The Journey Down vs Broken Sword 5
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Journey Down
Embark on a classic point-and-click adventure with an Afro-Caribbean twist. Solve puzzles and uncover secrets in a story of corruption and danger.
- Twisting tale of intriguing adventure
- Handpainted environments
- Jazzy reggae soundtrack
- Fully voiced cast
- HD art and animations
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PocketGamer GOLD award In a shady corner of Kingsport Bay, at the outskirts of St Armando, Bwana and his trusted sidekick Kito struggle to make ends meet at their run-down gas station. Little do they know that they are about to be thrown into a spine-tingling adventure that will take them far from home and right into a twisting plot of corruption and danger. In the first chapter of The Journey Down, the search for a lost journal leads to forgotten secrets of the mysterious Underland. Follow Bwana and Kito as they puzzle their way forward and begin to uncover the true fate of their long lost father, Captain Kaonandodo. The Journey Down is a classic point-and-click saga with an Afro-Caribbean vibe. Get ready to embark on an epic journey of brain-teasing adventure! Also available for PC, Mac and Linux on Steam. Features: * A twisting tale of intriguing adventure * Tons of handpainted environments * An all original jazzy reggae soundtrack * A fully voiced cast * HD art and animations THE JOURNEY DOWN: CHAPTER TWO is available here: https://itunes.apple.com/app/the-journey-down-chapter-two/id906398185
Broken Sword 5
Embark on an epic adventure as George Stobbart and Nico Collard to uncover a murderous conspiracy and a stolen painting. Solve challenging puzzles and unravel ancient mysteries in this critically acclaimed point-and-click adventure.
- Gripping story
- Engaging puzzles
- Slide and tap interface
- Context-sensitive help
- Game Center integration
- Full voice acting
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Episode 1 - Paris in the spring Shots ring out from a gallery… a robbery… a murder… and the beginning of another epic, original Broken Sword adventure. From multi-award winning Revolution comes the latest mystery in this much loved adventure-puzzle series. Playing as intrepid American George Stobbart and sassy French journalist Nico Collard, you find yourself on the trail of a stolen painting – and a murderous conspiracy. A conspiracy whose roots lie in mysteries older than the written word... Armed only with logic, integrity and a wry sense of humor - can George and Nico save mankind from disaster? Can you solve the secret of the Serpent’s Curse? A curse some say was forged by the Devil himself... • The latest in the smash hit multi-million selling Broken Sword series • Gripping story, engaging puzzles, voiced by a top quality cast • Highly acclaimed 'slide and tap' interface – simple but hugely powerful • Context-sensitive help system – access hints to solve even the hardest puzzles • Full Game Center integration – including in-game achievements "immediately charming, Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse is easy to recommend based on its strong narrative, memorable characters, and artistic merit. The game is a vibrant return to form for the series." Gamespot 8/10 Includes full speech for English, German, French, Italian and Spanish and subtitle options for English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Polish. The concluding part, Episode 2, is available as a paid In-App Purchase. ***** Some people have had issues with the installation of the in-app purchase of Episode 2. Please ensure you have sufficient memory (2Gb) before attempting to download Episode 2.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: The Journey Down at 4.9 against Broken Sword 5's 4.3. The Journey Down also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (91% vs 57%). Broken Sword 5's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 15 months) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
The Journey Down costs $4.99 and Broken Sword 5 $4.99 up front. Broken Sword 5 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. The Journey Down asks for nothing beyond the download.
The Journey Down holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 143 and 65 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of The Journey Down's written reviews are positive against 57% of Broken Sword 5's.
The Journey Down ships an update every 15 months, Broken Sword 5 every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Journey Down | Broken Sword 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | $4.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (143 ratings) — better | 4.3 (65 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 91.1% of reviews — better | 57.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 143 — better | 65 |
| Update frequency | Every 15 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 8.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 470 MB | 2.2 GB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | SkyGoblin AB | Revolution |
Customer experience
The Journey Down
Broken Sword 5
User reviews
The Journey Down
From 143 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎨 Beautiful graphics
- 🎶 Excellent soundtrack
- 🤣 Funny and engaging story
- 👍 Intuitive controls
- 🧠 Challenging but fair puzzles
Room to improve
- ⏱️ Short gameplay length
- 💰 Expensive for the content
- 🗣️ Uneven voice acting
- 🤔 Stereotypical character portrayals
Broken Sword 5
From 65 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great graphics and animations
- 👍 Engaging story and characters
- 👍 Faithful to the Broken Sword series
- 👍 Challenging yet logical puzzles
- 🚀 Smooth gameplay and controls
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 💰 Expensive for only half the game
- 🔒 No iCloud save sync
- 🔒 Compatibility issues on some devices
Bugs and requests
The Journey Down
Reported bugs
2 issues- Crashes after app updates
- Freezing/performance issues on older devices
Requested features
3 requests- More chapters/episodes
- Option to skip/mute dialogue
- Improved accessibility features
Broken Sword 5
Reported bugs
3 issues- Unable to complete certain puzzles
- Download issues for Episode 2
- Aspect ratio problems on older devices
Requested features
3 requests- Release Broken Sword 3 and 4 on iOS
- Add more global travel locations
- Improve difficulty and puzzle variety
In-app purchases
The Journey Down
No in-app purchases
Broken Sword 5
- Episode 2$5.99
Questions
Is The Journey Down free?
Is Broken Sword 5 free?
Which has better reviews, The Journey Down or Broken Sword 5?
Do The Journey Down or Broken Sword 5 have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Journey Down or Broken Sword 5?
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