Broken Age - Double Fine's Kickstarter Adventure Game

[jfrisby]

Keep the prices high, I want to get my money back! Set the buy it now price to $3.3m.

 

[Ivan]

fun fact: I ponied up for box editions for Wasteland 2 (lunch box), Pillars, and this.

SOLD EM' ALL

 

[Modron]

fun fact: I ponied up for box editions for Wasteland 2 (lunch box), Pillars, and this.

SOLD EM' ALL

Got nothing on the people who made hundreds selling imaginary spaceships that don't exist yet.

 

[Anthony Davis]

I got two boxes last week, and I expected to receive the game and the blu-ray of the documentary.

Instead I got two copies of the game.

I don't understand how this happens...

 

[ERYFKRAD]

I don't understand how this happens...

Double Fine is how.

 

[MRY]

Finished the game. It's a little ridiculous that it's set up in such a way that if you set up tickling the weaver before doing the mallet, you either have to: (1) have a better memory for details than me; (2) have taken notes in a way that nothing else in the game requires; or (3) figure out that you can "reset" things by messing up the endgame sequence, which is not at all obvious. Very uneven game but not that bad.

 

[Leechmonger]

Just finished Act 1, really enjoying it so far. Granted I had zero expectations going in since I'm playing it so long after its release (I don't even remember if I kickstarted it).

I find the game's earnestness refreshing in an increasingly cynical, everything-needs-to-be-ironic world.

 

[RuySan]

I still have this game left unfinished. I usually have an high tolerance for mediocre adventure games, and i have even finished and liked Moebius, but Broken Age might be the worst adventure game i've played in a long time. The only thing going for it is the nice art style, but everything else is terrible. Puzzles, characters and dialogues (that can't even be partially skipped).

 

[Leechmonger]

I finished it, the puzzles didn't seem too hard to me, not sure why some people thought the second act to be unreasonable. I looked up hints exactly three times: once to grab the fruit from the sky tree, since I'd forgotten it existed. A second time to get the hexipal pattern from the family portrait (I knew the solution had to be obtained from the other character, but I somehow failed to see the pattern on the chalkboard). And another time to move the hexipal from one end of the ship to the other, I didn't realize the hexipal moved when you activated a specific panel (maybe I never clicked it to begin with). None of these seem like bad design.

The childish writing did start to grate towards the end, especially some of Vella's bits (everything is creepy in the current year). Overall I liked it, though. I'll probably go with Monkey Island next, which I've never played to completion.

dialogues (that can't even be partially skipped).

Yes they can, and you can skip cutscenes too. You can double click on locations to skip the walking animations too. There's even a puzzle where the game knows you'll be walking between points A and B repeatedly and simply teleports you from one to the other after each failed attempt. All in all, the game respects the player's time a lot more than most games in the genre.

 

[RuySan]

Last time I checked I only could skip the whole dialogue and not just one sentence. Something about the animations couldn't allow it I think

 

[RPGMasterLvl2]

I can't believe that 20 years after the apex of adventure games multiple solutions for puzzles is not the done thing. I really hoped this genre had realised its potential by now.

Instead they blow their resources on animation.

 

[RuySan]

I can't believe that 20 years after the apex of adventure games multiple solutions for puzzles is not the done thing. I really hoped this genre had realised its potential by now.

Instead they blow their resources on animation.

Totally agree. Some games, like primordia and technobabylon have it, but it should be a "mandatory" feature nowadays.

 

[Crooked Bee]

I finished it, the puzzles didn't seem too hard to me, not sure why some people thought the second act to be unreasonable. I looked up hints exactly three times: once to grab the fruit from the sky tree, since I'd forgotten it existed. A second time to get the hexipal pattern from the family portrait (I knew the solution had to be obtained from the other character, but I somehow failed to see the pattern on the chalkboard). And another time to move the hexipal from one end of the ship to the other, I didn't realize the hexipal moved when you activated a specific panel (maybe I never clicked it to begin with). None of these seem like bad design.

It wasn't bad design. The 2nd act was actually better than the first, puzzle-wise - felt more like a classic adventure game, and the puzzles weren't illogical either.

Too bad the setting and story were so bland though, and the game was just mediocre overall, animations notwithstanding.

 

[bertram_tung]

this shit is 3.99 on steam summer sale

is it still not worth it for an adventure aficionado?

 

[taxalot]

this shit is 3.99 on steam summer sale

is it still not worth it for an adventure aficionado?

It is okay for that price.

 

[Bumvelcrow]

this shit is 3.99 on steam summer sale

is it still not worth it for an adventure aficionado?

3.99 to waste a couple of hours of your time? I'd charge them at least $10 an hour for that.

 

[bertram_tung]

this shit is 3.99 on steam summer sale

is it still not worth it for an adventure aficionado?

It is okay for that price.

You're right

this shit is 3.99 on steam summer sale

is it still not worth it for an adventure aficionado?

3.99 to waste a couple of hours of your time? I'd charge them at least $10 an hour for that.

You're right

 

[Major_Blackhart]

So has double fine finally doubled over and died?

 

[Modron]

So has double fine finally doubled over and died?

They've been releasing remasters last one was what Full Throttle? Plus they are working on psychonauts 2 which unless it turns out to be really awesome will probably break whatever is left of audience good will and pub recognition of their name.

 

[HoboForEternity]

So has double fine finally doubled over and died?

They've been releasing remasters last one was what Full Throttle? Plus they are working on psychonauts 2 which unless it turns out to be really awesome will probably break whatever is left of audience good will and pub recognition of their name.

i have massive doubt about psychonauts 2. i love the first very much, it was one time and unique experience, but given the studio's track record after they went indie, well let's say i think their flames has faded and schafer has gone coo coo

 

[J_C]

So has double fine finally doubled over and died?

They've been releasing remasters last one was what Full Throttle? Plus they are working on psychonauts 2 which unless it turns out to be really awesome will probably break whatever is left of audience good will and pub recognition of their name.

i have massive doubt about psychonauts 2. i love the first very much, it was one time and unique experience, but given the studio's track record after they went indie, well let's say i think their flames has faded and schafer has gone coo coo

Looking at what they have showed so far, it seems they are making a worthy sequel. We haven't seen complete levels of course, but they are using the gameplay of P1 and expand upon it, they are using the same artstyle, the same game mechanics (expanded of course). There is no reason to doubt about P2 at this point to be honest.

 

[Aeschylus]

Looking at what they have showed so far, it seems they are making a worthy sequel. We haven't seen complete levels of course, but they are using the gameplay of P1 and expand upon it, they are using the same artstyle, the same game mechanics (expanded of course). There is no reason to doubt about P2 at this point to be honest.

All the things you listed here are irrelevant to what made the first Psychonauts a great game, and makes me suspect that you've never actually played it, or are somehow engaging in satire.

 

[J_C]

Looking at what they have showed so far, it seems they are making a worthy sequel. We haven't seen complete levels of course, but they are using the gameplay of P1 and expand upon it, they are using the same artstyle, the same game mechanics (expanded of course). There is no reason to doubt about P2 at this point to be honest.

All the things you listed here are irrelevant to what made the first Psychonauts a great game, and makes me suspect that you've never actually played it, or are somehow engaging in satire.

Haven't played it? I'm a Double Fine schill, what do you think? I have played it several times. Alright, I didn't mention story, but since they made their Psychonauts VR game, we know that they continue with a good story and good characters.

 

[Aeschylus]

Story somewhat yes, but mostly characters, setting, level design and concept, exploration, and adventure game-esque puzzles integrated into platforming were what made the game so excellent. The combat and platforming themselves were nothing special -- mostly serviceable, occasionally annoying, but easy enough to get through to what made the game good. I'm not saying it's definitely going to suck, it's just there's really no evidence one way or another at this point that the game is following the true Psychonauts path.

 

[Starwars]

Well goddamn, I finally played this through, only more than a couple of years after its release. I played the first Act when it came out but never played the second.

Played it all in one go now. Kinda nice to play it now, way after all the kickstarter hype. It's a pretty nice game. I quite like the story, and find the game to be absolutely gorgeous to look at. Love the visuals. Voiceacting is also good, and while I wouldn't say there are any particular lol-moments, the game is still quite funny and charming. The switching back and forth of characters is alright.

For me, there are two main problems.

1. After the first act, you've seen all the areas the game has to offer. Even though you explore them with a new character in the second part, it takes away a lot of the excitment. And the areas aren't really changed enough to make them feel fresh.

2. The first act is obviously incredibly easy. The second has pretty good puzzles, with a few that I was stuck on for a while. That's fine, but it makes the game pretty uneven in how it plays. The first act feels way more storyfocused, rightly or wrongly. But it makes the pacing kinda fucked up when you get to the second act, and suddenly the puzzles are much more involved. The whole experience should've been more consistant.

Still, it's a fun game.