TechRadar Gaming is reporting live from Gamescom 2023 on the latest and greatest developments in gaming and hardware.
Years after the release of its last installment, Broken Sword is back in full force – with a remake of Broken Sword 1 in development, as well as the sixth title in the series, Broken Sword – Parzival’s Stone.
Developed by Revolution Software, the first title in the point-and-click adventure series, Broken Sword – The Shadow of the Templars (or Circle of Blood in the United States) released all the way back in 1996 on PC, Mac, and PlayStation. All these years later, it’s being given new life in a modern-day remake, and while no new content is being added to it, Charles Cecil – the co-founder of Revolution Software – tells TRG that other valuable improvements will be made.
For a start, the remake (titled Broken Sword – The Shadow of the Templars: Reforged) aims to stick to the original game’s “traditional hand-drawn” art style. As well as a whole host of bug fixes (Cecil admits that the original release “was done quickly”), veteran fans can look forward to experiencing some lines of dialogue and animations that were made for the original title but never used.
The Broken Sword news you’ve been waiting for, live from the Xbox Showcase at Gamescom🍂 Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforgedan enhanced classic⛰️ Broken Sword – Parzival’s Stonea brand new chapterSign up to be the first to Wishlist:✨ https://t.co/E8zRxhnvRe pic.twitter.com/pgrTaWkVILAugust 23, 2023
“The big question, of course, is how relevant is point-and-click? Is it relevant to a younger audience? Or is it just a nostalgia thing?” Cecil questions.
He continues: “Of course, the big money is in first-person shooters and third-person, and they’re kind of brilliant, [but] they’re all quite similar in feeling, and with this big move towards cozy games and everything, my feeling is that it really is time to reinvent.”
As for Broken Sword – Parzival’s Stone, Cecil teased that like previous entries in the Broken Sword series, the story will center around “some historical conspiracy that’s resonated through to this day”.
Both upcoming games are set to release on PC, consoles and mobile, and Broken Sword – The Shadow of the Templars: Reforged will land at some point in early 2024. Broken Sword – Parzival’s Stone has not been given a release window yet, however.
If you’re looking for something new to play, be sure to take a look at our list of the best single-player games. You can also check out our recommendations for the best PC games.
