Many video game developing companies these days decide to remaster, remake or port their classic games to newer systems. Having grown up with most of these titles myself, I often enjoy the idea of classics being brought back into the public eye with an updated look for others to experience. However, I would have never expected Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars of all games to receive a remaster! Or rather, a “reforge”, which is the redrawing and retouching of game details without killing any of the original charm!
Broken Sword is a long standing series of Point & Click adventure games, featuring the witty protagonist George Stobbart, an American patent lawyer. Usually accompanied by French journalist Nicole Collard, a friend/love interest, George always manages to find himself in the center of some mystery, cult, or end-of-the-world plot, which he always manages to solve with his wit, snark and a multitude of items that he collects on his adventures. Shadow of the Templars is the first game in the series and it was originally developed in 1996 by Revolution Software. In 2024, the same developers decided to release the reforged version, based on the original game, which gave me the opportunity to not only replay one of my favorite games of my childhood, but also review it for VGL!
In Shadow of the Templars you are introduced to our aforementioned protagonist George Stobbart, as he is spending his vacation in Paris, France. While enjoying a cup of coffee and admiring a cute Parisian waitress, one ominous clown enters the cafe and drops his accordion next to a mysterious guy. This accordion turns out to be a bomb, blowing up the cafe and killing one person. Picking himself up from the rubble, George decides to take this matter into his own hands and figure out why a homicidal clown decided to blow up his newest favorite tourist spot. He soon gets entangled into a full blown mystery including a French journalist girl, various disguises, lots of sewer exploration and a mean goat puzzle that even has its own Wikipedia page.Â
What pleased me the most is that Revolution Software decided to remake the first game in the series without touching the dialogue, characters, or the story at all. The Reforged version not only comes with updated hand drawn graphics, but it loses nothing from the original flavor of the game. Moreover, for those who don’t like this enhanced version, they have the option to enable the original graphics models at any time from the options tab, a thing that should be present in more remastered games!
Therefore, the script is just as good as I remember it, with the added advantage that now I understand the various innuendos that escaped me during my younger years. Shadow of the Templars is part of the golden age of Point & Clicks, similar to games like Monkey Island and Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. So expect to some really good, if somewhat crude humor and dialogue.
What makes Broken Sword so good in my opinion is its cast. The main protagonist George Stobbart is no trained agent or character with supernatural powers, he’s just a sharp guy with a great power of deduction, or as the game puts it, “a gifted amateur”. He has some wits, some snark, and a penchant for collecting every piece of trash on the street that could serve as a clue. He is not outlandishly bright though, and can sometimes end up solving puzzles by sheer luck, by accident, or with help from the locals.Â
He is also assisted by a Parisian reporter named Nicole Collard, a beautiful and sassy girl that shows up taking photos at the cafe after the explosion, and who is already on a lead for this string of murder mysteries. They quickly partner up and work together in unearthing an ancient Templar legend about a powerful artefact named “Broken sword” which is said to give the wielder immense power. The chemistry between these two characters is organic and at times hilarious, Nicole being sarcastic while also impressed by George’s antics.
In fact, every single character in this game is very well written and memorable. From the psychic inspector Rousso and his adjutant Sergeant Moue, the history expert Andre Lobineau, the gangsters Guido and Flap and the fellow American tourist couple Pearl and Duane Henderson… you will definitely remember them. Each character can be interacted with and they react to George and his inquiries. They are especially hilarious if you try to give them items you carry in your pocket, such as the hand buzzer or the used handkerchief. So make sure you try every available dialogue option for maximum amusement, and try the hand buzzer in particular – you’ll even get a trophy for trying to buzz everyone in the game!
There are several locations George can visit during his quest. Paris is the main city, where you will visit the cafe after the explosion, Rue Jarri where Nico lives, a Hospital, the Crune Museum and even a costume store. George’s adventures aren’t limited to Paris though, and he’ll also visit a traditional pub in Ireland, a small village in Syria, a remote church in Scotland and a beautiful villa in Spain. You will have to hop between these locations in search for clues, and whenever you are done with a location, it becomes greyed out, and you won’t be able to return. You can also call Nico from almost anywhere in order to update her with your discovery and potentially ask for clues, although she really doesn’t offer much insight and you have to rely on your own smarts and power of deduction.
What I liked the most about this game are the puzzles. Unlike games like Monkey Island, Sam&Max or Day of the Tentacle, the puzzles in Broken Sword are more “grounded in reality” in a sense. There are some random puzzles that sometimes don’t make sense, like the cat-ball-broken statue in Syria, but they’re not at the level of using a monkey tail as a turning wrench “Monkey Island style”, or having to speak to several people until they magically get irked with you and drop some obscure hint like in The Longest Journey. For instance, if your target is to stop the gardener’s watering hose from working and you happen to have a blood pressure pump in your pockets… Well, you know what to do!
In that regard, the puzzles are rather tame, only a few places could truly stump you, like the infamous Goat puzzle that was the bane any player’s existence back when the game was released. However in the Reforged version, a hint to obscure puzzles is slightly lighted out. And in case you still get stuck, the game is 30 years old at this point – you will most definitely find a guide to help you through the trickier parts of Broken Sword.
The only thing I need to complain about is the story’s ending. While the mystery is fun and it has a natural buildup, the conclusion feels rushed and falls flat. I wasn’t on board with it back in the day and my opinion didn’t change much since then. I also want to mention, for those new to the game, some jokes from the 90’s have not aged that well. It’s no Leisure Suit Larry or Deponia level of jokes, but some players might find some lines corny and slightly distasteful.
If you can get past these slight inconveniences, Broken Sword and the Shadow of the Templars Reforged is a successful revival of a timeless classic. If you like classic adventure games that put your mind to work, or even if you want to enjoy a good story with some well written characters, give this game a try!
And just as a heads-up, the follow-up game Broken Sword and the Smoking Mirror Reforged is confirmed to be in the works!
