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I never played the original PC version of Shadow of the Templars…but to my credit, I did play the Playstation version. It wasn’t perfect (the controls were awkward, the animation was stilted) but the game left an impression of me, for being one of the point-and-click games I actually enjoyed. Now decades later, we get Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged.
It might not matter to non-adventure game fans, but this honestly a HUGE deal. If this does well, it might mean that a ton of older titles in the genre (like LucasArts’ The Dig) might even get the remaster treatment!
But we’re not here to talk about that…we’re here for Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged!
What is Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged?
Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged is a 2D point-and-click adventure game. It’s developed and published by Revolution Software. The game is available right now on the PC and all modern console platforms.
Our copy was provided to us by the awesome folks from Revolution Software! Thanks so much for the game code!
Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged is a remaster of the first game in the Broken Sword series.
It stars George Stobbard, an American tourist in Paris who is inadvertently caught up in a huge conspiracy involving the Knights Templar. Joining George is Nico Collard a French journalist investigating the same mysteries that George is caught up in.
As an adventure game, expect lots of pointing and clicking.
Fortunately, the game supports using a controller or a mouse. I played pretty much via the controller and it wasn’t as much of a hindrance as you’d expect. Commands are mapped to face buttons and you direct the cursor with the analog stick.
You don’t need to pixel hunt, as the game handily shows every interactive object in a scene and there’s even an option to eliminate interactions with things that don’t have any further use. It’s a great hint system so you’re not hung up on useless things that have nothing to do with how to progress.
The remaster of the game doesn’t add new content to the game, so temper your expectations before going in. It’s not surprising but sad nonetheless. Then again, the game is a classic, so changing it up with new content might not be exactly appreciated.
As a remaster, Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged mainly focuses on overhauling the visuals and audio.
The whole game (including the gorgeous cutscenes) are all fully redone in 4K. The game looked great on the Playstation (which was one of the reasons I still remember it fondly after all these years) but the remaster is in a whole different league.
It is beautiful. Stunningly so in fact.
If you’re a fan of 2D animation or just love old school Disney movies (you know like Aladdin, or Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast), you will appreciate just how good Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged looks.
The animation (especially for the characters’ walks) could be better, but that’s because it needed to sync with the old school one. Like some other remasters, Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged overlays its brand new visuals on top of the old game.
You can switch visual modes at any time to see the visual difference.
It’s pretty much night and day, but it also makes you appreciate how good looking the original was for its time too! The locations are simply fantastic. Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged has a bright and clean colour palette and it’s not shy showing it off.
It’s the newly redone visuals that deserve every bit of spotlight they can get. Every scene looks like it should be a painting, from the interiors of a ruined cafe to the brightly lit Parisian streets. There’s contrast in them too, with dark areas now appropriately shadowed.
You can easily see the difference in the sewers near the beginning of the game.
I’m a bit divided over this change honestly.
I love the extra detail you can make out in the old graphics style, but the new art is much more realistic and atmospheric. Neither is a clear winner in my book because both have their charms.
There’s also been some UI changes, at least from the Playstation version. The conversational topics icons look much bigger, and you select them with just a simple left or right on the d-pad. It’s all very intuitive, without the need for text options to clutter the screen.
The newly redone music is pretty good too. I really don’t remember the old one, but I kind of like the smooth tunes of the new one. If you’ve played Cities Skylines, the tunes sound something like out of that game.
Breezy and airy, light and uplifting most of the time. Very nice on the ears.
The voice acting hasn’t changed a bit so they’re just as good as I remembered. Some of the lines are hilarious, and now that I’m replaying it when I’m older, have double entendres I missed the first time around.
On the ROG Ally X Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged ran like a dream.
I had zero issues with the settings and everything played as smoothly as it did on my notebook. That’s not surprising considering the type of game Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged is. Despite it’s stellar visuals, the game’s really not demanding in the slightest.
The controls were fine too and I zero issues with them as well. Overall, it’s a great experience on whatever device you play the game on.
The Bottom Line.
Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged brings back a classic with a whole new coat of paint. It’s a welcome refresh. The new artwork makes the game look like a modern title. It’s a great complement to the plot, which even after all these years, still holds up. There may be some dated references (like needing to call Nico via a landline instead of a smartphone) but that’s just a product of its time.
I’m just a bit saddened that there’s not much new to the game.
Apart from UI tweaks and gameplay options, this is Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars as you remember it. It’s great for first timers or those who’ve forgotten the game, but if you’re a veteran who regularly replayed the game, the new additions might not be enough to sate your appetite.
TLDR:
A beautiful remaster of a classic and a definite must play.
The Good:
- The new visuals look incredible.
- The new music is good too!
- The plot is still good!
- Voice acting is awesome.
- Works well with a controller or mouse.
The Bad:
- Animation is a stilted.
- No new gameplay content.
Salehuddin Husin, EIC
Sal's been in the industry since the early 2000s. He's written for a ton of gaming and tech publications including Playworks, Hardwarezone, HWM and GameAxis. Recently, Sal served as a juror for the Indie Game Awards at Taipei Game Show 2020. A geek and hardcore gamer, Sal will play everything, on any platform.
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