Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars: Reforged Reviews
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?
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.
Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged enhances every aspect of the original, making it the definitive version of this already incredible adventure. The reworked visuals breathe new life into the world, while the refined UI and added accessibility options ensure that anyone can enjoy this classic. With its masterfully crafted story, witty dialogue, and rewarding puzzles, it stands as one of the finest examples in the genre.
As a remaster, Reforged is about as good as it gets. It hits that perfect sweet spot where the game looks kinda like you remember it looking all those years ago, but then you have the option to switch back to the original graphics and see just how improved the new version actually is. It's a massive leap. There's also a robust and quite granular hint system to help you with puzzles that can be completely tailored to your playstyle, including a story mode that drastically revises how much thinking is required to progress. It's one of many reasons this remaster is perfect for newcomers and returning fans alike.
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.
Review in Italian | Read full review
This is a handsome remaster that will hopefully win over new players, but for those already in love with Broken Sword, something is missing.
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.
Just as it was in 1996, Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged is an adventure game masterpiece, with Reforged offering players a remarkable trip down memory lane and giving the classic a new lease on life for a new generation of adventurers.
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.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Whether you're a long time fan or a newcomer, this remaster of the classic Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars is likely to have you enraptured from start to finish. Its visuals have been lovingly updated, and while there are some issues with the game's audio, this is undoubtedly the best way to experience George Stobbart's debut adventure. It's just a shame there aren't any extras.
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.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars: Reforged is a great entry point for new players, but will also please die-hard fans of the brand. It's just a shame that not everything in the remaster feels polished enough.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars Reforged is one of the best examples of a remaster done right. It is faithful with stunning visuals and content that’s aged like fine wine, but also updated wonderfully for 2024 and the next twenty years to come. With some further additions to the UI to make it more friendly and appropriate on consoles, this would have made our PS5 experience better. But perhaps this is one you should be playing as intended anyway, mouse in hand, on PC.
On the one hand, Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templar Reforged disguises its age with beautifully drawn visuals, more appropriate to today's aesthetics, and accessibility incentives, but there's no hiding the fact that this is a point and click adventure from the 1990s. A mystery story full of dialogue, ironic and cartoonish humor, simple mechanics, investigation more by trial and error than by deduction; all of this is presented in a consistent way, showing that the strength of the classic remains. What will really make the difference here is whether these things entertain you or if they are far from your taste.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Broken Sword Shadows of the Templars Reforged is an excellent game that can hold its own against modern games with ease. Fully voiced and gameplay with crisp new graphics complete the experience. Bonus points for adding both the upscaled version as the original one. If you fancy point-n-click games there is but one option. Click that 'Buy'-button. You won’t regret it.
Charles Cecil and co. over at Revolution Studios know a winning formula when it comes to the narrative-style genre of games. I feel that releasing the Reforged version is a way of bringing the games to the modern audience. Hopefully, they will continue going through the series, especially with the 6th installment – Broken Sword – Parzival’s Stone in the works. I have loved the nostalgia that Shadow of the Templars brought about. Nostalgia but with the comfort of playing on my PS5 from my sofa. I certainly hope that others also share the same feeling and keep their support going for the studio.
Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars – Reforged faithfully remakes the beloved point-and-click classic with improved animations, streamlined gameplay, and modernized features. The remake introduces a vibrant new art style while offering both a nostalgic Classic Mode and a newcomer-friendly Story Mode, striking a balance between honoring the original and welcoming new players.
Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged is a wonderful remaster that really does spark new life in a point-and-click classic. The visuals are gorgeous, the gameplay is more intuitive than before, whilst the additional Story Mode goes a long way in making the experience more accessible for newcomers to the genre. Add to that the excellent puzzling and storytelling from the original that has certainly stood the test of time, and you’ll quicky find that this is one remastered release you won’t want to miss out on.
If you are an old fan of the series, I doubt there is much to say to dissuade you from playing Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged. There isn’t much reason to dissuade you anyway – it was done with evident appreciation and affection for the original games. If you are a new fan and this is the first time you are meeting George and Nico, well, you are in for a treat. Considering there’s yet another remake coming, based on the second game in the series -, this Autumn is shaping out to be great for adventure game fans!
As a longtime Broken Sword fan, I found Shadow of the Templars: Reforged to be an absolute delight, especially with its impressive graphical upgrades, but I can’t deny a lingering desire for a bit more than what was offered. While it's a gift to relive the GOAT of point-and-click games with modern visuals, I couldn't help but hope for some new content or extra material, perhaps expanding on one of the many memorable characters, to make the experience feel a little fresher.
Review in Dutch | Read full review