Tim Schafers first point-and-click adventure-game since 1998, Broken Age had a lot of people excited, and for good reason. Funded through Kickstarter, the game raised over $3,000,000 despite the original goal being only $400,000. At the time, it was the most successful Kickstarter campaign of all time and helped establish crowdfunding as a viable funding method for developers. Thankfully, Broken Age managed to live up to the hype, pleasing both newcomers and diehard adventure-game fans alike with its imaginative story and engaging characters. The player takes control of Vella and Shay, two loners that occupy vastly different worlds with no apparent connection to one another. Vella, a young women growing up in the Badlands under constant threat from the monstrous Mogs, is motivated by her desire to end the sacrificing of young women to these giant creatures. Shay on the other hand is the only passenger aboard the Bossa Nostra, a starship run by an overprotective artificial intelligence that keeps Shay from exploring (or escaping) the ship. The gameplay revolves around switching between each character and solving puzzles using combinations of objects found around the game. Though these can be incredibly simple, the appeal of the game is principally its story and characters, at least for me as someone who isnt necessarily an adventure-game aficionado. Both Vella and Shay have some depth to them and some clear motivations. Theres a good degree of intrigue that keeps the story interesting, and the switching between characters prevents you from growing tired of either one. As a story, Broken Age is nothing short or excellent.
