In this day and age, point-and-click adventures are permeated with inspiration from the classics of the genre. Some are more subtle with their influence while others openly celebrate it – wearing it like a badge of pride in the hope that it will attract longtime fans of adventure games. The Adventures of Bryan Scott from Radio Silence Studios falls into the latter, with the title built on the love of Revolution Software’s Broken Sword, which certainly sits in the upper echelon of adored adventure game series. As a lover of both point-and-click games and Broken Sword, I felt it was only right that I check out the demo for The Adventures of Bryan Scott to see how it stacked up.
Shoutouts to…one of those games from the nineties
The story follows the titular Bryan Scott, son of famous archaeologist John W. Scott who spent years looking for the Queen of Sheba, mentioned in the second book of Kings in the Bible, without success. Unlike his old man, Bryan isn’t interested in archaeology, however, one day he receives a package containing a diary and a USB drive from someone named Kate Williams before a mysterious man arrives at Bryan’s apartment.
Turns out Kate Williams, who is a treasure hunter, is missing and Bryan is forced to go with the man to help look for Kate in the Middle East, which ignites a fire inside Bryan to continue his father’s work. But they’re not the only ones looking for the treasure of Queen Sheba, with a secret society called The Black Fist also searching for the treasure. It begins a thrilling adventure full of secrets and riddles, and one that sees Bryan discover his life’s purpose.
Not only are the narrative’s historical themes reminiscent of Revolution Software’s iconic adventure, but it also stars Rolf Saxon (the voice of none other than George Stobbart) as Bryan Scott, as well as George’s German-speaking actor Alexander Schottky. But it doesn’t end there, with the studio locking in Hazel Ellerby (the voice of the original Nicole Collard) to voice Kate Williams.
Barefoot investigator
After playing through the game’s demo, which gives players a look at the opening sequence of the game, the Broken Sword inspiration is evident – I mean the first part of the demo sees you trying to trap an escaped lizard which evokes memories of the cockroach puzzle from Broken Sword 5: the Serpent’s Curse. Visually it’s definitely more Broken Sword 5 than Broken Sword 1 and 2, and everything from Bryan’s dialogue to the way the music reacts to the player’s interactions with the world feels like a homage to the game’s inspirators.
I will say it did take some getting used to hearing the baritones of Rolf Saxon as someone other than George Stobbart, but once you accept it’s a different character in a different world it’s easy to appreciate the writing on its own merits.
Although the demo was just a sample of what Radio Silence Studios is making, I had fun with The Adventures of Bryan Scott (still not sold on the name though). It leans heavily into its influences, which fans of Broken Sword will find appealing, and the story is certainly intriguing enough to ensure that I’ll be keeping an eye on it as development progresses.
Radio Silence Studios is aiming to release The Adventures of Bryan Scott in 2025 and is planning to run a Kickstarter in March to help make it happen. If you want to check out the demo, you can download it here.
