Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars (or Circle of Blood, depending on where you played it) is one of those classic point-and-click adventures that just nails the vibe. You start as George Stobbart, an American tourist in Paris who accidentally stumbles into a bombing at a café—and suddenly you're unraveling a conspiracy involving the Knights Templar. The GBA version keeps all the charm of the original, even if it’s missing some of the extra scenes from the Director’s Cut.

The puzzles are clever without being ridiculous, and the writing’s got this dry wit that makes George feel like a real guy instead of just an adventure game puppet. You’ll poke around cathedrals, decode ancient symbols, and team up with a French journalist named Nico—who’s way more competent than you, honestly. The pixel art holds up surprisingly well, and that soundtrack? Still haunting.

If you’ve only played the later versions, the GBA port is a stripped-down but solid way to experience the original mystery.