I’m eager to see what Act II has in store for us all.Two small bookkeeping notes: This review contains spoilers for Act I. They’ve crafted two unique worlds, filling them both with just enough silliness to be fun without overwhelming the characters and their ultimately touching journeys. When I got a little tired of clicking through dialogue in Vella’s world – and I did – I appreciated being able to switch to Shay and explore the off-limits areas of his ship.īroken Age is the best venue I’ve seen for Double Fine’s twisted sensibilities in a long time. Shay’s comparative isolation naturally creates more action- and object-oriented puzzles. Hers is the more traditional of the two, with extended dialogue sequences and plenty of characters to speak with (and fetch things for). It took a bit longer for Vella’s story to get its hooks into me. You don’t trade items or flip switches between worlds, but the option provides a chance to take a break from one story if you get stuck on a puzzle or are just looking for a change of pace. You choose between Vella and Shay’s stories at the beginning, but you can swap between them at will. After sabotaging a mission, I got to experience some of the danger that he’s been craving all along. The robotic NPCs marvel at his cleverness, though Shay feels unfulfilled.
Seated in his toddler-toy captain’s chair, Shay is put through various missions, like hug attacks and ice-cream avalanches, where failure is impossible (a sly commentary on puzzles and games?). He’s coddled by an AI mother, who coos at his every tiny triumph. Shay is similarly stuck, though his life is safe to an extreme. That bold move puts her adventure into motion. Only she seems to realize the absurdity of the situation, and she alone decides to rebel against the sacrifice.
If you’ve seen those odd doll/confection hybrids while grocery shopping, you know what I’m talking about.
To appease the loathsome beast, maidens wear elaborate “gowns” that are actually enormous cakes. In Vella’s story, each town in her world is known for a particular trade, and hers is baking. The characters and their worlds are clever and interesting. If you’ve never grossed out a talking tree to the point of vomiting, you will. Puzzles are well thought out and are appropriately weird, too. The writing is sharp, with dialogue that adds dimension to even the smallest of bit players. How their stories intertwine is a mystery that’s saved for the final moments of this first installment.ĭouble Fine’s games have traditionally played at the intersection of the familiar and strange, but Broken Age pushes the boundaries even further. Shay lives an isolated life on a spaceship, where he passes time engaged in pathetically phony “missions” for an overprotective AI mother. Velouria’s village lives in fear of an entity known as Mog Chothra, and they sacrifice maidens every 14 years to keep the beast from destroying them all. People who didn’t breathlessly follow each minute and design decision should know that Broken Age stands alone as an excellent game that you don’t have to be a club member to appreciate.īroken Age tells the story of a pair of characters living in two completely different worlds.
#BROKEN AGE ELIJAH WOOD SERIES#
It was all chronicled in a series of documentaries that showed how the sausage was made. The project’s scope expanded and the studio reevaluated its scale – eventually deciding to raise additional money and split the game, now known as Broken Age, into two acts.
It was a runaway success, eventually earning more than $3.3 million, which far exceeded the original goal of $400,000. First launched as a Kickstarter, Double Fine aimed to shed light on game development while also delivering a new title designed in the spirit of classic LucasArts adventures. The story behind Broken Age’s creation is filled with triumphs and twists that rival many game narratives.
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