Sound effects were also remarkable, and the ambient music never got old. Some of my favorites were Vella herself, and Shay’s “mother”. The voice acting is phenomenal, as would be expected when done by the likes of Elijah Wood, Wil Wheaton and Masasa Moyo. There are a few frame drops here and there, but nothing at all that would hinder gameplay in this genre. The hand-drawn feel, pastel colors and almost ethnic design decisions in certain parts of the game are absolutely amazing. This mechanic feels solid and not forced at all, as the narrative accompanies these jumps quite well, and it’s this narrative that steers the game, rather than the jumps from character to character, which would have otherwise felt gimmicky. The game will even have you jump from one character to the other to advance in the later stages of the game. But I will say this: Shay’s and Vella’s paths (or more accurately, story arcs) eventually cross. I cannot say much more than that without spoiling the experience for those of you who have not played it. We quickly realize that Shay is being mollycoddled by the computers aboard the ship, and we must therefore help Shay find his own way. It begins in a spaceship, commandeered by Shay himself (who, like Vella, is a teenager). Shay’s story, however, is (at least at first glance) completely different. This decision takes her on a journey of discovery discovery of her own self, and discovery of the reasons behind the current situation around her. She questions the ages-old traditions that have ruled her village (and those around it), for a long, long time. Vella’s story is a that of breaking out of conformity. The game is divided into two character arcs: Vella’s story, and Shay’s story. Being “too good” is not something a lot of games can boast in any category, much less in terms of narrative. That’s quite a good problem to have, however. My problem with “Broken Age” is that the story is so good, I found the gameplay and puzzles sometimes getting in the way of the advancement of the story that the two protagonists, Vella and Shay (each a protagonist in their own story), had to tell. Because regardless of how much we want to be impartial in these things, reviews are subjective by nature. I think it’s entirely possible that the one issue I have with the game will be a point of contention between those who feel differently, because it’s such a personal thing, it almost shouldn’t have made it into the review. Tim Schafer’s first point-and-click adventure game since the ground-breaking Grim Fandango, “Broken Age” had much to live up to. “Broken Age” represents the return of a master.
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