game reviews

published on Friday, 2025-12-05

Broken Sword is one of the most successful point and click games of all time. I vividly remember how much praises were thrown its way after the release; the reviewers were ectatic. I played it much later, maybe around 2005. It was great! But now they released a remaster version, so I played it again. And guess what: it’s as good as I remembered it.

For now, let’s ignore the new coat of paint (there are reasons) and focus on the The Shadow of the Templars, as there are people under the age of 40 who may have not though it. You can think of it as something Dan Brown would write, if Dan Brown knew how to make interesting stories (and please no "Dan who?". I feel old enough already). George Stobbart is an American tourist in Paris, who is enjoying some time at a café, who witnesses a bombing of that café from the hands of a man dressed as a clown. The story starts interesting and just keeps getting better, and he discovers a medieval secret and a plot to take over the world. All of that from a relaxing point and click adventure with just a few announces.

While the story (and characters we meet along the way) play the first fiddle, it all comes down to the riddles. 20-year-old had some problems, but he wasn’t smart. 40-year-old me is much wiser (and my adventure game muscle is oiled up) and found them to be logical, interesting, and fun. Almost all the problems we need to overcome are A-game. There’s lots of speaking with characters, joining facts, and just enough of using things on top of other things to perfect the formula. Very rarely I had the urge to click on everything on the screen, as the solutions are logical and also conveyed brilliantly.

But (there’s always a bit) there are timing based puzzles. Not many, lucky us, but they are. An action can succeed or fail based on when we click, and sometimes something needs to happen quite swiftly. And there’s the infamous goat puzzle... oh how I despise the goat puzzle. 25 years after the original release, it’s still talked about - some call it one of the most challenging ever, others use a more flowery term to call it terrible. I am in the latter camp. It’s a bad as chicken trolley, if not worse.

But it does take very little from the whole game, which is still a brilliant example of what a point and click adventure can be. One of the greatest examples of the genre, still amazing and approachable by anyone. Even the deaths are not a Sierra-like obstacle, as it’s clear when they can happen and we can save the game.

Reforged (2025)

But let’s jump to 2025 and talk a bit about the Reforged edition. The game now runs on modern machines and has a great hint system - but plenty of new games have this. The selling point is it being redrawn in 4K. And, well, I am shattered.

From one point of view, the new images are stunning. Sharp, beautifully animated, colourful. They didn’t even use GenAI, which is a huge plus in my book. There are locations (Irish Bar for example) which look like I remember them. They also downplayed some stereotypic, like the drunken Pole on Europe map - which was a welcome change.

Classic museum

But they changed colours on some scenes, entirely ruining the atmosphere. The game takes place in autumn, and the classic version was full of red and earth tones. I freaking love autumn, it is the best week of the year! Here, it’s closed to summer - everything is green, bright, and alive (and I dislike summer). Locations like the Museum lost so much in the process, that I cannot understand why. Most of the backgrounds are the same design as they were (with even brick pattern matching; you can switch the version with a press of "tab" key), just with added details needed for 4k. But why are the colours different? So much charm was destroyed in the process. Also: there is part of the game in which you need to find a toilet brush. Only after I switch back to classic style I was able to see it, as in the remake it doesn’t look like it.

And the new one

As a result, I played most of the game in the classic style, with all the beautiful pixels (which still look great on a 4k LCD screen). It’s a shame, as there is nothing bad I can say about the new art - except of lost autumn atmosphere. But hey, I certainly love me some pixels...

I may have played mostly the original version, but I whole heartily recommend you buy a copy of Reforged from GOG as it’s well worth the price of admission. Personally, I am already waiting for a Reforged version of Smoking Mirror.