Written By: Tyler Selig
Rating: 8/10
Verdict: Tim Shafer’s first point-and-click
adventure game since the legendary Grim Fandango is another great addition to
the genre, with memorable characters and jokes, but may be a little easy for
adventure aficionados.
I have
to start this review by saying that the only reason I don’t rate this game
higher is that I’m not exactly a big fan of the genre that it’s in. I’d say
it’s one of my least favourite genres, but I don’t hate it by any means. I love
games like Grim Fandango, but the amount of point-and-click adventure titles
that I can say that about are slim. So with that bias out of the way, you can
adjust your rating by about a point or so because it is truly a great game.
What
makes it great? The story and characters, much like the classics in the genre.
This is something I’ve always respected about point-and-clicks because the
story isn’t often a centerpiece for most video games. If it is, developers
often sacrifice the gameplay and admittedly the mechanics that operate the
genre aren’t preferable for me. Maybe it’s because I’m too stupid to figure out
the puzzles, but the gameplay in the genre doesn’t entice me as much as it does
others. I wonder how many times I can say genre in this review?
The
story in Broken Age Act 1 is whimsical, odd, intriguing and creative. You play
as two different characters, with two different stories that end up connecting
at some point. How they connect is a pretty magnificent thing, and both stories
offer a good degree of humour, absurdity and darkness. I was pretty invested in
Vellas story especially because it focuses on sacrificing yourself, whereas
when you’re playing as Shay you’re essentially trying to free yourself from a
bored life that was created for you when you were a child and still has that
structure of immaturity.
If you
want to laugh, this is a great game. There are many characters with funny
things to say, like a tree who keeps calling you a murderer. Broken Age is
filled to the brim with memorable lines and the voice acting is superb, which
really brings the characters to life. Despite the seriousness of the events
that engulf these characters, it’s nice to see it treated with finesse and
hilarity.
The art
work also helps in that regard. It’s like a story book brought to life, with
beautiful images flooding the screen at all times. It’s a joy to just look at
the game in action.
Where
serious adventure game fans may have a problem is with how easy the game is.
Even I can figure out the puzzles, so smarter people shouldn’t have a problem.
The genre often tests the intellect of people and while there are definitely
some head scratching puzzles here, and some are nonsensical, players shouldn’t
have a hard time figuring out what to do next. The game is short, so
experienced point-and-click adventure gamers should complete Act 1 pretty
quickly.
Some
have criticized the ending because it’s abrupt, but I think it does a good job
of making you crave the next act. More gameplay is always welcome so long as
it’s interesting, and I think the game is a little overpriced, but Broken Age
Act 1 managed to get my attention. I look forward to Act 2, which comes out
later this year.
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