As a kid, the NES was my core gaming platform. Sadly, my parents really didn’t go for the 16-bit console era, but they did have this glorious tower that would become my new gaming platform, and cue the fabled green text of DOS on the PC.
I started with Flight Sims, but they were all LucasArts games, which of course led me to a genre still near and dear to my heart: Point and Click Adventures.
Fast forward about 20 years or so (frak, do I feel old) and the gaming world is experiencing a renaissance. Games are now funded through places like Kickstarter, and we’ve seen a revival of the point and click genre. Sadly though there was something missing from these point and click games, a sense of humor that’s not easily mimicked. I’m of course referring to Tim Schafer, who helped shape my odd style of humor.
That’s when a certain Kickstarter caught my attention, a game called Broken Age which not only promised an old school style Point and Click adventure, but came from Double Fine. Sold and sold, just like everyone else. The Kickstarter was funded almost instantaneously and went above the goal to a tune of 3million dollars.
Now part 1 has been released to the supporters of the Kickstarter. I was lucky enough to take this title for a spin this weekend. How does the game hold up? Is it like old times, does Broken Age break the mold? Or is it simply just a point and click?
Game-play
Do I really need to explain how a point and click adventure works? I’m sure there is some noob who doesn’t know, so let’s break it down. You usually play a single character, and you guide them through the adventure using your mouse. There will be objects around that you can pick up and use, but (as the name of the genre suggests) it revolves around simply pointing and clicking.
Broken Age follows that genre almost to a fault. While this is by no means a deal breaker, its control scheme did feel a little dated. I was actually looking forward to having that Full Throttle control wheel where you could mouse over something and tell the character what to do with said object. Instead you had an item bar you clicked to open, dragging the item onto something to use it. But if you were new to this gameplay style, you could pick it up rather quickly in Broken Age. My only game-play complaint wise, was how the game seemed to lag whenever using an item. You certainly can still play the game, but it was a little distracting.
Story
Story is where Broken Age shines, but I’ll do my best not to spoil any of the fun. In Broken Age you play two different characters. I’ll start with Velouria, who is essentially a girl from the town Sugar Bunting. She has been chosen by her village to be sacrificed to a monster, and she decides it’s time to fight back. Meanwhile the other character is named Shay, a fellow who lives a lonely life on a spaceship essentially under the control of his overprotective mother. He wants to break free and start living his life.
Both characters are impressively fleshed out. Each has their own issues, but you can easily see a theme shared between them.
Graphics
What was really surprising about this title was its art style. I was expecting to see a mixture of a Psychonauts meets Costume Quest, but what we got instead was a very stylized, almost painted look to the title. Broken Age‘s non-CG, hand-drawn approach is really endearing. Backgrounds and the characters all have a very unique look to them and look great in 1080p. Plenty of dialogue close-ups allow really make you appreciate the art style.
Sound
Something I truly love about Double Fine titles is their voice acting. It was clear early on in the title that everyone knew their characters and what they were doing. This of course became even more obvious when they got many a chuckle out of me. I really liked all the characters that I met, each having their very unique characteristics that made them stand out during the story.
That being said, the SFX and Music were also amazing. Once I finished the first act, I quickly asked myself if the soundtrack was available.
Overall – 8.5
This is a very interesting title to grade. While I certainly did enjoy the game, at times it felt a little behind the times (mainly in its game-play and linear story.) But at the same time, this isn’t a reinvention of the wheel.
Overall I enjoyed the game. Broken Age featured plenty of laughs and a “ZOMG!” moment that made me wanted to replay it again. All what I’ve come to expect from Double Fine.