oing on adventures was something my siblings and I always did when we were children. Exploring paths in the wooded area in our backyard, creating imaginary monsters to battle under incredible odds. However in the process of growing up, those adventures seemed less real and were replaced with responsibilities and an absence of our galaxy-saving endeavors. Adventure is a key component in Broken Age, the runaway Kickstarter success created by some of the most influential minds in the adventure game genre. Does Double Fine live up to the expectations and pedigree of their past games, or is this adventure something we all have grown out of?
To answer that question, first we should look at how this game came into being. Double Fine wanted to develop and publish an adventure game that was reminiscent of their classics titles such as Day of the Tentacle and Grim Fandango. However with current trends and lack of interest from most publishers, Tim Schaffer and company wanted to instead have direct support from their dedicated fans and the gaming community. A Kickstarter campaign asking for $400,000 to fund the project concluded with over $3.3 million dollars contributed, raising over $1 million dollars in the first day alone. Double Fine was going back to a genre that have made companies like Telltale a household name. Thankfully with Act 1 of Broken Age, the company was able to create a great experience and a return to form for fans new and old.
Broken Age begins with the choice of playing as Shay or Velouria (Vella), but throughout the game the player is able to switch between each character at any time. Shay is a young boy isolated in a space ship locked down by his overprotective “parents”. Shay looks for real adventure and real danger, far from the mundane happenings of his day to day life. Velouria is a female adolescent struggling with the role her family and town has put upon her and attempts to break the cycle of fear that has overcome their hometown of Sugar Bunting. Both tales of growing up with rules and restrictions, not able to define their own destinies and truly unable to grow up. The story will encapsulate these ideas throughout the first Act, each character taking on danger and seemingly insurmountable odds to find their own path. The mechanic of switching between each character at any time can assist in times of fatigue with one situation or puzzle, but also because each story is deeply engaging and both are great experiences. It became difficult to choose which storyline to play through, and at the same time were similar in many ways.
The stories within are presented with breath taking style, similar to an illustrated fairytale coming to life. Each character is a brush stroke moving on canvas, and yet the character design seems very familiar to fans of previous Double Fine games such as Costume Quest and Stacking. The choice to make a two dimensional game in a generation of games that attempt to push graphical boundaries is appropriate for an adventure game, bringing the past into the forefront once again. Broken Age instead focuses on playful experiences that will be enjoyed by the adults who originally played adventure games decades ago, and the new players that are now being introduced to the genre. The art style at first seemed childish, taking away from the overall game play and mechanics. However by the end of the first Act, it was difficult to not immediately begin playing again. It truly takes the player back to playing games of their youth, as well as giving beginners a splendid start to adventure games, as well as storytelling within the video game medium.
The story is also enhanced by the impressive voice cast lined up for Broken Age. Kickstarter money goes to good use with well know actors such as Elijah Wood and Jack Black, as well as industry veteran Jennifer Hale and Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward. The voice acting was one of the best parts of Broken Age, making each interaction an enjoyable experience to play through. Each performance was also complemented by the writing, which shines through and is a testament to the staff at Double Fine. The comedic timing comes across very well and lead to several laugh out loud moments throughout the first Act. The talent within this game makes the wait for the second Act that much more unbearable. The experience and interactions with each character were unique and entertaining.
The puzzles perhaps were the one aspect of the game that seemed to fall a bit flat. Although the majority of players may be new to the adventure game genre, and because of this the exploration and puzzle solving may seem to be at times challenging but ultimately not punishing. Although this approach is appreciated, and may be beneficial for a larger audience playing the game it seems like a departure from the genre’s storied history. The puzzles were clever, though and several times lead to pondering head scratches. The nice thing about the game was that if there were any moments where a puzzle seemed difficult or a key item was missing, backtracking was generally painless and each solution was figured out eventually with the dialogue adding much needed clues to items needed. In the long run, the game makes the story and characters the focal point, leaving the mechanics and puzzle solving as a supplement to the storyline. Old school fans may see the game as a bit easy, but the casual nature of the game should not take anything away from the company’s return to form.
Ultimately Broken Age is able to reintroduce players to the adventure games of the past, with a style and presentation that is able to stand tall with other experiences in the current generation of gaming. The writing and voice work is truly entertaining, making this release the equivalent of a Pixar film in gaming form. Players who were unable to support the title through its very successful Kickstarter campaign will definitely want to make up for lost time and play through this first Act. The wait for the follow up hopefully is not too long, because Broken Age is one of the best gaming experience of this year so far.
