Broken Age is as cool as you think it is

We here at the dojo just completed playing through the first half of Broken Age by the awesome Tim Schafer. And yes it’s as cool as you think it is.

Don’t get us wrong, if adventure games are not your thing, then this game is not your thing.  By adventures games, we mean games in which you go to a limited number of locations, pick up a bunch of items, solve various puzzles, and interact with weird characters (i.e., work through various conversation trees).  When this works, it’s a great experience (there’s really something to be said for games in which you advance by solving puzzles rather than by killing hundreds of soldiers) and when it doesn’t work, it’s a frustrating trial-and-error experience that feels boring and arbitrary.  Broken Age is not that.  It’s funny, clever, and totally worth your money.

Broken Age positions itself between two stories.  On the one hand you have Vella, who is being prepared to be sacrificed to a large monster called Nog Mothra.  Vella feels inspired to fight the monster rather than surrender to her fate, an attitude that is not shared by her family or friends who seem more than willing to sacrifice her to placate the unstoppable monster.  On the other hand, you have Shay, who lives onboard a spaceship in which he is endlessly pampered by a maternal artificial intelligence.  You can freely swap between the storylines at any time, so if you’re bored or frustrated with one, you can switch to the other (though their plots are entirely separate; solving a puzzle never involves using one to help the other).  If you’re smarter than me, you may see already how these plots ultimately intersect.  But I didn’t see it and I was left flabbergasted by the connection when it was finally revealed towards the end of Part 1.  Now I can’t wait for Part 2.

We tend to agree with other reviewers (and – wow – a shout-out to Harlan Ellison’s “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream”? You’re pulling out all the stops, Yatzee!) that frustration in Broken Age is not really a big deal if you have any experience with adventure games.  We’re still struggling through some of Sam and Max’s more recent adventures because EVERYTHING can be examined and EVERYONE can be spoken to (repeatedly!!).  Broken Age is more direct.  If you identify the places you need to go and the problems you need to solve, it’s really just a matter of combining items until something clicks.  You will probably have only a moment or two of frustration before plowing through.

The game, though, is absolutely beautiful and the music is masterful.  And, not for nothing, they have some top tier vocal talent here.  Elijah Wood is immediately identifiable (and somehow reminiscent of Wilfred, what with his seemingly nefarious canine companion) and I recognized Jennifer Hale (Shepard!!) after some time. Jack Black, Wil Wheaton, and – holy crap – Pendleton Ward show up as well.

We at the dojo do not know what the second act of Broken Age will contain (and we’ll save our review for the free download of part 2 later this year), but the first act was funny, well-written, and a great adventure experience.  Sure, there’s a cliffhanger, but this is a complete experience as well and it’s worth your time.  If you play through it, follow our advice.  Start with Vella, then rotate back and forth between her and Shay once you complete a chapter (i.e., once Vella arrives at a new location or Shay completes a day) for each.  Make sure you’ve wrapped up Shay around the time Vella meets the lumberjack.  If you’re ever stuck, just look for an item you overlooked or a place you missed and you’ll finish without problems.

This is one of the best adventure games we’ve played in while.  It’s beautiful, hilarious, and very well written.  We recommend finding some time for it!