Paris in the fall. A café explosion. A guy in a clown suit. If you grew up in the 90s, those three things are probably burned into your brain as the start of the greatest adventure game ever made. Honestly, I didn't think we needed a new version. The original looked fine, right? Well, after spending a dozen hours with Broken Sword Shadow of the Templars Reforged, I've gotta admit I was wrong. It's beautiful.
But it’s also a weird time capsule.
Revolution Software didn't just slap a filter on the 1996 classic. They basically redrew the whole thing. It’s sitting there in 4K, looking like a high-budget animated movie from the Don Bluth era. You can actually see the expressions on George Stobbart’s face when he’s being a sarcastic American tourist. Yet, beneath that shiny new coat of paint, the game is exactly as stubborn, brilliant, and occasionally infuriating as it was thirty years ago.
What is Reforged, Anyway?
People get confused because there are like five versions of this game. You’ve got the original, the Director’s Cut, the mobile ports, and now this. Basically, Broken Sword Shadow of the Templars Reforged is a "faithful" remaster.
That matters because the 2009 Director’s Cut was... controversial. It added new scenes where you played as Nico, but it also cut out a lot of the original's charm. It removed some of the ways George could die. It even messed with the iconic opening. Fans hated that. Revolution listened.
Reforged goes back to the 1996 source material. It keeps the original pacing. It keeps the original intro. Most importantly, it keeps the original dialogue that the Director’s Cut trimmed down. If you want the "real" Broken Sword experience but don't want to look at 640x480 pixels on your 65-inch OLED, this is it.
The Graphics Swap
One of the coolest things is the "Graphics Toggle." You can literally hit a button (or flick a switch on the Steam Deck) and the game swaps between the new 4K art and the original pixelated backgrounds.
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It’s a reality check.
You’ll find yourself thinking, "Wait, was it really that blurry?" The answer is yes. The new art is incredibly detailed. You can see the grime on the Parisian streets and the individual stones in the Irish castle. But they didn't change the vibe. The lighting still feels like a crisp autumn day in France. It’s impressive how they kept the hand-drawn feel while moving to high resolution.
The Audio: A Bit of a Mixed Bag
If there’s one thing that feels "off," it’s the voices.
Don't get me wrong, the acting is legendary. Rolf Saxon is George Stobbart. But Revolution couldn't find the original high-quality master tapes for the voices. They had to use AI tools to "clean up" the compressed audio from the 90s.
It's better than the muffled mess of the original, but it’s not perfect. Sometimes the voices sound a little "tinny" compared to the brand-new, lush orchestral score. Barrington Pheloung’s music sounds better than ever, though. It swells at exactly the right moments to make a simple conversation feel like a Dan Brown thriller.
The Infamous Goat (and Other Puzzles)
Let’s talk about the goat. You know the one.
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In the original game, there was a puzzle in Ireland involving a goat that required pixel-perfect timing. It was the "gatekeeper" that stopped thousands of players from finishing the game. In Reforged, the goat is still there.
But the game is kinder now.
Revolution added two ways to play: Classic Mode and Story Mode.
- Classic Mode: No help. No hints. Just you and your inventory of random junk. Good luck.
- Story Mode: This is the "modern" way. It gives you hints if you’re stuck. It highlights things you can interact with. It even grays out items in your inventory that you don’t need anymore.
I tried both. Honestly, the Story Mode is a godsend for some of the more "moon logic" puzzles where you have to combine a dirty tissue with a tripod to distract a guard. It keeps the story moving without you having to alt-tab to a walkthrough from 2004.
Why This Game Still Matters in 2026
There’s something about the writing that just works. George isn't a superhero. He’s just a guy who was in the wrong place at the right time. The chemistry between him and Nico Collard is genuine. They bicker, they flirt, and they actually feel like partners.
The conspiracy theory stuff—The Knights Templar, Hashshashins, ancient manuscripts—it’s all handled with a surprising amount of research. It predates The Da Vinci Code by years, and frankly, it does the mystery better.
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Technical Reality Check
I played this on PC and Nintendo Switch.
On PC, the 4K art is the star. On the Switch, the colors pop, but you lose some of that ultra-fine detail. The touch controls on the Switch (and presumably the mobile versions) actually feel more natural for a point-and-click game than a mouse does sometimes.
One thing to watch out for: George walks slow.
He takes his time. There is a "Fast Exit" feature where double-clicking a door teleports you to the next room, but walking across a long screen can still feel like a chore. It’s a relic of 90s game design. You just have to lean into the slow pace.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Playthrough
If you’re diving into Broken Sword Shadow of the Templars Reforged for the first time, don't rush it. This isn't a game you "beat." It’s a game you soak in.
- Talk to everyone about everything. Even the items that seem useless. The dialogue is where the humor lives. Ask the guy at the kebab stand about your sewer key. Just do it.
- Use the Graphics Toggle often. It’s fun to see how the artists interpreted a blob of brown pixels into a detailed wooden chair.
- Don’t be ashamed of the hint system. Some of these puzzles were designed when people had months to figure them out. You’ve got a life to live. If you’re stuck on the tripod puzzle for more than 20 minutes, just take the hint.
- Save often. You can die. It’s rare, but it happens. Don't lose an hour of progress because you clicked on a suspicious man with a gun.
Broken Sword Shadow of the Templars Reforged is the definitive version of a masterpiece. It respects the player's intelligence while fixing the technical hurdles that made the original hard to play today. Whether you’re a returning fan or a newcomer who just likes a good mystery, it’s worth the trip to Paris.
For your next move, check your system requirements if you're on PC—while it’s a 2D game, the 4K assets take up about 10GB of space. If you're playing on a console, make sure you've updated to the latest patch, as some early users reported minor bugs with the hint triggers in the later Syria chapters.