Broken Age: Not Your Average Point-and-Shoot

I use to play video games a lot when I was a child, but now I’m more likely to pick up a book than a controller. But that’s not to say I can’t enjoy games at all. Today I’d like to introduce you all to an outstanding indie game.

Broken Age is a point-and-shoot styled video game created by Tim Schafer and released in April 2015. It’s on a multitude of platforms including IOS, Android, Windows, and PlayStation.  Gameplay consists of moving around the area and interacting with different objects and people. The game features two main characters, which act independently from one another and have their own story arc. Both are controlled by different aspects of the game and sometimes at a player’s choosing.

And we just need to talk about the art for a minute. This game is beautiful. A mix of watercolor with a hint of influence from anime. The colors looked layered and fully blended in the style of Nathan Stapley. The landscapes are stunning and leave you wondering if you can jump into the game. For a 2D game, it sure looks 3D to me!

For book lovers who also like games, Broken Age is a fantastic choice. This game majored in dialogue and puzzle with an emphasis on storytelling. At its core, the story is what kept me interested and playing. It reminded me a lot of the Choose Your Own Adventure books I use to read when I was in Middle School, but the benefit of playing Broken Age is you also can physically move the character around and interact with anything or anyone in the room you want.

That was always a reservation I had about the CYOA books. There would be two options and I would be like “Is there a third option?” “What if I don’t want to go in the mansion through the back door or the basement? I want to knock on the front door!” When you start Broken Age, it opens up to a girl preparing for a ceremony, but as you learn more about her, you realize, not everything is in its place about this world. I just had to find out what happened next, that feeling harkened back to when I read a book and couldn’t put it down.

I would recommend this game to anyone! But particularly to those who want a good story and a wicked puzzle. Trust me, this game will keep you occupied for a while!