Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars: Reforged
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Critic Reviews for Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars: Reforged
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.
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
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
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!
