Touché: The Adventures of the Fifth Musketeer

Clipper Software

Industry	Video game development
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Touché: The Adventures of the Fifth Musketeer

Touché: The Adventures of the Fifth Musketeer is a 1995 graphic adventure title utilizing point-and-click gameplay, created by Clipper Software and released by CentreGold and U.S. Gold for DOS and Windows 95 platforms.

The storyline unfolds in 1562 amid the French Wars of Religion, centering on Geoffroi Le Brun, who joins a musketeer unit stationed in Rouen during rising conflict between Catholics and Huguenots and the looming threat of an English invasion. The plot progresses through significant French cities such as St. Quentin, Le Mans, Amiens, and Le Havre.

Gameplay

In Touché, players employ traditional point-and-click controls to direct Geoffroi’s movements by selecting various locations and interacting with objects via context-sensitive options. Advancement depends on solving puzzles that frequently require combining items from the inventory with elements found in the environment. A travel map enables access to different destinations.

Plot

Upon arriving in Rouen, Geoffroi witnesses the assassination of William de Peuple, Compte d'Itee, whose missing will he pledges to recover and deliver to the Chancellor in Paris. Early in his journey, he encounters Henri, a con artist disguised as a beggar whom Geoffroi hires as his servant, and Juliette, a self-serving woman pursued by D'Artagnan.

Following clues involving Spanish currency leads Geoffroi to St. Quentin, where Cardinal Louis of Guise informs him about military preparations against an English incursion and expresses interest in de Peuple’s castle for strategic purposes. Alexandre Dumas, a poet composing verses for Juliette, also makes an appearance. The murderer is later discovered poisoned at a monastery in Amiens; Geoffroi retrieves the will but is robbed while returning.

In Le Mans, Geoffroi uncovers an illicit operation involving gambling and prostitution connected to a highwayman who lost the will to gypsy thieves. Assuming the highwayman’s identity, Geoffroi manages to reclaim the document after being captured. In Paris at Le Louvre, he attempts to hand over the will but Cardinal Louis seizes it due to his fascination with magical manuscripts kept at de Peuple’s estate.

Geoffroi joins his regiment stationed in Le Havre preparing to face the English and obtains enemy plans from an informant. Back at Rouen Cathedral, he disrupts Cardinal Louis’s attempt to perform a magical ritual using royal remains by swapping tomb lids. An inventor claiming descent from Leonardo da Vinci finalizes a steamboat with Geoffroi’s assistance, which they use to reach de Peuple’s castle.

During a feast hosted by the Duke of Guise at the castle, Geoffroi and Juliette poison several guests and discover a hidden passage leading to a confrontation with Cardinal Louis, who aims to raise an undead army to dominate France. The ritual fails because incorrect remains are used; Geoffroi rescues Juliette and Henri and forces their adversaries into the Seine River.

The will reveals mention of a lost son bearing a strawberry birthmark; Henri discloses that he possesses this mark and thus inherits the castle while Juliette remains by his side. The story concludes with Henri and Juliette celebrating their newfound wealth as Geoffroi reflects sadly on his destiny.

Technical details

Touché was built using the proprietary "Touché" game engine and is compatible with the ScummVM virtual machine. Additionally, it was distributed as a CD-ROM edition featuring complete voice acting.

Reception

Touché was met with generally favorable critiques from various gaming outlets. Computer Game Review assigned it scores of 84, 77, and 80, whereas the German publication High Score granted it a flawless 100/100, drawing positive comparisons to titles like The Dig and Simon the Sorcerer. Quandary gave it an 80/100 rating, noting its resemblance to Monkey Island.

The humor in the game earned praise from Adventurearchiv, although they pointed out issues such as prolonged travel segments that could not be skipped and uneven puzzle quality. Just Adventure commended its "excellent narrative deserving of Alexandre Dumas", providing scores of 76 and 75 respectively.

Meanwhile, Aventura y Cía likened the experience to "Monkey Island 3" because of its parallels but rated it lower at 60, remarking that it fell short compared to similar games. Reset gave a score of 50, criticizing aspects like character customization and the soundtrack, ultimately branding the title as outdated.

See also

• The Three Musketeers, classic novel by Alexander Dumas published in 1844
• Igor: Objective Uikokahonia