Broken Sword Shadow of the Templars

Broken Sword Shadow of the Templars

The classic PC adventure gets a revamp for Nintendo Wii under the guise of a Director’s Cut. It’s still brilliant, but is it worth the asking price?

The original Broken Sword Shadow of the Templars debuted on PC in 1996 to wide critical acclaim. Ideally suited to the PC hardware and typical users of that time (discounting the hordes of FPS fanatics), the point-and-click interface guided players through an intriguing story, lavishly presented using cleverly animated scenes.

Thirteen years ago ‘Shadow…’ was state of the art. In 2009 for Nintendo Wii, we have to admit, it has lost very little of its charm but all the same shows its age. Present day gamers, even casual players whose first console could be the Wii, are used to spectacular 3D visuals and a great deal of freedom within worlds. Although the point-and-click system adapts perfectly to Wii, and the game includes motion-sensing control sections, the static nature of all but the main characters just feels old. On the other hand you could also call this ‘classic’.

You can, by now, purchase all three Broken Sword games for PC for around a tenner. However this would not include the benefits of owning the Wii Director’s Cut that features new scenes – beginning with an entirely new character, journalist Nicole Collard – and fresh artwork from none other than Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons. Nicole’s investigation into the murder of a prominent Parisian at the hands of a costumed killer dovetails with events involving the game’s original protagonist, American tourist George Stobbart. Together they become embroiled in a “The Da Vinci Code” style drama involving the fabled Knights Templar.

Despite our grumbles it’s time to recognise that, no matter what reservations you may have about a decade-old PC game, we guarantee you’ll be intrigued within minutes. Those minutes will lead to hours before you know it too. Director Charles Cecil has created a masterpiece of interactive storytelling with the Broken Sword series and it’s refreshing to sit down with a game that constantly challenges your thoughts with multiple solutions to many situations and not all of them leading you down the correct path. Since many gamers are unused to such clever conundrums within games nowadays (moan, moan) the Director’s Cut also features a hints system… but don’t rely on this too heavily or you’ll be penalised.

Apart from new puzzle-solving mini-games involving motion-sensing control, not a great deal has been done to revitalise ‘Shadow…’ for the Wii. A widescreen option, cinematic sound, much improved cut-scenes would greatly improve presentation. This needs to be mentioned given that the game carries a £39.99 RRP. You’ll find it cheaper at retail of course, but even so.

All things considered there’s no disputing the fact that Broken Sword Shadow of the Templars remains a wonderfully intelligent game. There's also a version for Nintendo DS if you have eyes like a hawk.

4 our of 5