Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars: Reforged

George and Nico are back and looking better than ever in Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars – Reforged, the excellent remastering of their classic first adventure.

Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars is one of the most exciting detective adventure games. And the new remaster titled Reforged is a great gift for series fans and newcomers alike.

The game has managed to retain everything that made the original special while giving it the updates it needed to appeal to a modern audience. The story, characters and atmosphere are still as engaging as ever, and the technical improvements make the experience even better. For old fans, it's a nostalgic journey back to a time when adventure games were at their peak, and for new players, it's a perfect opportunity to experience a true classic in an updated version.

There are some frames in the cutscenes that leave a bit to be desired, but this does not invalidate the considerable modernization work done on this game: Broken Sword maintains its charm even after thirty years and its Reforged version improves the situation, restoring the wow-effect on modern platforms. The new generations can thus approach this immortal classic without fear that their eyes will be disturbed by unnatural pixelations and awkwardly blurred or antialiazed cubes, replicating the wonder that this game gave us at the time of the cathode ray tube. But even we loyal ones can play it again with joy and satisfaction, admiring the outcome of this restoration work. And it doesn't matter if, after all, we could already run the original for free with ScummVM.

Reforged has raised the bar to breathe new life into the game, reworking the original assets to maintain authenticity, addressing small plot holes, and most importantly, it sets a new standard for how to make point-and-clicks more accessible in this modern day when players are less forgiving with their time and patience. Not to mention, all these years later, making George show everyone his dirty greasepaint tissue is still just as funny as ever. With that, I only have one thing left to say. Does this tissue mean anything to you?

Even after all these years, Broken Sword 1 still feels like a good book that you want to read a chapter of before going to bed, but can't put down. Now, however, it's more beautiful than ever.

Broken Sword - The Secret of the Templars: Reforged is the best way to (re)discover a genre classic that after nearly three decades, a Directo'rs Cut and several sequels remains a must-play graphic adventure.

An excellent remake of a classic adventure game, it will capture the interest of both newcomers to the genre and fans of the original game. We couldn't think of a better "appetizer" leading up to the release of Broken Sword 6.

Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - Reforged proves that good games are timeless. This version strikes the difficult balance between respecting the source material and adapting it to modern times. If you are a fan of the series, you will find that nostalgic feeling intact. And if it is your first time with George and Nico, prepare for an adventure that will hook you from start to finish.

The Reforged Edition of Broken Sword gives the classic story a substantial visual makeover, but leaves the rest untouched.

Broken Sword fans can pick up this new version of the game with their eyes closed. For adventurers looking for an introduction to the series, there's no better place to start.

A timeless classic that not only ages gracefully but works exceptionally well today, thanks to new audiovisual enhancements. Apart from the missing prologue from the Director's Cut, there's not much to fault here.

Despite some small grievances, I do think that Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars Reforged is the best way to play the game. It makes plenty of quality-of-life improvements to the gameplay and even adds a story mode for those daunted by old-fashioned point-and-clicks. The visual nit-picks I have aren’t enough to ruin the experience, and the moments that have been fully updated are beautifully animated and full of character. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go figure out what to do with this dirty tissue I found in the sewer.

Quotation forthcoming.

The improvements that have been made are very good, and it is absolutely fantastic to be able to play this classic with such beautiful graphics as what Broken Sword Reforged offers. The new character animations are night and day compared to the original, and really show how much better these are than the 3D models used in newer games.

A good game will always be a good game and even better with a huge graphic update. Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars – Reforged is a great remake. Only the revised audio sounds a bit tinny and some content from the Director’s Cut is missing.

Broken Sword - Il Segreto dei Templari: Reforged is the best way to replay the classic Revolution Adventure, waiting for the fourth chapter.

Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars: Reforged is a successful restoration operation that brings back a timeless classic of the genre and an unforgettable piece of video game history, now boasting 4K resolution and a number of useful enhancements for the best version of the game to date.

Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars: Reforged makes a classic point-and-click worth playing almost thirty years on, with stunning visuals and engaging gameplay.

Even after 28 years, Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars: Reforged still feels like a timeless classic with a compelling story to tell, puzzles to tackle, and conspiracies to unravel. Now visually completely overhauled, Revolution Software's iconic point-and-click adventure sets off to cater to the modern audience, as well as the die-hard fan of the series. The latter may unfortunately consider it a tough sell since Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars: Reforged doesn't bring any new material to the table, but if you're new to the franchise, this is the ultimate edition to get drawn into the mystery.

Whilst Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged is a great visual improvement on the original, an unequivocal recommendation for what is essentially a graphical update doesn’t really fit our rating system – especially not when certain other areas of the game could have been improved upon.