Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars Reforged (PC) 10/12/2024 (Part 2)

*This is a review based on the recently released Reforged edition
Classic globetrotting point n' click with a fresh lick of paint. Ahhh my first point n' click game and actually one of the few that I've played, (which is weird because I love Broken Sword but that's a mystery for another day). I loved playing it back in the day and I'm pleased to say that I still loved playing it in present day just as much. First some background, when we got it my siblings and I would gather round the TV each day itching to try and make progress, putting our minds together to help George overcome any obstacle in his path from goat to gangster, of course there's only so much three kids in the 90s without internet can get in this type of game so it was that a particular roadblock was too much and so the mystery of the Templers remained hidden to us. Life went on around me yet the unfinished story continued to chew away at me, until years later when we got the GBA port and along with better tools (school internet) we were able to finally finish it, the end.
Anyway that little childhood anecdote was just a long winded way of me saying that the story, ideas and most importantly of all, the writing are all top notch throughout the game and have stayed with me to this day. Humour is the backbone of the story but it still has sudden tense moments that will make you sit up. The story starts with a bang literally and keeps you invested throughout with an intense conspiracy tale that feels like a Dan Brown novel before they were a twinkle in his pen, it has its goofy moments sure, in fact quite a few but when the tense moments happen they make you hold your breath like the best thrillers. On to the characters and oh boy these people are probably some of the most colourful in any game ever, they all ooze personality from animations to dialogue making shooting the breeze with them a delight and none of them feel recycled making each new encounter something to look forward to. I will say that a smidgen of the humour does relay a little on stereotypes but its never anything but cheeky fun and every country gets it share of mockery so its not done in a bad natured way. The writing has not dulled over the years retaining it's razor edge, lines are snappy but packed with fun and quips and barbs are rattled off like fluxes at the stock exchange, its all a delight to hear and never made me want to skip ahead which is rare for such a text heavy game.
This new Reforged version does an excellent job of modernising pretty much all aspects of this nearly 30 year old game. The graphics have obviously been the most renovated with slick new coat of modern looks which breath new life into the historic streets of Paris and beyond. Its remarkable how the old backgrounds and models have been spruced up so well so much so I feel like if you held up pictures of the new looks compared to the old most people wouldn't even know it was the same game, plus the best part is that if you're a curmudgeon like me you can change back to the old look with a press of a button, isn't this new fangled technology amazing. I will say probably the only part I didn't like was how some of the past details were not retained in the new backgrounds but its not a problem really. The audio has been put through the wringer to brush off some of the dust on it and its defiantly an improvement but unfortunately it still has a bit of leftover dust on it, its nothing too bad but something to be aware of. There's a slew of additions to various options like subtitles, saves and the like plus a new hint system so its impossible to get stuck like I did before and these can be changed or switched off to the players preference.
Plot synopsis; George Stobbart is an American tourist in Paris when his holiday is rudely interrupted by the café he's relaxing in is suddenly blown up changing his life forever, he takes it on himself to find who is responsible leading to a deep conspiracy dating back to the middle ages. Now I love the iconic opening and I love George but he is very much a self insert into the story and can be a little mardy sometimes so I can understand people not liking him but for me he's the quintessential charming protagonist brilliantly VAed by Rolf Saxon who has great timing in each delivery be it serious or humorous. There isn't that much normal music surprisingly, the main theme is a classic but other then that most of the music is done through stingers that play at key moments and story progression, this may seem weird but they fit in very well at the moments they play.
What can I say, I know I'm biased but I love this game and judging by the Kickstarter credits at the end of this many other people do too. A goofy but none the less grounded tale in a genre that often leans into goofy fantasy maybe that's why the Broken Sword series is still alive to this day. An essential member of the point n' click pantheon.