Traditional point-and-click journey collection Damaged Sword is ready for a two-pronged return after a decade away; boutique U.Okay. studio Revolution Software program has introduced that it’s engaged on a sixth title, Damaged Sword — Parzival’s Stone, in addition to a full 4K remaster of the 1996 authentic, The Shadow of the Templars.
Each video games are in growth for console, cell, and Home windows PC. Damaged Sword — Shadow of the Templars: Reforged is ready for launch in early 2024, whereas Parzival’s Stone is undated, however additional off.
The Damaged Sword video games are mild, conspiratorial adventures with a historic bent, very a lot within the vein of the LucasArts classics of the early Nineties like The Secret of Monkey Island, however with gentler humor and (arguably) extra logical puzzle design. The video games comply with American patent lawyer George Stobbart and French journalist Nico Collard as they trot the globe, fixing riddles, investigating conspiracies, and uncovering historical secrets and techniques.
Parzival’s Stone will reintroduce 3D graphics to the collection, after a return to the unique 2D in 2013’s fifth, Kickstarter-funded recreation, The Serpent’s Curse. However collection creator Charles Cecil has dubbed the brand new graphical fashion “Tremendous 2D” because it makes an attempt to recreate the look of the unique video games by making use of hand-drawn textures to the 3D geometry. It would have a traditional, point-and-click journey recreation interface.
![A man rides in the back of a tiny three-wheeled van into a picturesque southern French village square in the mountains in Broken Sword: Parzival’s Stone](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IzXMFs034RBa7AvAr_HNkdEpB_k=/0x0:1920x1080/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1920x1080):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24860190/Broken_Sword_Parzivals_Stone_Screen02.png)
![Two suspicious characters dressed in pink stand outside what looks like a Parisian café in Broken Sword: Parzival’s Stone](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mbVVqx__OWr7OFTO1elmr59OX-Y=/0x0:1920x1080/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1920x1080):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24860192/Broken_Sword_Parzivals_Stone_Screen04.png)
Picture: Revolution Software program
Parzival’s Stone will ship George and Nico on a quest for the legendary Holy Grail — “however not as one would possibly count on,” in line with the press launch. Their quest will take them to Montségur within the South of France, former stronghold of the Cathar Christian sect, and pit them towards tech entrepreneurs, authorities businesses, and power companies in a narrative that additionally includes Nazi treasure hunters (however after all) and quantum physics.
The brand new model of the primary recreation — by which George witnesses a bomb assault on a Parisian café, drawing him right into a thriller involving the Knights Templar — notably updates its hand-drawn, animated-film-style visuals from 640×400 pixels to 4K decision with absolutely redrawn property. This monumental activity was completed with a mix of human artists and A.I. strategies; Revolution head Charles Cecil instructed Polygon that the tiny studio “simply merely couldn’t afford” to remake the sport with out utilizing A.I. The sport’s audio may even be upscaled, a couple of minor adjustments made to story and characterization to suit fashionable sensibilities, and gameplay enhancements introduced over from the presently accessible Director’s Minimize model.
Cecil stated that, if the reissue of Shadow of the Templars is successful, the intention is to comply with it up with a remaster of the second Damaged Sword recreation, The Smoking Mirror, utilizing the identical strategies.
![Hand-drawn visual shows blond-haired man climbing down a manhole while a whiskered hotel employee looks on in Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars — Reforged](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fpJmeth8W6YFK_yVjL7xJCuQt3M=/0x0:1920x1080/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1920x1080):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24860197/broken_sword_shadow_of_the_templars_reforged_1.png)
![George Stobbart stands in a ruined cafe with two French police officers and a waitress in Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars — Reforged](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nvuEL8QR9xQXwqvbi7Tk8hQRLY4=/0x0:1920x1080/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1920x1080):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24860198/broken_sword_shadow_of_the_templars_reforged_3.png)
Picture: Revolution Software program