# Broken Sword
**Broken Sword** is a series of narrative-driven point-and-click adventure games created by the British studio Revolution Software, beginning with *Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars* in 1996. The games follow the American tourist George Stobbart and the French photojournalist Nico Collard as they investigate conspiracies, starting with a bombing at a Parisian café that draws the pair into a Templar-themed plot.[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/broken-sword-reforged-charles-cecil) The series was co-written and directed by Charles Cecil, co-founder of Revolution, and the first game was released in the United States under the title *Circle of Blood*.[2](https://videogamescritic.com/game/broken-sword-the-shadow-of-the-templars-1000007084)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First game | *Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars* (1996), Revolution Software, directed by Charles Cecil; released as *Circle of Blood* in the US[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/broken-sword-reforged-charles-cecil) • [2](https://videogamescritic.com/game/broken-sword-the-shadow-of-the-templars-1000007084) |
| Main characters | George Stobbart, a laid-back American tourist, and Nico Collard, a sharp-tongued French photojournalist[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/broken-sword-reforged-charles-cecil) |
| Sales | The original sold 759,000 copies; combined computer and PlayStation releases passed one million units by April 2001[3](https://www.techradar.com/gaming/broken-sword-creator-chose-human-artists-over-ai-for-all-55-000-new-frames-of-animation-in-the-upcoming-2-remake-people-are-going-to-seek-out-human-crafted-art) |
| Interface legacy | The control system used by most adventure developers is now named the 'Broken Sword' interface[4](https://blog.playstation.com/2024/08/15/broken-sword-the-shadow-of-the-templars-reforged-launches-on-ps5-sept-19/) |
| 2024 remaster | *Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged* launched on PS5 on September 19, 2024, with 4K visuals swappable with the original pixel art[4](https://blog.playstation.com/2024/08/15/broken-sword-the-shadow-of-the-templars-reforged-launches-on-ps5-sept-19/) |
| Next installment | *Broken Sword: Parzival's Stone*, the sixth game, is in early development[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/broken-sword-reforged-charles-cecil) |
| Film adaptation | A movie is co-developed by Revolution Software and producer Story Kitchen, with a script by Evan Spiliotopolos[5](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/a-broken-sword-movie-is-in-the-works-aiming-to-move-the-adventure-game-classics-into-the-next-medium-it-deserves/) |
## Origins
The concept came from a 1993 conversation between Charles Cecil and Sean Brennan of Virgin Games. Cecil was considering options for the next game as *Beneath a Steel Sky* was finishing development, and Brennan mentioned he had been reading [Umberto Eco](https://www.edgepedia.org/umberto-eco)'s novel *[Foucault's Pendulum](https://www.edgepedia.org/foucaults-pendulum)*, which features the [Knights Templar](https://www.edgepedia.org/knights-templar). The two decided the group's history could make for an interesting adventure game, and the base concept was formed in that conversation.[6](https://www.pcgamesn.com/broken-sword-directors-cut/the-making-of-broken-sword)
Revolution Software, founded in York in 1990 by Cecil and colleagues after earlier work including *Lure of the Temptress* and *Beneath a Steel Sky*, found its commercial success with the 1996 release.[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/broken-sword-reforged-charles-cecil) • [7](https://store.steampowered.com/franchise/Revolution?l=english) The game departed from the absurdist tone of contemporary adventure games such as the *Monkey Island* series, drawing instead on adventure films, comics, and historical and literary influences, and it applied principles of film screenwriting to its story.[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/broken-sword-reforged-charles-cecil)
## The original game and its influence
*The Shadow of the Templars* opens with George Stobbart surviving a bomb planted by an assassin dressed as a clown in a Paris café, after which he meets Nico Collard, who has been investigating the killer. Together they investigate a series of murders and are drawn into a conspiracy.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2009/mar/22/games) The game was praised for balancing humor and gravitas, and it developed a cult following; fans have suspected that *The Da Vinci Code* author [Dan Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/dan-brown) may have been among them.[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/broken-sword-reforged-charles-cecil)
**Commercial and design legacy.** The original sold 759,000 copies, and by April 2001 the combined sales of its computer and [PlayStation](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation) releases had surpassed one million units according to Revolution Software.[3](https://www.techradar.com/gaming/broken-sword-creator-chose-human-artists-over-ai-for-all-55-000-new-frames-of-animation-in-the-upcoming-2-remake-people-are-going-to-seek-out-human-crafted-art) Its control scheme proved influential: according to Cecil, the interface used by most adventure developers is now named the 'Broken Sword' interface because studios copy it.[4](https://blog.playstation.com/2024/08/15/broken-sword-the-shadow-of-the-templars-reforged-launches-on-ps5-sept-19/) The game also became known for a difficult puzzle involving a goat, which Cecil added after players objected that Revolution's games were too easy.[9](https://feed4gamers.com/game-news/301166/the-remastered-beauty-of-broken-sword-1-and-the-advent-of-broken-sword-6.htm)
Localization was treated seriously by publisher Virgin, which was unusual at the time. In Germany, Nico was voiced by Franziska Pigulla, known as the German voice of Scully from *The X-Files*.[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/broken-sword-reforged-charles-cecil) A Game Boy Advance version of the original followed in 2002.[10](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/games/company/13106-revolution-software)
## The series through the years
The series has changed visual approach with each installment. *Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon* (2003), the third game, broke from the 2D point-and-click format of its predecessors and moved to fully 3D presentation using the RenderWare engine, a shift that drew both attention and concern from the series' audience.[11](https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_235.pdf) *Broken Sword: The Angel of Death* followed in 2006 and sold poorly, leaving the series dormant for a period.[12](https://as.com/meristation/reportajes/una-de-las-mejores-aventuras-graficas-de-la-historia-cumple-30-anos-celebramos-el-aniversario-de-broken-sword-f202610-n/)
The fifth game, *Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse*, was funded through a [Kickstarter](https://www.edgepedia.org/kickstarter) campaign launched in 2012 after Cecil chose crowdfunding over a publisher, and its second half was released in April 2013. It returned the series to 2D point-and-click gameplay.[13](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/q-a-i-broken-sword-i-creator-reflects-on-the-industry-s-evolution) • [14](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/charles-cecil-on-broken-sword-kickstarter-and-why-sony-has-a-lot-to-answer-for/1100-6393115/)
**Director's Cut and remasters.** *Broken Sword: Director's Cut* (2009) added several hours of new story told from Nico's perspective, starting a day before the original, along with facial animations drawn by comic artist Dave Gibbons, a diary system, and a hint system.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2009/mar/22/games) In 2024 Revolution released *Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged*, a remaster with 4K visuals that can be swapped with the original pixel art, upgraded fully-voiced audio, and quality-of-life tweaks for players new to the genre; it launched on PS5 on September 19, 2024.[4](https://blog.playstation.com/2024/08/15/broken-sword-the-shadow-of-the-templars-reforged-launches-on-ps5-sept-19/) A remaster of the second game, *Broken Sword – The Smoking Mirror: Reforged*, is due in 2027, with roughly 55,000 new frames of animation drawn by human artists rather than AI.[3](https://www.techradar.com/gaming/broken-sword-creator-chose-human-artists-over-ai-for-all-55-000-new-frames-of-animation-in-the-upcoming-2-remake-people-are-going-to-seek-out-human-crafted-art) A sixth installment, *Parzival's Stone*, is in early development.[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/broken-sword-reforged-charles-cecil)
## Redesigning the game for modern players
When preparing Reforged, Cecil argued that audience expectations had shifted since the 1990s: players of that era enjoyed being frustrated and waking up with fresh ideas about a puzzle, an approach that, in his words, worked in 1996 but does not now. Revolution ran extensive playtests and found that internal testers completed the game at a rate of 90 percent, but randomly recruited testers managed only about 50 percent. Two causes emerged: the game lacked a proper tutorial, because the studio had assumed everyone knew how point-and-click worked, and players who used hints lost the feeling of having solved puzzles themselves and stopped enjoying the game.[15](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/how-the-broken-sword-remaster-smooths-out-the-point-and-click-difficulty-curve)
Revolution's fixes included removing non-important hotspots once players had interacted with them, rebuilding the interface to make selections and available interaction options clear, and adding an auto-hint system available only in the new Story Mode, which nudges stuck players with a small environmental tell. Cecil said the idea came from *Candy Crush*, where a sparkle directs stuck players where to look without making them feel patronized. Players who prefer the original experience can still play the unmodified version.[15](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/how-the-broken-sword-remaster-smooths-out-the-point-and-click-difficulty-curve)
The remaster also fixed long-standing continuity errors without changing any dialogue. Cecil gave the example of a clown placing an accordion bomb on a stool, while the scorch mark in the released game sat in the middle of the room with the stool untouched; in a game, such inconsistencies can read as clues and undermine the player's confidence in the world. A stereotypical depiction of a carpet salesman, inherited from 1940s *Tintin* conventions, was also lightly adjusted.[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/broken-sword-reforged-charles-cecil)
## Beyond the games
A Broken Sword film is in development, co-created by Revolution Software and the producer Story Kitchen, whose previous work includes the *Sonic the Hedgehog* films and Amazon's upcoming *Life is Strange* television show. The script is being written by Evan Spiliotopolos, whose credits include the live-action *Beauty and the Beast* adaptation. Cecil said the creative conversations have focused on translating what Broken Sword is rather than what it can be made to look like.[5](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/a-broken-sword-movie-is-in-the-works-aiming-to-move-the-adventure-game-classics-into-the-next-medium-it-deserves/)
Cecil has also noted that about 50 percent of the series' fans are women, and he has described the community as diverse.[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/broken-sword-reforged-charles-cecil)
## References
1. [Broken Sword creator Charles Cecil on redefining and refining the graphic adventure game, BFI](https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/broken-sword-reforged-charles-cecil)
2. [Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars review score, VideoGamesCritic](https://videogamescritic.com/game/broken-sword-the-shadow-of-the-templars-1000007084)
3. [Broken Sword creator chose human artists over AI for all 55,000 new frames of animation, TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/gaming/broken-sword-creator-chose-human-artists-over-ai-for-all-55-000-new-frames-of-animation-in-the-upcoming-2-remake-people-are-going-to-seek-out-human-crafted-art)
4. [Broken Sword – the Shadow of the Templars: Reforged launches on PS5 Sept 19, PlayStation.Blog](https://blog.playstation.com/2024/08/15/broken-sword-the-shadow-of-the-templars-reforged-launches-on-ps5-sept-19/)
5. [A Broken Sword movie is in the works, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/a-broken-sword-movie-is-in-the-works-aiming-to-move-the-adventure-game-classics-into-the-next-medium-it-deserves/)
6. [The making of: Broken Sword, PCGamesN](https://www.pcgamesn.com/broken-sword-directors-cut/the-making-of-broken-sword)
7. [Steam Franchise: Revolution Software](https://store.steampowered.com/franchise/Revolution?l=english)
8. [Charles Cecil talks Broken Sword Directors Cut, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2009/mar/22/games)
9. [The Remastered Beauty of Broken Sword 1 and the Advent of Broken Sword 6, Feed4gamers](https://feed4gamers.com/game-news/301166/the-remastered-beauty-of-broken-sword-1-and-the-advent-of-broken-sword-6.htm)
10. [Game Companies – Revolution Software, GameFAQs](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/games/company/13106-revolution-software)
11. [Computer Gaming World Issue 235](https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_235.pdf)
12. [Una de las mejores aventuras gráficas de la historia cumple 30 años, MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/reportajes/una-de-las-mejores-aventuras-graficas-de-la-historia-cumple-30-anos-celebramos-el-aniversario-de-broken-sword-f202610-n/)
13. [Q&A: Broken Sword creator reflects on the industry's evolution, Game Developer](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/q-a-i-broken-sword-i-creator-reflects-on-the-industry-s-evolution)
14. [Charles Cecil on Broken Sword, Kickstarter, and Why Sony Has a Lot to Answer For, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/charles-cecil-on-broken-sword-kickstarter-and-why-sony-has-a-lot-to-answer-for/1100-6393115/)
15. [How the Broken Sword remaster smooths out the point-and-click difficulty curve, Game Developer](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/how-the-broken-sword-remaster-smooths-out-the-point-and-click-difficulty-curve)
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