the Action Event. This allows us to treat cut scenes interactively.

BS3 is without a doubt the most ambitious project Revolution has assumed. Taking charge of such a project must be pretty hard but also very motivating. The chance that the game may be a failure is always a risk that you run, are you afraid of this possibility? Self-confidence is of course important but speaking of a genre so dynamic as adventure games, there is also a need to make things very clear. Do you think you have the formula for success?

I would hope so. All games go through (or should go through) a pre-production stage after which the viability of the gameplay can be judged. Given the huge change in control method, this was the key stage for the project. I was genuinely delighted by the response to the game at that stage. Thereafter we were able to build on our previous experience – Revolution’s 12 years of writing narrative-orientated games (or in my case 22 years!).

BS3 hasn't been released yet, but you have already stated in some other interviews that it will definitely be the last chapter of the franchise. It's too soon yet, but what will be the next step in Charles Cecil's career? What would you like it to be?

We’re already looking into our next project – which will have nothing to do with Broken Sword. I can’t say much about it at the moment. We shall be releasing more information towards the end of the year. However, we have not shut the door on another Broken Sword game at some point in the future – although this one will be hard to follow. In my career I hope that I will be remembered for innovating. Well, I hope that I will be remembered for anything at all!

As a farewell, what would you say to all those adventurers who are expecting BS3 to be the adventure of the year?

Certainly we always try to innovate and are delighted that we are rewarded with loyal fans for our games. Thanks for your support. We will not disappoint.

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