Posted on: May 2, 2015

227

Games: Reviews: 5

A terrible second act lets it down

I waited for the game to be completed by its second act before playing though it, so I went in well aware that it wasn't an old-school adventure game, and all of the other complaints people had about it. Still, I have to say that I enjoyed the first act quite a bit, though the pacing really dragged during certain parts (most notably Shay's sections). The humor more than made up for this, however. The second act, on the other hand, is an abomination. The puzzles are tedious and repetitive (expect to do A LOT of wiring and rewiring) when they're not outright stupid (you have to put yourself in danger and ignore all the hints for how to get out of the situation in order to progress—unbelievably, this is mandatory). Even the story, which was charming and unique in the first act, goes absolutely nowhere. You learn one or two new things, then spend the rest of the second act completing puzzles that require switching back and forth between characters where before this was never necessary. None of it ever leads anywhere; the game ends with a whimper instead of a large-scale and interesting event like the first act's ending, never bothering to be that charming or interesting again. In fact, by the time the credits roll, you're bound to find yourself wondering if there's an extra scene after the credits to give you some actual closure (there isn't). You even spend most of the second act wandering through the same areas you spent the first act in, and though it's nice to see the effects of some of the things you did, some new areas would have been hugely appreciated. The whole thing is just kind of phoned-in. The only reason I'm giving it three stars is because of the graphics, humor, and voice acting, all of which are top-notch throughout. Outside of that, everything else is either forgettable or outright embarrassing.

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Posted on: December 7, 2018

Jimthesfn

Verified owner

Games: 578 Reviews: 60

Something was missing...

After having played through the game I just felt something was missing. The story was good but also at times you get so sidetracked with things you almost loose sight of the main story until you come back to it again. I did enjoy the way you have the story told from 2 different characters. The puzzles went from easy to harder as you progressed through the game which was nice. Graphically it is a nice well done game with the style they went with. It has some interesting characters but for me most were forgettable and some annoying. For me something was missing to make me really enjoy the game. Don't know if it was how the characters were and the story told or what but I just couldn't really get into it but played through it all to get a complete picture of the game so to say.

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Posted on: May 3, 2015

jkmn

Verified owner

Games: 162 Reviews: 1

"Broken" Age

'Broken Age' feels broken not in the sense that the game doesn't work or load, but in the sense that it feels hollow, flat. A Tell-Tale like game, but even saying that wouldn't be right, because it's not Tell-Tale in any way. Tell-Tale, despite lacking meaningful gameplay, gives you rich characters, enough so that you often forgive the lack of gameplay. 'Broken Age''s characters and settings were flat all around vague promises of what could have been. The ending feels rushed an information dump that only tells half the story and the end scene I promise of more, rather than giving us more. 'Broken Age' left me feeling frustrated with its world rather than wanting more. The puzzles varied from easy to obtuse and nothing seemed fun by the end of it, I cheated through most of the second act as all I wanted to see by then was the conclusion of the story. I did not enjoy the puzzle or the world and the only redeeming quality was the visuals. 'Broken Age' was a disappoint, a promise not a deliverance of a good point & click adventure game.

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Posted on: August 25, 2015

TobiasR

Verified owner

Games: 132 Reviews: 1

Enjoyable Point & Click with a few flaws

Note: I played this game in one go (over a weekend, total play time about 10 hours) after both acts had been published and consolidated into this "complete adventure" edition. Furthermore, I am not a Kickstarter backer - I bought the game on GOG (duh!) after it had been out for a while. Since you'll be in the exact same situation if you're reading this review in order to form a purchase decision, this viewpoint should not be a problem. ;-) The Story (mild spoilers): Two teenagers living in fantasy/SF environments want to break free of certain burdens imposed on them. In the course of their travels, they discover things about their own, and eventually each others' worlds and their connection. The story is "family-friendly". There is no vulgarity, only the mildest, unbloody of violence, no sexual references. Furthermore, the general tone is upbeat and humorous, there is some drama and suspense but no tragedy or horror (and there is a suitably happy ending.) The major niggle with the story is that as its initial mysteries are revealed, it loses quite a bit of its magic. It's still a very good story but not as deep or profound as the strong beginning might suggest. Design values: The "painted" look fits the feel of the game quite well. Graphics and sounds are generally pleasing and of high quality. The (English, haven't tested other languages) voice acting is very good and I have found very niggles in the dialogue direction. Gameplay: This is a traditional point & click adventure, albeit with the simplified interface. Unfortunately, this is where some of the flaws come in. Some of the puzzles are quite counterintuitive and/or insufficiently hinted at, while the majority are ridiculously easy. The worst (to me) were some puzzles where I knew exactly what the method to solve them was, but got stumped because I did not follow the exact procedure demanded by the game mechanics - and received no hint about being on the right track. Overall: Would recommend.

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Posted on: October 24, 2015

Dreadjaws

Verified owner

Games: 503 Reviews: 43

Good, but flawed adventure game

(I'm not one of the backers of the game, and I only played it once both episodes were released, so I can't speak for the release problems, I can only rely my experience playing the full game) Broken Age is a game that starts as two separate stories, that of Shay, a young kid living in routine in a spaceship, wishing his life had more excitement, and Vella, a young girl who wishes her life had less, since she's about to be given to sacrifice to a monster in order to save her town. Both great characters whose stories share a common theme, but otherwise appear to be completely unrelated, and are even ocurring in different times and places, until the point where you realize there's a connection, after which things take a completely different turn. The story is good, the characters are interesting and the visuals and sound are beautiful. Then there are the puzzles. Broken Age's gameplay is somewhat in-between old Lucasarts games and TellTale Sam & Max adventures. Is less complex than the former, but not as simple as the latter. The first act is quite straightforward, but the second one is all over the place, with puzzles ranging from the ridiculously easy to the so-freaking-bonkers-you'll-believe-the-game-is-bugged. Also, you can pick any of the two characters at the beginning and switch any time, but sometimes you'll be stuck in a puzzle not realizing that you have to switch to the other character to do so. Sure, that's the kind of thing you had to do in, say, Day of the Tentacle, but there the characters were somewhat aware of each other's actions, or there'd be hints for the player to realize what to do. That's not here at times, and there's no excuse for it, it's simply bad design. And while the story is good, and there's even an interesting twist at some point, the game absolutely cheats to make sure you don't see it coming. I won't give details, but I found it in bad form. Still, the game is fun (the parts that are not frustrating) and I recommend it.

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