This game co-written and directed by the British Charles Cecil needs no introduction, but since our job is to give context – because not everyone is obliged to know the story – I will do the same. In 1996, Revolution Software, a studio also co-founded by Cecil, released Broken Sword: The Legend of the Templars for computers, a ‘point-and-click’ adventure game starring the American lawyer and tourist George Stobbart. While on vacation in Paris, George becomes involved in a conspiracy and a subsequent series of events involving the Knights Templar order, several cities in Europe, and Western Asia.
The animated graphics of the time were outstanding, including voices in the dialogue that made its narrative a more immersive story. Although in general the game has a serious tone, it also presents humor and its style is not far from classic animated films. He feels like part of one of them. The writing, music and puzzles earned him several awards and commercial success with guaranteed sequels. It is not difficult to think that a certain Dan Brown played it and was inspired by Broken Sword to write The Da Vinci Code. Cecil cannot affirm this to avoid litigation, but followers of the game know that this is true and that it far surpasses the book and the film of far-fetched religious conspiracies.
This graphic adventure par excellence reached other platforms such as PlayStation and surprisingly, it even had a ‘demake’ for Game Boy Advance in 2002. Version that I have a lot of affection for as it was the first time I played Broken Swordeven if it is graphically inferior to the original. Seven years later, Nintendo DS and Wii received the version Director’s Cutwhich began with and expanded the story of journalist Nicole Collard, but made changes to dialogue and voices that did not please fans. Since it is never too late to correct strange decisions, Revolution Software decided to return to the original game and increase all the graphic quality possible in Broken Sword – The Legend of the Templars: Reforged.
Reforging the broken sword
While some of the aftermath of Broken Sword opted for 3D to join the fever of the early 2000s, we know that the essence of these games is in their 2D animations. The legend of the templars I have never looked so good as in Reforgednot even in the Director’s Cut and still maintaining appreciation for the original designs. We will not count the GBA and Palm OS versions for obvious reasons. What Revolution Software does is admirable, even more so by having the option to change graphics – between original and new – with the push of a button or ‘stick’. This keeps the experience intact for veteran players and those stepping into George’s shoes for the first time.
It doesn’t take much to quickly get used to the improved designs of Broken Sword. The only debatable point is that on some screens there are greater shadows and therefore some details that do appear in the original version are not seen.. But since it’s so easy to switch between the two, we assume it’s not a major problem. The animated sequences also benefit from the facelift and the faces are much more expressive. By not taking the Director’s Cut as a basis, fortunately the dialogue profiles disappear and the texts remain unretouched, as well as the voices. Because of this we also lose the section dedicated to Nico, although it would have been great to keep it in an extras section.
The remastering of Broken Sword: The Legend of the Templars For current platforms, it updates the digitized 1996 illustrations in high definition. This of course includes a 16:9 resolution that fills the entire screen. But it is not only dedicated to highlighting the settings and their backgrounds, but also the wide cast of characters that we meet in George’s investigative crusade. Various aesthetic details add to the displays for a more appropriate atmosphere, such as architecture, decoration and vegetation. Out of curiosity you will be alternating the graphics, but surely the time you will spend more with the ones Reforged.
The elephant in the room
The thing about keeping the original vocals is that despite the good performances, they were first recorded in the ’90s and can’t be refined like the graphics. The type of recording affects the way an audio is heard and at that time they did not have all the modern advantages. They may feel somewhat encapsulated. Rerecording the vocals was also not an option, given the reception with those of Director’s Cut. Background and incidental music, meanwhile, maintains the desired effect on players as they find key clues or approach danger in a stressful situation.
The illustrations of Broken Sword were made by Eoghan Cahill y Neil Breenhand drawn and digitally colored in Photoshop. Now, in the case of Reforged we have to discuss the use of artificial intelligence. For the remastering, Cecil claimed to receive help from artificial intelligence tools solely fed with hand-made material from the series. It should be noted that Revolution Software is not a large studio, currently it only consists of six people. The graphic adventure was a success at the time, but the change in the industry in favor of 3D gradually distanced the developers from the genre and the company.
According to Cecil, it would have been impossible recreate all illustrations like the old days, per staff and budget. Saved on work by the University of York’s AI team, Cecil and his people set about profiling faces and hands, the latter the biggest weaknesses of artificial intelligence. Even if Cecil understands the public’s reservations about technology—the illegal use of other people’s intellectual property—the way he Reforged The application does not have to be negative if it is only a support. I wouldn’t want to act as “devil’s advocate” regarding AI, but seeing the final result of the modernized version of Broken Swordit is possible that a balance exists and it is precisely this.
Puzzles and goat
There are quite a few point-and-clicks that I reviewed this year and they all suffer from the same siege of trying to use objects over and over again, until they leave their players stuck due to lack of ideas. It is a mechanic from another era that may have decreased in popularity, but whose absurd ideas are never lacking. You can’t define how inconsistent it is to use X or Y object in a given situation, since that slight air of absurd humor is intrinsic to the genre. he knows it Monkey Island, Ace Attorney Investigationshe applied it Broken Sword in its primary form to the frustration of many.
I understand that it is not funny to certain types of users obsessed with game times, but this type of puzzles They are part of the character of Broken Sword and to change it would be unnatural. The version Reforged offers multiple aids and clues, even programmable by frequency of appearance and times. In this way, some glows can indicate where to go if you have spent a while without finding the answer, and indicate what type of object to use to overcome an obstacle. All of this is optional and can be disabled in the configuration options, but I insist that it is a very convenient feature for those who do not share the same appreciation for the puzzles of yesteryear. Without having to resort to the internet.
Contemplating the crusade of Broken Sword – The Legend of the Templars: Reforgedit is pleasant to resurrect part of the history of video games with what is in turn one of the best exponents of the medium. Revolution Software is sure to attract a new entourage of gamers with its rich visuals, music and cinematic story. Or to those who want to look back on George’s vacation out of nostalgia and find that he now looks exactly as they remembered him in their heads 28 years ago.
Review made with a digital copy of Broken Sword – Legend of the Templars: Reforged for Nintendo Switch provided by Revolution Software. The game is also available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, macOS, Linux, and Windows.
