I didn’t back Broken Age on Kickstarter because I’ve gotten this weird idea into my head that it might not be totally ethical for me to do it. I know, stupid. But the end result is I haven’t played the game yet, even though I really want to.
I’m aware that it’s possible for me to buy the game, but part of me believes that I would have played it already if I was invested and part of the whole thing from the beginning. The weird thing to me is that, at this stage, it’s just another game I haven’t had time to play yet.
I’m really committed to finishing Dark Souls, mainly because there’s nothing else out there I’m that enthused about, but the end result is games I am curious about are falling by the wayside. Games like Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition and Broken Age.
But I could be convinced on Broken Age. I’m keen to hear what everyone thinks of the game! Let us know in the comments below.
Comments
21 responses to “Community Review: Broken Age”
, in which we review the game for the review website
Wow, you are so intellectual.
Your intellect is, like, so immense.
YOU STINK KID
Thanks for the heads-up, buddy.
(I see what you did there. Good call.)I ended up watching a playthrough of Broken Age but I wish I played it first by myself. It’s charming and clever with how the world is set up and the characters you meet are delightful.
I got half way through (and yes, I know it’s very short) but then Dark Souls.
I really should finish it. I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve played so far. Even if it is slightly too easy – I haven’t found myself stuck even briefly so far.
Have played around 45 minutes, really enjoyed what I’ve seen so far but was tired and went to bed. Will finish it soon enough. (But that’s not soon e-nough!)
I’ve played through all of Act One, and really dug it. It really delivers the core promise of the Kickstarter: an old-school style point-and-click graphic adventure. The writing is good, the art is beautiful, the voice cast excellent and the puzzles just difficult enough, I think (I didn’t struggle for the most part, and the harder ones took just long enough to work out). So on that score it’s great, and I really enjoyed the narrative and tone. It felt a bit short, but then it is only half the game; I think with Act Two it’ll feel just right. Being able to switch between the characters and their stories worked great; it allowed a bit of distance from a puzzle while you continued playing, so you could come back to it with a fresh set of eyes, and they come together perfectly.
I was a Kickstarter backer, also for The Banner Saga, and received them both in the same week. One was exactly what I was hoping for; the other not so much. It was an interesting contrast.
I can imagine some of the ethical considerations you may have had about backing the Kickstarter campaign, but I’m curious to know more; have you written about it elsewhere? And why do you find it weird that it’s “just another game you haven’t had time to play yet”? Do you feel you should have bigger thoughts about it because of its newsworthy, runaway Kickstarter success?
@DC
An upvote is not a response @dc ! (unless you’re typing up a reply as I type this :P)
No. I’m an adventure game fanboy. My opinions are biased and wouldn’t do any one good.
Your opinions are opinions? No way 😛
Write something! Looks like at least three people here are interested in what you have to say. And I’m sure there’s actually more than that.
I’ve been wanting to tuck into this, but I dunno, something about the aesthetics just makes me want to run the other way. Fable is the only other series to provoke the same reaction from me. That, and I can’t handle the dialog and voice acting in that game…
Really really enjoyed the game. Highly recommended. I didn’t actually think I’d get that much out of an adventure game any more, but I found it more enjoyable than even the old school ones.
LOVED:
The art and animation are both wonderful, I wish more games looked that good.
The writing is great, it is actually very funny, both in it’s situations and it’s jokes. I genuinely laughed out loud several times. The voice acting is great generally, with the leads really shining, although I did notice one repeated voice actor.
The ending of Act 1 was pretty special.
I figured out the twist literally 10-20 seconds before the reveal (because of some clever design choices of repeating visual motifs).It made me excited for seeing what comes next.DIDN’T MIND:
It’s not a hard game. I didn’t get stuck on a single puzzle, which is good and bad. All of the solutions felt very solvable, even with some wacky combinations. I had a few nice ah-ha moments, but I didn’t have to work hard to get them. I’d like a balance with a few more difficult puzzles that require some lateral thinking.
It’s not a long game (the first half at least). I finished it in 4 hours. I was really enjoying myself, so it was sad that it ended much sooner than I expected. It’s probably in line with the old Adventure games, but because it’s split between two characters you don’t get as much time with each as you’d like.
DON’T LIKE:
Now I have to wait for Act 2! I’d much prefer to be playing through it in one go.
There wasn’t as much extra flavour descriptions as I would have liked. There were several things I would have liked to click on to see what the protagonist thought about it, but there was no hotspot there.
Maybe because I solved almost every puzzle on the first try, but there didn’t seem to be any animation/dialogue content for failing a puzzle, like when you try the wrong item on a puzzle, and it doesn’t solve it but still gives you a humorous interaction.
One of the jokes I liked in the backer forums Work in Progress tests was taken out of the final build, I guess because it was too crude.
Talking tree, axe to mouth, say no more.Nice write-up. I agree with most of what you said.
No mention of the music, though. The music was excellent! Really added to the atmosphere. It melds into the game so well, I guess you can be excused for forgetting to mention it.
The puzzles were fun, but fairly straight-forward, especially if you compare them to something like Day of the Tentacle. I wouldn’t be surprised if Act 2 ramps up the complexity somewhat. That would be good game design. Start the game off with simple solutions, and when the gamer begins to get the knack, unleash the complex beasts, and let the gamer experience their “Ah Ha!” moments.
When I started playing the game, I thought that the Vella storyline would be the more interesting one. I was surprised by how intriguing Shay’s story was! Once you break him out of his doldrums, using a rather clever solution, the events that followed kept me hooked right to the end of his section.
Bring on Act 2! There is much that needs to be revealed.
Broken Age is a pretty cool guy, I would recommend him to friends and such. If I had some.
But don’t you see… YOU DO!
*stirring music begins to play*
The game is great but what makes it extra awesome for me was the whole process around it and the 2PP documentary episodes.
I love those doco eps, so so much
Finished it. Enjoyed it, though it did fall on the easy side. I loved the art design and its consistency, and the dialogue was good if not out loud funny- no two characters talked the same, even if there was a consistent authorial voice and style throughout.
Jeez Mark, it’s SO SHORT. And pretty good!
Treat yourself to it while you’re eating or something. You can’t really Dark Souls and eat, right?