Broken Age
Broken Age is a point-and-click adventure telling the stories of a young boy and girl leading parallel lives. Vella Tartine has been chosen by her village to be sacrificed to a terrible monster — but she decides to fight back. Meanwhile, Shay Volta is living a solitary life on a spaceship under the care of a motherly computer, but he wants to break free to lead adventures and do good in the world. Adventures ensue.
What it feels like
Hand-animated charm, quirky character design, and comedic tone throughout create fanciful, gently absurd moments. A family-friendly, comedy-driven tone balances puzzle challenge with an unburdened, playful mood. Despite comedy, the emotional stakes of both protagonists' desires for freedom and autonomy are sincere and heartfelt.
What it's about
Both protagonists are young people on transformative journeys—Vella breaking free from sacrifice, Shay escaping isolation to find purpose and autonomy. Both protagonists' quests involve transformative journeys—Vella escaping her fate, Shay seeking purpose and adventure beyond his confined world. Vella's village world, sacrifice ritual, and monster conflict anchor a fantasy narrative thread.
How it plays
Point-and-click interaction is the definitional mechanic—examining hotspots, combining items, and driving narrative forward through clicking. Branching dialogue choices with an all-star voice cast (Elijah Wood, Jack Black) shape interaction and character relationships throughout. Puzzle-solving woven into the world is central; players gather items and use them in context to progress through obstacles and narrative gates.
How it looks and sounds
Frame-by-frame hand-drawn animation is a signature aesthetic choice; the 'family friendly, hand-animated' style is core to the visual identity. Character design and world aesthetic lean toward charming, rounded, approachable visual appeal aligned with family-friendly intent.
How it's structured
A bounded, authored narrative arc with clear beginning and definite end; the core experience is progressing through Vella and Shay's intertwined stories to resolution. Designed as a solo experience focusing on two protagonists' interwoven single-player journeys. A 'timeless' story that is notably concise for a point-and-click adventure, finishable in a moderate number of hours rather than a sprawling epic.
Kindred games
Shares Point-and-Click, Hand-Drawn 2D, Whimsical, Dialogue Trees.
Both lean into Single-Player, Point-and-Click, Hand-Drawn 2D, Whimsical.
Shares Hand-Drawn 2D, Whimsical, Lighthearted, Point-and-Click.
Both lean into Hand-Drawn 2D, Single-Player, Whimsical, Lighthearted.
Shares Point-and-Click, Hand-Drawn 2D, Whimsical, Environmental Puzzles.
Both lean into Point-and-Click, Hand-Drawn 2D, Single-Player, Whimsical.
See all games like Broken Age →
Closest hidden gems
A lesser-known kindred — Point-and-Click, Hand-Drawn 2D, Whimsical, Environmental Puzzles. 86% positive across 4,790 Steam reviews.
Both lean into Point-and-Click, Hand-Drawn 2D, Single-Player, Whimsical.
A lesser-known kindred — Coming of Age, Dialogue Trees, Point-and-Click, Lighthearted. 92% positive across 4,619 Steam reviews.
Both lean into Campaign, Single-Player, Coming of Age, Dialogue Trees.
A lesser-known kindred — Point-and-Click, Hand-Drawn 2D, Lighthearted, Whimsical. 99% positive across 4,436 Steam reviews.
Both lean into Single-Player, Point-and-Click, Hand-Drawn 2D, Lighthearted.