Broken Age
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The COVID-19 Humble Bundle pairs great games with a great cause
There's a new Humble Bundle on offer, and it's packed with great deals for a great cause. The special one-week COVID-19 Bundle features more than $1,000 worth of games and comics and can be yours for just $30 (£25.50) -- or more, if you're feeling charitable, as buyers are encouraged to give what they can. All of the proceeds will go to support organizations responding to the coronavirus outbreak, including those delivering protective gear to healthcare workers and providing healthcare to vulnerable patients.
'Broken Age Act 2' drops on April 28th for PC, PS4 and Vita
Get ready for the curtain call: The second and final act in Double Fine's Kickstarted adventure series Broken Age launches for PC in North America on April 28th (29th in Europe), IGN reports. Plus, the full game -- Acts One and Two -- will hit PlayStation 4 and Vita on those same regional dates. Broken Age Act 1 launched January 28, 2014, and we found it to be a sincere, optimistic adventure that had us yearning for more.
Broken Age gets physical with simultaneous retail release
Broken Age Act 2 is due to arrive this spring, and when it does you'll be able to buy the full Double Fine adventure on disc. The developer is once again teaming up with Nordic Games to get PC, Mac and Linux copies of Broken Age onto shelves, and that's "simultaneously" with the release of the concluding act. Simultaneously is the watchword for Broken Age this year. As Double Fine's Greg Rice put it last month, the studio aims "to launch on PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, PS Vita, iOS, Ouya and Android next spring as close to simultaneously as human possible." That now includes a retail release on three platforms (at least), so springtime will be a busy time for the Californian studio.
Double Fine bringing Broken Age, Day of the Tentacle to PS4, Vita
Double Fine's Broken Age will launch on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita on the same "day and date" that the second half of Broken Age's PC version launches, studio founder Tim Schafer announced during the PlayStation Experience keynote. Additionally, Double Fine will be bringing its classic adventure game, Day of the Tentacle, to PS4 and Vita at some unannounced point in the future. There's no additional information on Day of the Tentacle: Special Edition just yet, but we imagine that's secondary to the excitement all the '90s kids in the audience feel right now. If you're in the mindset for something a little more modern, Double Fine will also be bringing Gang Beasts to PlayStation 4. Similar to games like Surgeon Simulator, Gang Beasts is a purposefully-difficult-to-control brawler that recently rose to prominence thanks to popular YouTube celebrities. If you want to see it in action, we've got a trailer after the break.
Broken Age's second act slips to early 2015
Double Fine's Broken Age raised $3.3 million on Kickstarter back in 2012, but creator and studio founder Tim Schafer admitted last year that he wrote a game "so big that it would need even more money." Thus, Broken Age was split in twain, and the funds raised from sales of the first act helped fund the creation of the second act, which was due to arrive before year's end. Now, the release date for the conclusion of Broken Age has shifted to early 2015, according to producer Greg Rice. "The goal now is to get all the finale work done so we can hit Alpha on all of Act 2 by the end of the year. That means, as you may have guessed based on recent updates and documentary episodes, the Act 2 ship that will deliver the complete adventure is now looking like it will be early next year," Rice wrote on the Double Fine forums. "The game is looking really good and the team is working super fast, but we just gotta give the game the time it needs to really deliver on everything we're hoping it will be." Double Fine had to let go of 12 of its employees last week, when an unannounced project with an unnamed publisher fell through. Schafer told Gamasutra at the time that despite the setback in staffing, the development of Broken Age would not be impacted. [Image: Double Fine]
Unannounced Double Fine game canceled, 12 staff let go
Double Fine, the development studio behind games like Broken Age and Costume Quest 2, has been hit with a wave of layoffs. Gamasutra reports that 12 staff were let go after an unannounced project fell through with a publisher, though the studio will continue its work on other games unimpeded. "Our remaining projects - Broken Age, Massive Chalice, and Grim Fandango Remastered, were unaffected," studio founder Tim Schafer told Gamasutra. Neither the publisher in question nor the reason for the unannounced game's cancellation were disclosed. [Image: Double Fine]
Broken Age delivers a classic adventure to iPad owners
If your iPad is sorely lacking in classically-styled adventure games from the man who spent the 1990s defining what that term means, you'll be pleased to learn that Double Fine's Broken Age is now available on Apple's svelte tablet. Like all adventure games that list Tim Schafer in the credits, Broken Age is an off-kilter adventure, full of humor that oscillates between obscenely clever and gleefully childish. Our four of five stars review slights the game for an overall lack of difficulty, but that only serves to move along an engrossing story, which only disappoints when it draws to a close. Unfortunately, that conclusion comes quickly as the iPad currently hosts only Act 1 of Broken Age. Act 2 has yet to appear on any platform, but Double Fine claims that, once available, owners of Act 1 will be able to pick up the second part of the story as an in-app download. There's no price point established for Act 2, but Act 1 will set you back $10 in the iTunes App Store. [Image: Double Fine Productions]
Double Fine's Broken Age now on Ouya
Double Fine's adventure game Broken Age is now available on the Ouya microconsole, bringing two of Kickstarter's highest-earning gaming projects together at last in holy crowdfunded union. Broken Age earned over $3.3 million when it turned to Kickstarter's crowdfunding platform for support, later expanding its scope for a split release. The Ouya met with similar success, earning more than $8.5 million by the end of its Kickstarter campaign. Broken Age backers who pledged $15 or more toward the project will receive a free code for the Ouya version via the Humble Store. [Image: Double Fine]
Game Music Bundle 7: Journey, Broken Age, Luftrausers
Who needs AC/DC and Aerosmith for their gym workouts when you could listen to smooth grooves of video game soundtracks? The Game Music Bundle 7 from Loudr offers 17 albums of audio delights, including tunes from Austin Wintory (Journey, The Banner Saga), Peter McConnell (Broken Age, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft), and Disasterpeace (The Floor is Jelly, Fez). The Game Music Bundle has been running for more than two years now, but if you're just now learning about it, here's how it works: for $1, you'll receive the soundtracks for The Banner Saga, Device 6, Broken Age, The Floor is Jelly and Luftrausers. By paying $10, you'll unlock 12 more albums, including a new solo piano arrangement of music from Journey. To see all 17 albums being offered and scoop up your copy of the bundle, check out the official site. Just don't wait too long, as this particular collection will only be available until May 1. [Image: Loudr]
Broken Age on sale for 33% off, game contains 15 minutes of credits [Update: Sale over]
The first act of Double Fine's Kickstarted adventure game, Broken Age, is currently on sale for its lowest price ever on Steam. For $16.74 you can get the game, or for $20.09, you can snag the game as well as a copy of the soundtrack. Hurry though, because at the time of posting, you've only got two and a half hours to take advantage of the deal. The release of Act 1 existed partly to fund the development of Act 2, so the back half of the game isn't ready to go just yet. Those who purchase ahead of Act 2's release will be given the conclusion as a free update, according to Double Fine. Double Fine also announced a slew of statistics regarding Broken Age's production, in case you're the type who was ever curious about just how many lines of code go into creating a game like this. (Hint: it's a lot.) It's also been a time-consuming project: over the course of 22 months (or 339 man-months), the team has created 1,181 cutscenes, recorded 4,417 lines of voice, and consumed more than 680 gallons of coffee. Broken Age also takes 15 minutes (at a resolution of 1024x768) to show off 12,846 name strings during the credits. Broken Age: it's kind of a big deal. Update: The sale for Broken Age has come to its conclusion. The game is $24.99 once more. [Image: Double Fine]
Schafer: Broken Age split release a success, second half now funded
Broken Age, the Double Fine adventure game too big for its $3.3 million Kickstarter campaign, released its first half last month. Now, studio founder Tim Schafer tells GamesIndustry International that the release has been a success, and that part two has been successfully funded. "We've made enough that we can make the second half of the game for sure," Schafer told GamesIndustry, before noting that he believes the first half isn't quite done yet, since it has yet to release on iPad like the studio promised it would. Still, Schafer seemed upbeat. "We've shipped enough that people can see we weren't kidding, and that's a big relief. Because I think there's a lot of pressure on Kickstarter projects, especially the really big Kickstarter projects, to just not screw it up for everybody else. It's such a great, positive thing for us, and being able to be funded by our fans opens so many doors for us to do original, creative things that we just wanted to live up to [expectations]." The decision to break Broken Age into two parts was not one met with overwhelming enthusiasm by some backers (just take a look at the comments). It would seem that the wallet speaks louder though, and the wallets want a conclusion to Broken Age. [Image: Double Fine]
Joystiq Weekly: News, reviews and original content from January 27 - February 2
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" recap of the week's most happening ... happenings. Yes. We'll summarize the biggest news, freshest reviews and original content from each week every Sunday, just in case you missed it while tending to your weekday grind. We'll also segue into each section with a reaction gif to the top story, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. Now that we've reached life's designated "timeout" known as the weekend, let's dive in to this week's biggest moments:
Broken Age Act 1 now available, have a launch trailer
The first half of Broken Age, the latest adventure from Grim Fandango designer Tim Schafer and his crew at Double Fine Productions, is now available to the general public. As Ludwig points out in our review of Broken Age Act 1, the game is clearly the offspring of the classic point-and-click adventure games that Schafer had a big hand in popularizing, though the archaic elements of the genre are mated with more modern, user-friendly features, resulting in an enjoyable, if staid, adventure. "The lack of challenge and a dearth of branching dialogue (sorry – these dialogue trees resemble bamboo shafts) disappoint, yes, but Broken Age always elicits a smile and a desire to continue," our review states before awarding the game 4 of 5 stars. Whether you prefer the PC, Mac or Linux platforms, you'll find Broken Age Act 1 now available on Steam for $25. Broken Age Act 2 is slated for release "later this year" when it will become available to owners of Act 1 as a free downloadable addition.
Broken Age Act 1 Review: To Part
Financed by a Kickstarter army of fund-it pundits to the tune of over $3 million, Broken Age is a bespoke graphic adventure like no other. And yet the point of this old-school clique, of course, was to guarantee a game that was just like all those others – old adventures in the grand LucasArts legacy. It should have been nostalgia, made on-demand by Double Fine, but there's more to it; a modern personality. The delta between what should have been – and what is – lies right in the middle of Broken Age, a sincere story of a boy and a girl breaking free of expectation and tradition. Shay and Vella exist in separated worlds, but you can visit either at any point, funneling your curiosity into the regular point-and-click mold: relaxed exploring, conversing with the locals, and collecting odd inventory objects that are sure to have some weirdly sensible use later. These are the old, uncluttered ways, paired with truly new-feeling art and an irresistible optimism that simply can't be found elsewhere, today or yesterday.
Peter McConnell's Broken Age score available Jan. 28
Peter McConnell's original orchestral soundtrack for Double Fine's Broken Age will be available for download next week. McConnell's previous work can be heard in Double Fine's Brutal Legend and Psychonauts, as well as in classic LucasArts adventure games Grim Fandango and Monkey Island. The full soundtrack will be available for download on Bandcamp when the game's first act officially launches on January 28. Samples of select tracks can be heard right now over on McConnell's Soundcloud page. Broken Age is an adventure game about two teenagers, Vella Tartine and Shay Volta, living separate lives in their own distinct worlds. The two are linked by their coming-of-age predicaments, and players can switch between each teen at any time. We streamed a good chunk of the game yesterday, so feel free to give our archived video a peek.
Joystiq Streams: Don't taze me, Broken Age [Update: It's over!]
The time is upon us. The golden moment when we stare backward across the years and wonder if it has really been so long since we last pointed, clicked, and frolicked in the comedic fields of a Tim Schafer adventure game. Were we ever so young? So foolish? So accustomed to looking through our inventory and wondering just what the heck we're supposed to do with a "cold wet hamster"? No more looking back, though! Today, Joystiq Streams is captained by Ludwig Kietzmann as he dives into Broken Age, the brand new Tim Schafer-directed Double Fine adventure game. For those who may not have backed the game on Kickstarter and want a taste, join us at 4p.m. EST on the Joystiq Twitch channel. Anthony John Agnello will be hanging in the chat, relaying your questions to Ludwig as we go.
Here's how you activate Broken Age's pixelated retro mode
Hidden within Double Fine's new adventure game Broken Age is a special aesthetic option that coats the game's colorful graphics in a heavy sheen of thick pixels. Though Double Fine hasn't publicized this feature, YouTube user "The Phawx" provides a simple, step by step guide to activating the mode in the above clip. Simply enter the game's options menu, crank its resolution down to 640x480, assign a button to the new icon you'll find in the game's "Controls" menu, and voila, that button now enables retro mode. Even better, once you've activated the hidden feature you're free to return the game to a higher resolution, but will still be able to toggle retro mode on and off with whichever button you've selected. This isn't a true aesthetic makeover, as much as a video filter overlaid on top of the game's default graphics, but at the very least it does give players an excuse to use the game's 640x480 resolution setting - an otherwise largely pointless holdover from the days when computers were all beige rectangles and the Intel Pentium 2 was considered amazing technology.
Explore Double Fine's Broken Age in these two new trailers
Double Fine's Broken Age is nearly upon us, available to general audiences on January 28. Kickstarter backers, however, get in early and start playing the game's first act today.
Broken Age goes public on January 28, taking pre-orders now
The first act of Double Fine's graphic adventure game Broken Age will be available to the public on January 28 for PC, Mac and Linux. The game will launch two weeks after being made available to Kickstarter backers today. Broken Age is available for pre-order on Steam at a 10 percent discount ($22.49) until it launches. Double Fine earned over $3.3 million on Kickstarter in March 2012 for its "Double Fine Adventure" crowdfunding campaign, which was given the name Broken Age one year later. A backers-only update on the game's Kickstarter page revealed that the game will skip Steam's Early Access program and launch in full on Steam with season pass support. While Broken Age will land on iOS, Android and Ouya at an undisclosed date, the concluding second act of the game will launch as a free update to owners later this year.
Broken Age skips Early Access, hits Steam with season pass
Broken Age is no longer launching as an Early Access game on Steam, instead hitting as a full release with a season pass that includes parts one and two. "You may recall that at one point Broken Age was planned for release under the Steam Early Access program," Double Fine wrote in a backers-only update on Kickstarter. "This is no longer the case. For various logistical reasons, and because we believe Act 1 is a polished and satisfying piece of content in its own right, Broken Age will be a standard Steam release that includes a 'Season Pass' granting access to Act 2 once it is complete. Anyone who has Act 1 – either by being a backer, or by buying the game separately – will receive Act 2 as a free update when it's ready." Double Fine announced in July that it would launch Act 1 on Early Access, intending to raise enough money to complete and release Act 2, but a season pass launch can achieve the same end. Backers of the Double Fine Adventure Kickstarter have access to Broken Age Act 1 today, distributed via Steam keys on the Humble Store. Act 1 requires Steam to download, though once Act 2 launches, a DRM-free version will hit Humble.
