Point and click adventures ceased to interest the general public a long time ago, but the rise of the independent scene has brought them back, like so many other classic genres. The best proof of this is the successful return of Return to Monkey Island this year, but there are also other exponents that should not be lost sight of. In this sense, today we talk about Broken Pieces, the first game from the French studio Elseware Experience and which takes us on a psychological thriller with a lot of puzzles and some combat. We tell you what we thought of our analysis of Broken Pieces for Xbox Series X.
there is always a lighthouse
Broken Pieces puts us in the shoes of Elise, a woman who lives in a town on the French coast and who, somehow, is disconnected from the reality we know. All the inhabitants of the place, except her, have disappeared without a trace and a local sect seems to be responsible. At the same time, however, Elise knows that she can’t linger outside her house for too long, as strange and dangerous creatures appear to destroy her. At this juncture, Elise undertakes a journey through the entire town trying to find clues about Pierre, her partner, and the rest of the inhabitants. What could have happened and how can we fix it? Those are the questions we must answer.
The story, although it has an interesting premise, has its inconsistencies from minute one, like the fact that Elise has been cooped up at home for quite some time in fear of the creatures, but seems to know how to defend herself against them even though she hasn’t even investigated the adjacent street yet. Be that as it may, the plot advances thanks to Elise’s investigations and also to the tapes that she is finding of Pierre and other characters, although the protagonist is the only one that we will find in the entire game in physical form. Is way of narrating, very BioShock-styleIt’s very well thought out, but not so well executed. And it is that when playing tapes we will not be able to do anything more than listen to them. Even if we put them in the background, when interacting with any other object, puzzle or scenario, Elise will start talking over the top and we will stop listening to the recording in question.
Puzzles with a classic aroma
It is not necessary to be very observant to realize that Broken Pieces boasts quite a graphic section. away from current standards, even within the independent scene. But it does make up for it in other ways. The Elseware Experience title is one of puzzles and it is precisely there where it becomes strong. In Elise’s shoes we must be observant, interact with all the elements we see. This will not only provide us with information, but will also make the protagonist make notes in her notebook that we can consult later and that will help us not to lose the thread of the story or the resolution of possible future puzzles.
There is no doubt that the puzzles that force us to consult documents, computers and external information They are the most satisfying to solve, although there are also others that consist of looking more at the environment to understand how to proceed. Some of them are not as clear as they should be due to a system of fixed cameras that it doesn’t always work perfectly and that makes us miss important details. The final detail, which is not minor, to be able to solve puzzles is a complement that our protagonist carries and that allows us to manipulate the weather to generate temporary storms that play in our favor.
put away the gun
Unfortunately, the combat is not at the same level that the puzzles And it is that from the first moment what came to our minds is that this game did not need to have action phases at all, in addition to such simple ones. Basically we have a pistol with basic infinite ammo and limited quality ammo that we can find or craft. Sporadically we will run into enemies that we can dodge, repel with stormy power and shoot until eliminated. However, these action parts feel like goop. They don’t feel whole within the story and the puzzles and they seem to be more of an addition to please a type of player who, let’s be honest, is not one to get into a narrative puzzle adventure.
The game has two different difficulties. The easy one almost completely eliminates the fighting, which does not seem bad to us. The problem is that this difficulty one of the main mechanics is loaded of the title: the passage of time. Elise must always come home before 8:00 p.m. In order to reach remote areas or recover health after fighting, she must rest on benches, which consumes our precious time. Opting out of combat destroys this mechanic, but the fact that there is combat hinders more than anything else. If you’re wondering what happens when you hit the cut-off time and haven’t made it home, there are just a lot more enemies on our way back.
conclusions
Broken Pieces was defined as a psychological thriller, but the truth is that it has little of it. It is a puzzle adventure with a plot that followed with some interest, but whose rhythm weighs down an unnecessary and poorly polished combat. The puzzles are the high point of the work of Elseware Experience, although in general terms they are not the most original in the world or as precise as we would have liked, especially because of a classic system of fixed cameras that gives it the touch of elegance but works against you in some situations. Recommended if you are a fan of the genrebut being aware of their weaknesses.