amazon Broken Age reviews
If you are a fan of the point-and-click game, you probably can not help but notice Monkey Island or Sam & Max. The commonality of these monuments is to use the same formula that attracts players by interesting lines and interesting puzzle games. Actually, Broken Age does not ruin this “make money” formula but improves it with cute graphics and a pretty “quality” script.
The plot of Broken Age leads the player quite well. Although the game has these places are quite absurd, but it is enough to inspire curiosity, making you want to learn to the last minute. The original mystery questions are interconnected and interrelated, providing satisfactory explanations. In fact, the content of the game is pretty good to keep players up to the last minute. Not to mention later, the game has the direction of turning characters, keep the player experience is not “drop mood”, is really worthy of praise.
Broken Age takes the player into the role of Shay and Vella. Interestingly, you can switch between these two characters at any time. It is a space explorer, who is so boring to do the same things every day. And the other character is young Vella with the “honor” sacrificed to a giant monster. Each character has their own troubles and their own story. Actually the content is not reprehensible, too good for a puzzle adventure game.
The problem lies in the game’s riddles, which should be the most attractive point-and-click gameplay. Unfortunately, Broken Age does not do this well. You will often find the quiz quite uncomfortable, causing you to often shake your head “give up”. Some puzzles were abused, as if the developer had spent all the time thinking that he might have to “play the game” to lengthen his time. These difficult puzzles force you to perform many times to get discouraged.
For example, there is a puzzle that you have to solve by trial and error to the right, not only takes time and does not work out. I am quite allergic to such puzzles in the puzzle adventure game because it only requires you to spend time in vain, not to feel proud or enjoyable experience. But when you find the right solution, you have to rethink it for later reuse. Is it too exaggerated when I advise you to have paper and pen ready to record the solution to the puzzles in the later Act of the game?
where can you get a Broken Age online
Broken Age (Limited Run #60): Buy it now
Broken Age (Limited Run #61): Buy it now
The problem is, the Broken Age has no suggestion system to support the player. The most probable solution when the pumpkin, is online thanks to Bing or Google find instructions to solve the puzzle. And if you have the upper hand patience, try to stretch the brain to find solutions. And do not over-exaggerate when both solutions above have no method that makes me feel satisfied. I do not think people design a puzzle game and believe that the player will try to brainstorm the solving of all the puzzle games without using the tutorial. Certainly there are “hardcore” players like that, but that number is not much and does not represent the entire player. Not to mention, what difficulty does the system make to suggest that all players are happy to experience?
In fact, this is the design of the adventure game from early childhood, to this age is still in the “love” is used. One of the recent adventure games I played is the remastered version of Grim Fandango, which has the same problem. But that’s another story because Grim Fandango was an old game nearly two decades ago, from the late 1990s, so that’s acceptable. Broken Age is a disappointment, especially when it is a modern game of the 21st century. Designer Tim Schafer is too conservative style of his old game design or for any other reason. Tim introduced Broken Age as a “classic point-and-click adventure game”, and indeed it was “classic” with a very old gameplay design.
Last but not least, if you’ve ever loved LucasArts puzzle games, Broken Age deserves a chance to experience it. The dialogue and script of the game is doing pretty well, just like what I remembered about a glorious, point-and-click genre. Not to mention, the lovely graphic style of the game has created a “new wood”, enough for you to enjoy. Feeling like the first time seeing the graphics of The Curse of Monkey Island or Escape from Monkey Island. The only pity puzzles are the most frustrating restriction, especially the one near the end of the game.
Mechanics of the Game
Gameplay at the Core
“Broken Age” is essentially a classic point-and-click adventure game in which players interact with the environment and characters to solve puzzles that advance the story. Gameplay alternates between two very different protagonists with separate storylines, allowing players to switch between them and explore their respective worlds.
The game uses the classic adventure-gaming interface of point-and-click that activates objects and characters. Puzzles are central to gameplay, having players use both skill and exploration in order to progress. The set of exploration, puzzle-solving, and dialogues constitute the heart of the experience of “Broken Age”.
Puzzles and Challenges
The puzzles in “Broken Age” are varied and creative, ranging from simple inventory challenges to more involved multi-step solutions. The range from standard to easy makes for puzzle-solving experiences in the game. In fact, the design of all puzzles is challenging yet fair in that they encourage players to think and explore.
Some puzzles entail combinations of objects from the inventory or interactions with objects in special ways; others include environmental puzzles, ones where the player observes and interprets the game world. This generally works well, but puzzles can tend to be under-explained and frustrating in the moments where a player has found themselves stuck.
Two Protagonists
Indeed, one of the shining features in “Broken Age” lies in its dual-protagonist structure. This means that players control two full characters, Vella Tartine, and Shay Volta, each having their own storylines and challenges. This structure provides the player with a varied gameplay experience, thereby giving more substance to the narrative.
Vella Tartine’s storyline begins when she is selected in her pastoral village for sacrifice to a monster called Mog Chothra. Her story consists of her attempts to evade this fate and discover the truth behind the villagers’ traditions. Vella’s world is fantastical, colorful, and fairy-tale-like, in stark opposition to the dark path she takes.
Shay Volta’s storyline involves the boy growing up in a futuristic, spacefaring society who feels boxed in by over-protective security and sheer boredom. His story initiates his quest for adventure and freedom and culminates with him questioning everything he knows about his reality, seeking ways to escape from the restrictions placed upon him. Shay’s world, being much more technologically advanced, has quite a different visual style from Vella’s, a strange mixture of sci-fi and surrealism.
Vella and Shay switch back and forth during the game at various junctures when it is necessary to solve puzzles and to advance the plot from either perspective. This kind of game mechanic deepens gameplay by allowing actions in one story to affect the other. With two main characters, the approach provides a variety of experiences and keeps the gameplay fresh.
The Story and The Narrative
Plot Overview
Broken Age presents a swathe of narratives inspired and rich in imagination which are absorbed along intertwined pathways. Themes of self-discovery, freedom, and the consequences of tradition play across the backdrop of the plot. The characters, Vella and Shay, represent the journey through the game narrative-his/her world and the truth of what is happening to them.
Vella Tartine’s Journey
Vella’s journey begins with the acceptance of being a sacrificial offering to Mog Chothra. The essence of her journey is rebellion and self-discovery, in defodiling social customs and changing her destiny. During the whole path, she sees a lot of weird characters and learns the secrets of her village, as much as about Mog Chothra.
The story delves deeper into individuality and freedom from societal constraints. Vella’s story is propelled by her angst, yearning for autonomy, and revolutionary zeal. Her journey is interspersed with comedic episodes, moments of whimsy, and flashes of existential reflection.
Shay Volta’s Journey
The contrasting storyline of Shay tells of a boy growing up in an environment bereft of spontaneity, where everything occurs as per plan and to the minutest detail. By now thoroughly bored with such predetermined existence, Shay answers to the beckoning call of adventure and self-discovery. His journey becomes an odyssey in discovering the truth about his world and overcoming the restrictions that feel contrived.
Shay’s tale looks into identity, freedom, and the search for meaning. It is a story of the life of an isolated person and a desire to break free from imposed limits. Shay’s character undergoes drastic development as he confronts the stark truth of his situation and rebels against living a life of meaninglessness.
Interlinked Storylines
Dual protagonists make for interlinked stories in which the doings of one character affect the storyline of another. Such connection deepens the plot and enhances the experience. The interaction between Vella’s story and Shay’s story creates a sense of wholeness and cohesion across disparate worlds.
Visuals and Art Style
Art Direction
It is the pivotal character of the art direction that makes Broken Age stand out with its peculiar and eye-catching style. The game has hand-painted 2D audio-visuals immersing a rich world. Rather, brightness of colors, textured backdrops, and characters designed whimsically define the art style.
Grettings from Vella’s World
Like a fairy tale, Vella’s world is full of fantastical and whimsical scenes. The visual design of her world comprises lush forests, quaint villages, and plenty of different characters, all hand-painted in backgrounds and characters animations to give the charm and appeal of Vella’s storyline.
World of Shay
Shay’s world, however, is strictly futuristic and surreal in design. It holds futuristic gadgets, space environments, and objects that are far from the one’s standards of reality. Shay’s world is, indeed, unique in art and style, creating a sense of wonder about and exploring it.
Character Design
Character designs in “Broken Age” are very expressive and detailed, expressing the different personality traits of each character. Animations are smooth and fluid, adding to the overall experience. Character design in itself is whimsical and imaginative.
Audio and Sound Design
Music and Soundtrack
Peter McConnell composed the music for “Broken Age,” and it features a very wide and deep scale, filling the whole space with an evocative soundtrack. It plays an integral part in strengthening the emotional impact of the different moments, especially the most critical ones. It ranges from fairytale-like and light-hearted to dramatic and powerful, capturing the multitudes of tones that the game employs.
Sound Effects
The sound effects in “Broken Age” are very good and go a long way in facilitating immersion in the game. These sounds create a really real experience of interacting with the game world as they are heard in different categories-field effects, environment effects, and character actions. This immersion experience in the game world is further supplemented by audio design.
Voice Acting and Dialogue
One of the major strengths of self-standing is voice acting in “Broken Age.” The performances are as engaging and uplifting while being memorable by a very capable cast. The writing of the dialogue is sound and helps define the characters and the story in which they are placed. Voice adds realism and depth to the experience.
User Interface and Experience
Heads-up Display and Menus
The user interface (UI) in “Broken Age” is intuitive and user-friendly in creation. This bright new world opens entirely for our players being minimalistic so that they can concentrate solely on the gameplay and story. Well-organized menus allow players easy access to the inventory, settings, and everything else the game has to offer.
Accessibility and Options
In fact, “Broken Age” came with exciting options and settings that allow players to customize their gaming experience. These include different options for setting the difficulty level and for controls and graphical types. It also has different accessibility options for ensuring the player is comfortable enough to play the game the way he or she prefers.
Reception and Impact
Critical Reception
At last, everyone considers this a fun game that played; and criticize and approve critics to complement an effort to get an idea of it. The narrowness of the protagonists and its inventive puzzles were also the brilliance-highlights given in line to the appreciation of the game.
Still others say puzzles have extremely high upfront costs to get into the game. There might be many highly trained players having great admiration for their previous work; but for some, the overall relaxation and feel of the game gets a little heavy.
Impact on Adventure Game Type
“Broken Age” is an adventure game for modern time that brings emphasis on winning all spaces on the click journey of the adventure game genre. Good proof of the success of the game is the adventure game inclination, and more than that, the renewed excitement for storytelling and the designs in the genre triggered by this game.
The ‘hand-painted’ visuals, dual-protagonist characteristics, and gripping narratives are part of the reasons why the game stands out from its competitors. The adventure genre got renewed exuberance and encouragement for following in the footsteps by carrying a torch against the tissue-thin competition that “Broken Age” ignited.
Conclusion
An innovative and engaging point-and-click game, “Broken Age” has its treasured offerings in experience. With the creative approach of doing more than one player involved in putting together the work of art-with the enchantingly imaginative art style and memorable characters- this game stands out in the genre. Its better things lie in inventive puzzles that rattle with endearing narrative and charming visuals.
Improvements need to include areas such as puzzle design and pacing; however, “Broken Age” is definitely one of the major victories in modern adventure gaming. The achievement of the game as a Kickstarter project and its influence on the genre further prove the value and relevance of adventure games in today’s gaming landscape.