Broken Reality Switch Review – The Game Slush Pile

Broken Reality is an adventure game set in a futuristic internet called NATAM. Most everything in the game is a parody of the internet in some form, humor abounds. The goal is to rack-up likes to get to various worlds. And you’ll need a whole lot of them. Fortunately, they are literally lying around to be picked up, but can also be gained in other ways, like quests. Unfortunately, Broken Reality suffers from a lack of purpose and a clear direction. There is a plot, but its not central to anything until the end. Each of the 4 major worlds, Domo Paradiso, Aquanet, Love Cruise 64 and Geocity, have their own little plots, but none of them are particularly engaging. This wasn’t a game I put down in five minutes, but it wasn’t something I’ll go back to. But first lets be positive.

The Good in Broken Reality

Broken Reality is a puzzle-centered adventure game. There is no combat here. You have six items. First is your interactor, which is used to interact with most everything. Second, is a katana sword used to slash away pop-up adds and malware. Next is credit card used to buy things and get likes out of machines. Then there is a hyperlinker, which is a grappling hook used to grapple to points. You have a camera, used to take pictures and solves puzzles. Finally, is a bookmarker, which sets a point, then you can jump back to it. A lot of puzzle rely on that. All of them are introduced in a Domo Paradiso, your first area, which is nice. Only the glitch lens for your camera comes later. All the puzzles in Broken Reality revolve around those six items and none are particular taxing, which is nice.

Also nice in Broken Reality is the world building and humor within each of the worlds. Every one of them is different. Aquanet is an underwater computer. Love cruise 64 is a cruise with drunk passengers and many of the puzzles revolve around serving them. Geocity is a rundown cyberpunk city with distinct areas. The humor is there, and doesn’t really rely on specific memes, which have shelf-lives and have brought down other games. The attention to detail is great and helps bring the worlds to life.

Now the bad

There is a plot in Broken Reality about two feuding creators but I’m not given a reason to care much or a reason why I’m involved in this. Each area has mini-plots, like Aquanet’s plot is to active three hidden signs in three temples to escape. Geocity’s plot is to get enough money to get into the VIP section. Love Cruise 64 has you collecting room keys to get into the VIP rooms… and that’s about it. Geocity, probably the most involved and intricate area, is left towards the latter half. When I got there and realized it is just more collecting, cash this time, I didn’t care to continue because my reason to care had left the building. Yes, I didn’t finish this, but that’s the point, I should have a reason to finish, especially in a seven-nine hour game. I felt there wasn’t one. Once a game feels like chore, I leave.

Conclusion

Broken Reality has a great premise, exquisite world building and mostly good puzzles. It just suffers a clear lack of focus and purpose. There’s no overarching quest, no grand reason to keep going. It felt like just busywork to get enough likes to get to the next world. Maybe there’s a point at the end of this, but it didn’t appear fast enough to grab me. Which is a disappointing, because the game is otherwise good. Now the score: I’ll give Broken Reality a Your Mileage May Vary verdict with an eight back-end score. I went into this expecting something great, and left kind of disappointed. If this sounds up your alley, then great. Its not something I’m going back to finish.

Overall: Broken Reality has a great premise and world building. It just lacks purpose and a clear vision to drive you to the end.

Verdict: YMMV

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