Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars

Did You Know?

• The game was built with Revolution's Virtual Theatre engine, previously used in Lure of the Temptress and Beneath a Steel Sky.
• Unlike most adventure games at the time, the protagonist's death is possible, after which the player starts from the last save point.
• The player navigates with a map to which new locations are added as the story unfolds.

Plot

In Paris, American tourist George Stobbart witnesses a clown-costumed assassin kill an old man with a bomb and steal his briefcase. George teams with photo-journalist Nicole Collard, who was to meet the victim, Plantard, and is investigating similar assassinations. Tracking the assassin, Khan, to a hotel, George recovers an ancient manuscript from the safe. He and Nicole learn it concerns the Knights Templar and contains clues to locations across Europe and the Middle East. George visits a museum in Ireland, where the archaeologist Peagram has vanished, and obtains a gem from his assistant. At an excavation site, a mural directs him to Montfauçon in Paris. There, George investigates a hospitalized man named Marquet, who wanted the gem, and thwarts a theft of a tripod. In the sewers beneath Montfauçon, George spies on a group claiming to be Templar successors; Marquet, Peagram, and Plantard are revealed as Neo-Templars. Using the gem and tripod, George finds a clue pointing to Marib, Syria. He discovers a hidden cave containing a glass lens, a Baphomet idol, and a stone map of Britain. Khan corners George, but George outwits him and escapes.

Development

In 1992, Charles Cecil and Noirin Carmody met Virgin Interactive's Sean Brennan, discussing the Knights Templar as a game subject; Virgin later agreed to publish. Cecil began work on Revolution's third game, set in Paris with a Templar storyline. He researched the Templars in Paris and, after reading The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, felt confident in the subject. Cecil, Dave Cummins, and Jonathan Howard worked on story and design; Cecil and Cummins attended a film-writing course, and their script was read by BBC scriptwriter Alan Drury. Artist Steve Ince created initial location sketches before working on Beneath a Steel Sky and later became producer. Virgin declined to publish a PlayStation version, believing only 3D games would sell, so Cecil contacted Sony Computer Entertainment, who agreed to release it. In North America, the game was renamed Circle of Blood, a change Cecil disliked. In 1998, THQ published the PlayStation version under the original title. Cecil aimed to depart from humorous adventure games like Monkey Island, creating a cinematic game with good pacing and a complex storyline. The conversation system used icons that did not reveal what the protagonist would say. Cecil made George American and Nico French to appeal to both US and European markets.

Reception

Broken Sword was a commercial success, marking the first time Revolution Software received royalty payments. By August 2000, it had sold 825,000 copies, with 480,000 at full price. The PlayStation version exceeded low expectations: the publisher anticipated 60,000 copies, but it sold nearly 300,000. Combined computer and PlayStation sales surpassed one million units by April 2001; the PlayStation release alone accounted for 500,000 sales by 2015. The Director's Cut also sold well, particularly on iOS, where it and The Smoking Mirror's remaster were downloaded by over four million people in 2011. Critics praised the story, art direction, music, voice acting, and writing. Edge called it an "adventure gaming milestone" and the "best graphic adventure to date." Adventure Gamers noted its "deep and mysterious plot" as thought-provoking and entertaining. GameSpot praised the combination of real history and creative storytelling. Next Generation magazine described the story as "rich in mystery and intrigue." Edge's reviewer commended the use of "legend and modern-day intrigue" and said Revolution had "taken the graphic adventure to new levels."

Legacy

Adventure Gamers ranked Broken Sword fourth on its "Top 20 Adventure Games of All-Time" in 2004 and on its "Top 100 All-Time Adventures" in 2011. Adventure Classic Gaming placed it third on its list of top retro graphic adventure games in 2006. Retro Gamer ranked it second on its 2010 list of top adventure games not by LucasArts. It was included in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die. GamesRadar ranked it eighth on its 2012 list of best point-and-click adventure games. The game's Goat Puzzle appeared on Computer and Video Games' 2011 feature on gaming's hardest puzzles. Barrington Pheloung's original intro theme was ranked 21st on Computer and Video Games' 2012 list of the 100 best video game themes. The Telegraph listed Khan among the 10 best video game assassins, and Kotaku listed him among the scariest clowns in video games in 2013. In his book Game Plan, Ste Curran wrote that Broken Sword influenced Toonstruck and Escape from Monkey Island. Telltale Games co-founder Kevin Bruner has said he is a fan. Ashton Raze, co-creator of Richard & Alice, cited Broken Sword as his biggest influence. Declan Skews of Video Games Interactive said Deponia drew inspiration from Broken Sword.