Before reading, it should be noted that plot points from Act 1 (as reviewed in the May Prospective issue,) will be discussed, so SPOILER ALERT.
Only a year after the release of the first act, “Broken Age: Act 2” was released April 28. Picking up from where the first act left off, Vella and Shay, having swapped settings, must find their ways back to their original locations, and solve the mystery of the Maidens Feast.
Though essentially the same as the previous act, Act 2 both improves and diminishes in certain aspects. Negatives first, the story, which was building up to this glorious crescendo at the end of the first act, takes a disappointing turn. The charming mystic of the first act is completely shattered because of the reveal; there was no way that Double Fine could have won in a situation like this.
The reveal of the first act couldn’t be topped, so anything else would seem lackluster in comparison. Regardless, for what was delivered, it was okay; the ending left much to be desired, but the inclusion of epilogue images were satisfying nonetheless. And, though I will not say exactly what it was for the sake not spoiling this act, the changes made to Shay’s “parents” seemed funny at first but overall came off as an unnecessarily forced point. The love of the A.I. mother had much potential, now lost.
With that out of the way, for where this game excels, “Broken Age” goes above and beyond. Returning to these wonderful characters was amazing, as seeing them in each others settings gives an exciting sense of strange familiarity; just something satisfying about having those you’ve grown to love, experience the same setting’s you’ve been through a thousand times, commenting on them. It’s hard to articulate, but it is immensely satisfying regardless.
Definitely noteworthy, the animation seems different from before. The team is pretty much the same as before, but the improvements are fantastic. The characters, which were already full of tons of expression in the first act are now bursting with it, practically alive. Whenever a character, like Shay, is about to talk to someone, it’s joyous knowing he’s about to react so visibly; again, hard to explain well, but perhaps it’s a product of great characterization. It’s like having a good friend; seeing them react to you so expressively is satisfying
By far, the greatest improvement of Act 2 has to be the puzzles. Difficult, most certainly, but not impossible. All the pieces are there for the player, it is just a matter of seeing how each of them fit together. None of them feel unfair, and with a bit of time and brainpower can be solved easily enough.
The greatest part for myself had to be whenever I needed to take notes, physically take up pen and paper to elucidate the conclusion. It felt like I was actually using my brain, rather then guessing and grasping. However, I did not appreciate the inclusion of an aid for the shoe puzzle on the ship; it was immensely irritating, and made it seem like Double Fine thought its player a fool. Though, the later Hexipal puzzle gave no hint’s as to the set up of the Hexipal, requiring me to create my own key, which was satisfying; considering Vella’s personality, her creation of a key in game does make sense, so for this Double Fine can be forgiven.
For those who may not have checked “Broken Age” out when Act 1 came out originally, if you purchase the game now it will be complete with Act 2 for no extra cost, and if you bought Act 1 originally, your game will update automatically for free. A physical version of the complete game has been rumored for release, and a downloadable PS4 version is available on PSN.
Even with the problems of Act 2, as a whole, “Broken Age” is a wonderful standard for games to come, a beautiful work of art and a timeless piece to be experienced for decades.
