![]() ![]() Still, it's obvious from the outset that Broken Age is a story-first experience. The puzzles are all pretty well telegraphed, with a few clever a-ha moments and only one frustrating, "where the heck do I click?" moment to speak of. Shay's quest in particular only includes one substantial, multi-layered puzzle in this first chapter, while Vella only has about three zones in which to sort and solve how she must proceed. Players who bought in expecting the same quantity of puzzles as in Schafer games of old may be disappointed, however. Shay yawns through these playtime diversions until he discovers a devious man in a wolf's mask who promises adventure: "When you tire of child's play, when you're ready for real danger, come and see me."īoth quests play out in classic point-and-click adventure fashion: wander through the environs, talk to people, hunt for new items, and use those items to solve puzzles. His only companions are overprotective "parents" who exist on computer screens, along with walking, talking dolls who get into fake, super-simplified predicaments (like getting buried in mountains of delicious ice cream-good thing you have a spoon in your inventory!). Give Shay a nudge, and you wake him on a spaceship. The piecemeal release is meant to spur more buyers into chipping in while the second half is being developed. In fact, that's why the current half-a-game is being pushed out as "Act One." According to a July 2013 update from Schafer about the game's budget running low, $3.3 million in Kickstarter cash only goes so far. That's a weird restriction, as Double Fine certainly wants newcomers to rush in and pay. If you want to buy in as a newcomer, you must wait until at least January 28. On Tuesday, the game was sent digitally to fans who pre-paid at least $15, either via Kickstarter or a "slacker backer" site. This whip-smart girl wants no part of it, of course, so her adventure begins with figuring out how to escape monstrous consumption.Īct One?The launch of Double Fine's new game has proven as unconventional as its initial funding. Today, she must say goodbye to her family-and, presumably, her life-by way of a centuries-old ritual, to be eaten by a terrifying beast known as the Mog Chothra. ![]() Point to Vella, and you rouse her from slumber against a pastel-colored tree in the colorful town of Sugar Bunting ("where the sweetness is baked in"). Both are children on the verge of teendom and all that implies-curiosity, change, a burning desire to cast off restrictions-but that's about all they share in common. But is the result a testament to artistic freedom or a bad case of careful-what-you-wish-for? Heavy on character, light on puzzlesīroken Age opens with its two leading children, Vella and Shay, napping in their respective worlds, letting you pick which one you wake. The story sure ain't Halo, and it comes across in an elevator pitch as the kind of game that could only be made by way of blind-faith pre-sales, as Schafer originally promised on Kickstarter. There's little in the way of drama or excitement, but their journeys are buoyed by subtle humor and children's book whimsy. Two children from opposite ends of the galaxy are annoyed by their childhoods, so they strike out on simultaneous quests. The first half of Broken Age, which was delivered to tens of thousands of Kickstarter backers earlier this week (this reviewer included), resembles the point-and-click stylings of Schafer classics like Grim Fandango and Full Throttle.īroken Age's general concept is a bit more modern than those well-loved Double Fine games of the past, though. Two years and millions of dollars later, his prediction has been borne out. Fund me directly instead, he insisted, and you could expect something different from the usual blockbuster. ![]() If he had taken the usual route in pitching the classically styled point-and-click adventure game he wanted to make-the genre that originally made him famous, and one he hadn't worked on for over a decade-"a publisher would laugh in my face," he said. ![]() Links: Official website | KickstarterBack in February of 2012, legendary game designer Tim Schafer took to Kickstarter to subvert the old ways of video game funding. Release Date: Janu(for Kickstarter backers) ![]()
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