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broken age initial thoughts

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i searched for broken age forum posts already in existence, but those seem more tailored to the story or the puzzles or other specifics.  i just started the game and i wanted to share some initial thoughts ( pls move this to another thread if its redudant. )

ok. first off… to be honest, i was never a HUUUGE schafer fan. i never got into tentacle or maniac mansions in general.  i did love monkey island 1 and 2 though, yet still not as much as my old sierra favorites. also, this may blaspheme, but i also never could get into grim fandago :x haha sorry.  HOWEVER… one of my favorite all time games is FULL THROTTLE… so yeah, anyways, i approached broken age with skepticism… 

im glad to say however, the game is effing great Grin

i haven’t felt this way playing through an adventure in a long time. theres a certain excitement playing through the story that feels like the old days. i’m reminded a bit of how i felt playing the kyrandia games (maybe the simplistic click interface and humor) or even some of longest journey and of course, monkey islands.  I haven’t done much with the shay side of the gam yet but i just reached shellmound on the vella story and i’ve been having alot of fun with it so i just wanted to share my appreciation.

my criticism is mostly just that i think its a bit too… childish? i don’t know. i realize the setting is like that… but i feel like it could have been a bit less like a disney film and instead more mature. (i mean there are no kids playing these kinds of things these days) i recently watched frozen (disney movie) and i enjoyed it, so i am not hating on kid-vibes but like, i don’t know i feel like it could have just been a bit less cartoony. also the graphics are a bit too FLAT. yesyes i love 2d animation like all of us, but i still felt like the sterile flat animation didn’t quite sit right with the beautifully crafted backgrounds.  i felt the same way about the recent lsl1 remake, tho that was worse in that regard.

but im not trying to hate on this game. not at all. regardless of these criticisms, the game is truly *fun*.  i am really glad they managed to pull together a new fun game with the spirit of old for all of us to enjoy. i recommend anyone with indifferent thoughts to try it out. you won’t be disappointed. so what do you guys think? 

     
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I’m not that far into the game yet…also mostly still within Vella’s story.
I really like it sofar and I’m enjoying the scenery and conversations.

For me an adventure game is first and foremost about story, writing, secondly about production values (art,animation, cinematics and voice-acting) and thirdly puzzle design/difficulty.

I don’t mind easy puzzles at all, as I’m not looking for a brain challenge when playing a game.
I’d rather have easy puzzles that fit well into the story, than having super difficult puzzles that are completely disconnected from the context of the story (eg basic progress blockers and so-called game-play extension puzzles)

Sofar a great game and I can certainly see why so many reviews have been very positive.

     
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I think this story is a coming-of-age tale at its core, and it’s sort of strange to complain that it’s childish, because the very nature of it is about the transition from childhood to adulthood.

It’s a good story, and it’s not one that can be removed from that context, so what’s the problem? It’s like saying Grim Fandango should be less morbid.

     

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Which Disney film is Broken Age like?

Frogacuda - 22 January 2014 07:19 AM

I think this story is a coming-of-age tale at its core, and it’s sort of strange to complain that it’s childish, because the very nature of it is about the transition from childhood to adulthood.

It’s a good story, and it’s not one that can be removed from that context, so what’s the problem? It’s like saying Grim Fandango should be less morbid.

Excellent point.

     
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The Rescuers Down Under!!!

I can see that the content isn’t necessarily “childish” per se, but it is made to have a wide-appeal while being a bildungsroman. I think people have a pretty narrow definition of what “mature” content is these days, and it’s not really their fault - we’ve been pigeonholed to believe that mature content merely means violence, vulgar language, sex and dark & moody lighting!  Broken Age definitely touches on many themes of maturity and of the act of maturing itself, but it’s definitely the kind of game that people young and old can enjoy.

I’ve enjoyed it so far, though I find the level of difficulty to be wanting a bit and the level of interactivity to be low, these are minor concerns.  The game is fun, whimsical and funny, and I dig it.


Bt

     
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Frogacuda - 22 January 2014 07:19 AM

I think this story is a coming-of-age tale at its core, and it’s sort of strange to complain that it’s childish, because the very nature of it is about the transition from childhood to adulthood.

Theme and presentation are two different things. The theme may be about the world and experiences of a child, but that doesn’t mean the presentation has to be childish. I agree with the OP.

It’s a good story, and it’s not one that can be removed from that context, so what’s the problem? It’s like saying Grim Fandango should be less morbid.

You prove my point. Grim Fandango isn’t morbid at all.

     

See you around, wolf. Nerissa

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Karlok - 22 January 2014 10:21 AM
Frogacuda - 22 January 2014 07:19 AM

I think this story is a coming-of-age tale at its core, and it’s sort of strange to complain that it’s childish, because the very nature of it is about the transition from childhood to adulthood.

Theme and presentation are two different things. The theme may be about the world and experiences of a child, but that doesn’t mean the presentation has to be childish. I agree with the OP.

It’s a good story, and it’s not one that can be removed from that context, so what’s the problem? It’s like saying Grim Fandango should be less morbid.

You prove my point. Grim Fandango isn’t morbid at all.

No, you’ve undermined your point.

Grim Fandango is cosmetically about sentient corpses, but explores themes and ideas beyond its potentially morbid presentation.

Similarly, Broken Age is presented with a storybook style, but is already exploring deeper themes and ideas within that framework.

     
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Blackthorne - 22 January 2014 10:19 AM

I think people have a pretty narrow definition of what “mature” content is these days, and it’s not really their fault - we’ve been pigeonholed to believe that mature content merely means violence, vulgar language, sex and dark & moody lighting!  Broken Age definitely touches on many themes of maturity and of the act of maturing itself, but it’s definitely the kind of game that people young and old can enjoy.

Bt

This is very true. It is a bit like with movies these days, when people for an example see something labeled pg-13 and automatically say that must be a bad movie and can’t handle certain themes.

What people some times fail to see, is that presentation doesn’t necessarily mean that only certain kind of things can be explored, presentation only effects on how those themes are explored. For an example I find most r-rated gory horror movies to be very childish and immature despite they are aimed at mature audiences. Blood and gore is only surface, there should be some content as well, and personally I find more content from the story that has begun in the first act of Broken Age.

     
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noknowncure - 22 January 2014 10:29 AM
Karlok - 22 January 2014 10:21 AM
Frogacuda - 22 January 2014 07:19 AM

I think this story is a coming-of-age tale at its core, and it’s sort of strange to complain that it’s childish, because the very nature of it is about the transition from childhood to adulthood.

Theme and presentation are two different things. The theme may be about the world and experiences of a child, but that doesn’t mean the presentation has to be childish. I agree with the OP.

It’s a good story, and it’s not one that can be removed from that context, so what’s the problem? It’s like saying Grim Fandango should be less morbid.

You prove my point. Grim Fandango isn’t morbid at all.

No, you’ve undermined your point.

Grim Fandango is cosmetically about sentient corpses, but explores themes and ideas beyond its potentially morbid presentation.

Similarly, Broken Age is presented with a storybook style, but is already exploring deeper themes and ideas within that framework.

Such as?

Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t you saying the exact opposite of Frogacuda? Storybook style presentation: childish; theme: deeper, more mature. So it’s quite possible to like the story and judge the presentation as too childish.

     

See you around, wolf. Nerissa

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Karlok - 22 January 2014 11:05 AM
noknowncure - 22 January 2014 10:29 AM
Karlok - 22 January 2014 10:21 AM
Frogacuda - 22 January 2014 07:19 AM

I think this story is a coming-of-age tale at its core, and it’s sort of strange to complain that it’s childish, because the very nature of it is about the transition from childhood to adulthood.

Theme and presentation are two different things. The theme may be about the world and experiences of a child, but that doesn’t mean the presentation has to be childish. I agree with the OP.

It’s a good story, and it’s not one that can be removed from that context, so what’s the problem? It’s like saying Grim Fandango should be less morbid.

You prove my point. Grim Fandango isn’t morbid at all.

No, you’ve undermined your point.

Grim Fandango is cosmetically about sentient corpses, but explores themes and ideas beyond its potentially morbid presentation.

Similarly, Broken Age is presented with a storybook style, but is already exploring deeper themes and ideas within that framework.

Such as?

Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t you saying the exact opposite of Frogacuda? Storybook style presentation: childish; theme: deeper, more mature. So it’s quite possible to like the story and judge the presentation as too childish.

Theme and presentation are two things, a clever artist will choose a presentation that reflects the themes. Frogacuda wasn’t saying that Grim Fandango was morbid, but rather that it could easily be mistaken as being morbid by a shallow viewing. The style is directly linked to the themes explore within.

The chosen style of Broken Age is in keeping with the story it’s telling, just as Grim Fandango’s Day of the Dead style was in keeping with the story it was telling.

It’s perfectly alright to not like the art style, but it’s an entirely appropriate choice for the story being told.

     
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can I make I new thread about BA too or should I wait until act2 is out and make three.. this is too much over the edge, guys!

     

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To me broken age feels like a disney/pixar movie, something like finding nemo, where it’s clearly meant to appeal to younger audience yet the writing/story is good enough that adults can really enjoy it. It is, after all, a story about 14 year old kids.

I think grim fandango is the opposite, it’s seems to appeal mainly to a more mature audience but it’s still funny, charming and tame enough for younger people to enjoy. A lot of people have compared it to some of Tim Burton’s movies and I believe it’s a pretty accurate comparison.

Personally, I enjoyed broken age and didn’t mind that at times it seemed to be made to appeal to kids. I really enjoyed “Nemo” too and it’s one of my favorite animated movies.
If I had to choose, though, I would definitely prefer something closer to grim fandango or full throttle.

p.s. I’m only referring to the story/writing, not the art style. That’s another discussion.

     
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Well, noknowncure, a clear case of agreeing to disagree about presentation vs theme.

     

See you around, wolf. Nerissa

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To take this into a different direction, I already found the first major bug. Switching between Vella and Shay is not as seamless as made out to be.

I finished the Meriloft area and thought this to be a nice moment to switch to Shay, however upon clicking on Shay the game restarts the Vella story…....from the start!!

Of course I hadn’t saved since the start of Meriloft and the autosave is now shot and puts me right at the start of the game.

I hope Broken Age is not a buggy little bastard Laughing

     
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Keregioz - 22 January 2014 12:04 PM

To me broken age feels like a disney/pixar movie, something like finding nemo, where it’s clearly meant to appeal to younger audience yet the writing/story is good enough that adults can really enjoy it. It is, after all, a story about 14 year old kids.

Actually, I think Pixar movies are exactly the opposite: made for adults but with elements that a younger audience can also enjoy. Wink

But that’s neither here nor there for this thread, of course. I just agree that it’s perfectly ok for a game to “appear” childish, if the themes support that. And that that doesn’t automatically mean that the subject IS childish…

     

The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka

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Pixar films are made for children - they’re the demographic that ADULTS spend their money on to get them in the seats. There is material in there to appease adults, but post “Cars (2006)”, its been a pure cash grab, put kid’s butts in the seats.

The Incredibles was probably their last really amazing film.  Now, if we had an adventure game more like The Incredibles?  That would be pretty great!


Bt

     

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