You might remember this classic 90s title: a brilliant game in the wake of the point-and-click puzzle boom; an immersive, cinematic jaunt reminiscent of old Disney-esq whimsy. Produced by Revolution Software, Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars spawned many more Broken Sword titles. In the early 2010s, this game had been re-released in the form of a director’s cut. Now as of September 2024, a remaster, or rather a “reforged” version, has been published with 4K visuals and remastered audio.
What made this title so special is its deviation from mainstream comedic platformers like Monkey Island at the time. Charles Cecil, the game’s main producer and writer, sought after a more serious, dramatic tone and took great interest in a plot revolving around the Knight’s Templar. The creative team of the game includes executive producer Noirin Carmody, animator Mike Burgess, Steve Inc, Dave Cummins, and Jonathan Howard, among others.
Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged can be played on PC, Steam, the PlayStation 5, the Nintendo Switch, and the Xbox 1 and Series X/S.
S’attendre à l’attendu
American tourist George Stobbart, voiced by Rolf Saxon, had been on holiday traveling around Europe, currently residing in Paris. One day, at a local cafe he frequented, Stobbart witnesses a perturbing clown man enter the building. The clown steals a businessman’s briefcase and sets a bomb off in the beloved bistro – glass, wood, and chaos everywhere.
Stobbart, confused and startled, encounters journalist Nico Collard, a Frenchwoman voiced by Hazel Ellerby, who was supposed to meet up with the now-deceased businessman Plantard. The latter had been investigating a string of homicides linked to an individual in different costumes, including the clown getup. Nico and George team up and trace clues down to the Hotel Ubu and discover old manuscripts that had been left behind, connected to the Knights Templar. Various clues are subsequently scattered across Europe and the Middle East, making for an upcoming perilous adventure. Sounds quite crazy and dramatic! This game is a tale of unexpected adventure and ancient conspiracies. Play more to find out how a clown man, a series of killings, and the Knights Templar are all connected . . .
Reforged has kneaded out unnecessary scenes (being a remaster of the director’s cut), and has fixed some story and graphical plot holes!
A guiding light
Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged is point-and-click title filled with puzzles, and perhaps this game is one of the best in the genre. Every square inch of the game is mentally stimulating and captivating. Players will have to gather clues, decipher codes, manipulate and trade objects, and plow through dialogue trees to progress the story and learn more about the Knights Templar. Whether you are playing with a mouse, touch controls, or a controller, the game seems to run quite smoothly on all platforms.
These kinds of games are not for everyone. Unless you are a lover of the original, the game may have trouble roping in new audiences. However, Reforged fixes this potential issue by offering both a classic mode and a story mode. Reforged overall features an updated user-friendly UI and the story mode can bring beginners into the genre by offering hints and indicators on where to go next. ‘
The hints can be manually adjusted to make things easier or more difficult as well. Reforged will grey out objects that players had repeatedly interacted with and are of no use anymore. Standing idle for too long will cause illuminated sparkles to signal where to go; then, a blue circle will highlight a more specific area; and if that is not enough, a huge arrow will point directly at the object you should be clicking. Again, any of these mechanics can be turned off if so desired. But, these hints make the game much more accessible for all ages and both pros and beginners!
La cerise sur le gàteau
The visual design for the game has been enhanced, and is now available in 4k. Yet, Reforged still encapsulates the original title’s essence and charm. If you wish, you can toggle between the new and old-school graphics – it will definitely be noticeable.
Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged showcases picturesque landscapes and beautifully animated characters. This new version added lots of fine-tuned details and smoother graphics, while still using the original art as the baseline. Backgrounds have been restored, and in-game cutscenes are all tidied up. The opening animation will always be something to remember. It is so aesthetically pleasing, full of juxtaposing jovial and mysterious overtones, giving off this vague nostalgic feeling.
Drop the mic
The soundtrack, produced by the highly acclaimed composer Barrington Pheloung, is beautifully orchestrated. Sounds oscillate between upbeat and suspenseful, sometimes with crescendos into louder, dynamic booms, perfect for cinema.
Aside from the music, the other audio, particularly the speech . . . is a bit disappointing. The original version was full of fantastically voice-acted lines, perfectly intertwined into the visuals as if watching a film. However, the supposed “enhanced audio” of Reforged did not work out so well. It is not terrible, but sounds quite muffled, muddy, and more removed from the imagery. This attempt at a digital alter is certainly better than re-recording voices that were already top-notch, but something must have happened here. For some players, the audio quality might not be much of a bother. For others, this is incredibly distracting.
The game’s writing, though, is as great as ever. Witty, charming, with fun dashes of sarcasm. Reforged even introduces some previously recorded 90s lines that had never been used before!
Final thoughts
While the audio quality is a let-down, the visual enhancements balance it out. If you are a visual person, then you should 100% play Reforged over the original. If you get bothered by muffled sounds, well, I would still recommend this game anyway. Reforged features lots of quality-of-life improvements and harbors that old point-and-click charm that not many other titles in the genre are able to do. Players new to the game will benefit from the story mode addition.
As it is a version of the director’s cut, old fans will enjoy hearing previously unused dialogue and formerly removed scenes, including ones that feature poor Stobbard’s untimely demise. Reforged is definitely worth your while.
