Broken Life Review

Broken Life shows adventurers the horror of war by transforming them into an exhausted solider who struggles after returning home

Broken Life Title Screen

This first chapter of Ikkosama’s, self-published point-and-click adventure game, Broken Life, asks an important question. How does one heal from trauma? A simple interface. great graphics and an interesting choice-driven story are its strengths The voice acting sounds slightly robotic in its delivery, but it does a good job of letting adventurers know what is going on. Its music covers everything in a melancholic ambiance that cements the story in adventurers’ minds. Although some of the puzzles lack instructions. They fit the story. Adventurers can’t label saved games, that makes it difficult for adventurers to remember where they left off after breaks. Aside from those slight flaws. The first chapter will transform adventurers into a tired returning veteran.

Leo is a cat with Grey fur, one blue and one yellow eye. He’s also a solider who wears fatigues. As the story begins. He’s riding a bus home to his cat family. War has scarred this land. The streets are empty, torn up. The sky is Grey. The neighborhood is broken from a recent attack. The road is empty, barricaded and cracked. There’s even a failed missile on the street Yet symbols of life remain. There are notes in the mailboxes. A teddy bear faithfully awaits its companion.

War has affected Leo too. He walks a little stiffly. As if he is tired and it takes concentration to trudge to his destination.

The slow plodding soundtrack augments the melancholic spell of the graphics, but it can be distracting when solving puzzles. Leo’s voice sounds tired. As if his experiences have taken his strength. He hopes to find his family. He does not know what awaits him. Adventurers help him using a point-and-click interface.

Leo sitting alone riding a bus

Left-clicking on a spot causes Leo to walk over there. Left-clicking on an object causes Leo to pick it up. And store it in his army bag. The bag resides at the bottom of the screen. Left-clicking on an object. stored there, and left-clicking on a spot on the screen puts it to use. The game informs adventurers if they are successful Many functions activate using the keyboard. Pressing Q reveals hotspots. Pressing H reveals which hotspot to activate in order to progress. Pressing “Escape” or left clicking on the gear icon activates the menu. It has options for saving and loading the game.

Adventurers could find the inability to create descriptive labels for their saved games frustrating.. The saved slots are labeled by date. If adventurers could type descriptive labels using their keyboard, it would be easier to remember where they left off. There is an autosave feature adventures access by left-clicking on “Continue” from the menu but it also isn’t descriptively labeled. Adventurers save their games by pressing “Escape,” left-clinking on “Save” then, left-clicking on one of three save slots. Adventurers load their game by pressing “Escape” clicking “Load” and clicking on an occupied slot.

Outside Leo’s House

During an early part of the game, it is possible for adventurers to influence Leo’s choices regarding propaganda that he sees. adventurers make this choice by left clicking on choices on the screen. The consequence of this choice is unclear. Perhaps it will be revealed in later chapters of the game.

The puzzles that adventurers face fit the plot like gloves. Leo must acclimate himself to being home. by making his house livable and reacquainting himself with his family. Adventurers help him activate a generator, fix the plumbing and play with his daughter. The generator puzzle has well thought out instructions. The plumbing puzzle where adventures must connect pipes while avoiding red areas doesn’t have instructions. Another puzzle that doesn’t have instructions is a flower lock puzzle. Adventures need to press the petals on an electronic flower to open a door. It’s supposed to match the colored pedals of another nearby flower. It took me a couple frustrating days to realize that the electronic petals change colors when adventurers left-click on them with their mouse. Detailed instructions would have ameliorated my frustration.

Flower luck puzzle. Adventurers must left click on the petals to change colors

Despite these slight frustrations, the first chapter does of Broken Life does a good job of putting adventurers into the mindset of a troubled solider through it’s animation. Although some of the puzzles are frustrating because they lack instructions, they aren’t insurmountable and fit the plot well.

Broken Life is available now on Steam It has been on early access. It’s fun to play. Give it a try!

Score: 7/10