This lack of passion is most pronounced in what could be one of the laziest explanations for a plot device of all time. By now, with all the pressure from fans and backers to complete Broken Age, it must have felt more like a huge burden than a work of passion, and they were more than relieved to toss it out of the door in whatever state it was in. What Act 2 was mostly missing was the heart from the first act. There were also one or two puzzles which were innovative and clever, and required a certain skill to figure out, but they were all few and far between. The voice acting is still some of the best I've heard in a game, as well as all those shiny graphics. Not everything about Broken Age Act 2 is sub-par. Instead, you get some vague explanation about blood, which doesn't really answer anything, in a dialogue opportunity you could easily miss. This would have elevated the game far beyond what it ended up being. With no new mysteries to speak of, playing Act 2 is very much like going through the motions rather than playing an actual game.Īct 2 feels like gameplay was supposed to extend beyond the plague dam, where you could meet the creatures controlling the Mogs and discover exactly what happens to the maidens once captured. It half heartedly answers some intrigues while presenting nothing new. In Act 2 all mysteries set up in Act 1 are solved almost immediately. In Act 1, you follow Vella on an epic journey across multiple lands as she learns more about the Mogs and the maiden's feast you question the mystery of Shay's life in a child's dreamworld, and his missions to rescue helpless creatures. It's not problem puzzles or missing maps which had me so disappointed in Act 2.

When Double Fine decided to give out a walkthrough with their review copies, they probably should have thought about why it was they had to do such a thing. However, to solve this puzzle you must not move Shay for 2 minutes (real-time) in order to collect a puzzle solving item, despite only having clues to the contrary. At one point Shay is trapped and starts complaining that he is going to die if he doesn't get out soon, while clearly pointing out a way to escape. When you reach the section where you need to switch to Shay, instead of her saying something like 'I guess only Shay would know the answer to this' the game literally transports you to a new room and she exclaims 'I know the answer is in here somewhere.' Here's a spoiler: it isn't in there, but luckily there are only a few possible answers to this problem, making it is easy enough to brute force your way through. This is fine, except if you begin with Vella. In Act 2 you are supposed to now shift between the two characters continuously throughout.īeyond this point the review contains mild puzzle spoilers.

In Act 1 you can play Shay and Vella's stories individually before they knit together perfectly at the end. Instead of stories developing naturally, you are instead set out with a list of 3-5 objectives from the beginning which you must complete. The interesting and innovative puzzles of Act 1 are replaced with the senseless puzzles of the 90s. Vella's family have come all the way to Meriloft from Sugar Bunting, a journey which Vella could only partake in by flying, in a matter of moments with no indication of how they got there. Despite claiming to carry on directly from Act 1, characters have all changed position and activities from the first half with little or no explanation as to why. Only 2 new characters have been introduced in this second act, and the whole game plays out almost entirely in just two of the maps from the original. It's more than apparent that all of these costs caused there to be deep cuts in Act 2. We all know that Double Fine got into big financial troubles when developing Broken Age due to underestimating their budget, hiring top quality voice actors such as Jack Black, Jennifer Hale, Wil Wheaton and of course Elijah Wood, and throwing lavish parties for the development team. Firstly because the two acts came out over a year apart, and secondly because I don't want the poor quality of Act 2 to ruin my extremely fond memories of the first act. Developer Tim Schafer wanted the two acts of Broken Age to be played and reviewed as one piece, but unfortunately I can't do that.

Broken age walkthrough act 2 shay