Broken Age Reviews
I said at the end of my act one write-up that I could see Broken Age being the game that defines Double Fine. I still think that to be true, but unfortunately, it isn't as glamorous an image as I had first imagined it to be.
By the end of Shay and Vella's stories, I may have had a tear slide down my cheek. It was not a tear of sadness, but of joy.
Broken Age is a short game and it's ending feels rushed, most likely originating in all the development problems Double Fine had. But i can forgive Tim Schafer, why? because even though the game was split in two and took forever to complete, this is one of the most loving, and heartfelt graphic adventures, not that much far from classics like Monkey Island or Fate of Atlantis. The magic of Double Fine Productions is found in the dialogues and interactions between characters. Amazing writing overall. Sequel?
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Everything about Broken Age should have been fantastic but the lack of puzzles and a lame plot that edges too heavy on the exposition turns this into a decent, but extremely disappointing package.
Broken Age is a shining example of the point-and click adventure genre, and is thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. The gameplay delivers on a tried and tested recipe and while it doesn't take any risks, the rewards are in the story, visuals and voice-acting. The pastel-style imagery and playful characters are truly memorable, and the stellar voice-cast deliver a script full of laugh-out-loud moments. Another Tim Schafer classic.
In the end, while Broken Age does provide a lot of polish and quality, the lack of actual content makes it a huge disappointment, even more so coming from someone that has been in the industry longer than I’ve lived.
Broken Age is exactly what Schafer fans expect, which makes it an automatic success. The creativity and imagination is here in spades, the strict adventure style is prominent throughout (and it doesn't deviate; there are no ill-inspired action sequences, for instance), and that atmosphere and charm ties it all together. You could say some of the puzzles get a little tiresome and the lack of direction is annoying at times.
Broken Age is a faithful callback to the Golden Age of point-and-click adventures. While this holds in back in some respects, the game was a joy to play with fun puzzles and a captivating story.
The usual point-and-click caveats are present here: some puzzles are so obvious as to feel like filler material, one or two so esoteric as to drive the player to frustration. The division of Shay and Vella's worlds can sometimes make what is actually a sizeable game feel artificially constricted, particularly in the first act. But these are minor quibbles compared to the mix of delight and unease that a playthrough of Broken Age evokes.
A beautiful, charming and often funny adventure with lovable and believable characters. The gameplay, however, can be a little repetitive, but as a whole, Broken Age is a love letter to point and click fans and an artistic triumph.
But a really, really pride-inducing 5/10
Technical issues aside, Broken Age is a wonderful point-and-click adventure which, while not for everyone, will definitely please fans of the genre; the great story, fun characters and unique setting all combine to create a very memorable experience which is well worth the price of admission.
All in all, Broken Age is a fun, well-executed adventure game with a gripping storyline and tons of humor, marred only by its cumbersome puzzle design.
Broken Age: The Complete Adventure is a Double Fine title unlike anything before it. While it has its problems and inconsistencies, it's worth playing through once just to see Shay and Vella overcome the odds.
An adventure game with warmth, humour and heart, Broken Age is a joy from beginning to (almost) end. Easily among Double Fine's best.
Broken Age is a wonderful experience that I can't recommend enough. As someone who grew up on the LucasArts-style adventure games of old Double Fine has pulled through with just enough nostalgia and modern aesthetic, offering up a fresh and funny classic in an age where blockbuster games rule the roost.
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Though there were plenty of puzzles with outlandish solutions that left me unimpressed by their logic, my grousing never caused me to lose sight of the fact that "Broken Age's" esprit is charming enough that I could imagine returning to it again.
In its finished form, Broken Age is every bit the modern point-and-click classic its strong first act implied it would be. With an entertaining story and clever puzzles wrapped in a modern sensibility and impressive production values, Tim Schafer's return to the genre that made him lives up to the high standard of his earlier work.
There's not much to dislike, especially for die-hard fans of the genre. Double Fine promised a classic point-and-click title when it launched its crowd-funding campaign three long years ago, but the developer didn't just rely on nostalgia. Instead, it made a game that captures the humor of the games Tim Schafer worked on at LucasArts while creating a modern aesthetic that totally suits the story.