Игрок 9309·Рекомендует·21 ч в игре

(Originally written in 2019, as one segment of a three part review for YIIK, Hypnospace Outlaw and Broken Reality) Broken Reality plays very differently from Hypnospace Outlaw, but it's about many of the same ideas. Once again you explore a visualization of the early internet. This time not through a browser, but in the form of an actual 3D environment, all low poly, pastel colours, creative user avatars and crystalline dolphins. In other words, something that looks distinctly Vaporwave. Vaporwave, of course, being a very interesting cultural and artistic movement. that I could try to elaborate on, using fancy words like "hauntology", but that'd be time spent not actually talking about the game. Which is why I'd like to keep it brief: Vaporwave is the wistfully nostalgic cousin of Cyberpunk, something that seems inherently contradictory. A type of utopian dystopia. A state of comforting alienation. Zen Capitalism. The great shopping mall in the sky. Or if that's to poetic for you: The future you were looking forward to when you were a kid in the 90s and a teen in the 00s but never came. So, what is it you do in Broken Reality? You explore highly detailed environments that invoke early 3D games, vaporwave art and virtual realities like second live, solve puzzles, engage in some fairly simple platforming, solve quests and uncover some secrets, all in an attempt to earn "Likes". You have a variety of tools, among them the ability to Like things yourself, a credit card to aquire various items, a Katana that slashes through Malware and a grappling hook. There is a variety of environments. You start on a beautiful tropical island where you get most of your items, exploring it in a very Metroidvania-like fashion. You move on to a hubworld, enter a rather seapunk-y underwater temple, a colourful cruise ship and a large city. There are a few tricky puzzles in Broken Reality but those do little to detract from the joy of exploration. Artistically, Broken Reality is a triumph. Every single level feel is absolutely beautiful in an archaic way, creating nostalgic dreamscapes that effortlessly manage to evoke a feeling of sentimental nostalgia in me, and I like to believe I'm usually pretty resistent to that sort of thing. Fairly late in the game you enter an urban level amusingly named "Geocity", a rain soaked metropolis that made me feel homesick for a place I've never been to. That's what's at the center of Broken Reality. Web 1.0 as a type of Paradise Lost in the final stages of its own decay, a place we would all like to return to, but can't. Most of the nameless NPCs are undetailed humanoid meshes staring at their phones while actual activity seems very low with only a few veterans holding on. Broken Reality walks a thin line between comedy and melancholia, despite its longing for an internet that no longer exists, it's filled to the brim with blunt, sometimes downright vulgar, jokes and more or less obscure references. A mission in Geocity asks you to, literally, download a car and a stoned, rastafarian Sonic the Hedgehog fancharacter tells you that you "Gotta go slow". I won't spoil any more jokes but take my word for it when I tell you that there are plenty and a lot of the environmental gags involve some legitimately clever wordplay. It's hard to say what the point of Broken Reality is, exactly, beyond having you explore an interesting environment, having you laugh at its silly dad jokes and having you wallow in nostalgia for what might be the best 3D visualization of Cyberspace ever put to a visual medium. Looking back there is something very poetic to how we used to talk about the internet. It was a mystical place called "Cyperspace" which sounded exciting and ethereal as compared to the crude, materialistic "meatspace". The web was something you used to "surf", like a wave. It was a place where you could escape from reality. Things have changed. Now you can neither escape reality by going on the internet, nor escape the internet by enjoying Real Life. Reality has become blurred. Fractured. You could say... Broken. It's hard to say how much substance there actually is to Broken Reality, thematically and narratively. You do find out quite a bit about its world and what exactly happened to it, though there's no clear resolution to it the way there is in Hypnospace Outlaw. It ends on a pretty trippy note that raises more question than it answers and it does feel like there is a deeper message to the game. What it is, though, I can't tell you. It's open to interpetation. Overall it's my favourite of the three games I wanted to talk about in this thread though I'd hesitate to say that it's objectively a better game than Hypnospace Outlaw. Broken Reality is a more formalist approach to many of the same themes that HO explored. In Hypnospace, the story of its setting was told through its people. In Broken Reality the setting is the story. The remnants of the old Cyberspace as the ruins of a lost civilization. It's a world that's easy to get lost in and Broken Reality is a fairly long game for what's essentially a walking simulator. I'm not sure if you'll find it as compelling as I did but by all means, I think everyone should give it a try.

Игрок 0296·Рекомендует·20 ч в игре

This is a fun little 'collectathon'/ semi N64 style game in a humorous virtual world full of ｖａｐｏｒｗａｖｅ ａｅｓｔｈｅｔｉｃｓ. Doesn't take itself seriously, sort of GTA-style humor in the worldbuilding full of brands that are parodies of real life stuff. The game is also stuffed with 2010s internet references, so if you were online during that time plenty of little 'microjokes' around. The settings and vibe are hands down what makes this game, if you enjoy that vaporwave style ambience this is probably the best game out there for it. The gameplay itself is fairly simple and easy, bit of platforming that can get a little tricky late game, but nothing too difficult. When this game came out I got up to the part where you have to collect the mysterious triangles and lost interest, on a recent new playthrough I just pulled up the guide (if you open Guides in the steam overlay it should be right there) and had them all in maybe 5 minutes. It was no big deal. Getting the triangles also leads you into sort of secret areas, some of which have a bit of lore dropping to them. That leads into the final chapter of the game which is very... distinct, I regret not getting there the first time around. The ending admittedly I'm not sure I 'got' it/understood but that's ok. Makes for a good chill late night game when you're just trying to relax. If the screenshots and trailer appeal to you, what you see is what you'll get.

Игрок 8305·Рекомендует·10 ч в игре

☑ 好玩又有深度 □ 无深刻意义纯体验 我操他妈的，这个游戏后劲太大了。 首先说一下，这个游戏做得非常有意思。艺术做得非常好，但是你妈个逼的，这个游戏性做得根本不好。 为什么不好呢？ 首先就是它居然采取了一种我非常讨厌的办法：你在之后的关卡取得道具，然后再回去重新玩前面的关卡。 等于就是说，在我看来，这是一种非常讨厌的复用关卡的策略。 而且它最讨厌的是什么呢？ 最讨厌的是，你得把里面那个很难收集到的三角星收集起来。你不看攻略，你是没有办法收集到的，东西藏得太深了。 但是问题在于，你他妈的不把那个东西作为一个单纯的收藏品，可能给强迫症玩家收集用，而是把它作为打破游戏最后结局的一个必需品。 那这个东西就做得非常垃圾了，你要知道。 除了艺术以外，它的游戏性非常差。 还有就是，主人公走得你妈非常非常慢。 游戏本身还要重复游玩很多次，那你这个东西做得就根本是个垃圾。 所以你要做游戏的话，一定要参考这个游戏的一个规则：你这个人物不能走这么慢。 但是这游戏后劲儿真的太大了。 到最后，它从那个 2008 年的网络开始，然后一直往后走。 最后从那个恐怖的迷宫之中，就是那种 2008 年吓人的网站、模拟的那种迷宫里面逃出来，有点像那个 SM666。 从那里逃出来之后，最后在一个光的指引下，从机房逃出来，回到现实。 然后最后发现，我操，原来现实是如此的沮丧，他们的现实如此的不堪。 但是你同时也要正面现实。 最后就是把电脑给杀掉。 主人公可能和那个女孩有一个深刻的交往，但是最后没有办法，就把这个东西直接杀掉。 这个故事就是这样子。 整个游戏真的是让人感慨万千。 整个世界居然变成了如此这样，那也就没有办法好说了。 最后可能只能杀掉这个电脑。 这是最后的一关了。 欢迎订阅我的个人中英双语游戏鉴赏：A well-designed game with a deep, engaging story. 有剧情深度的，设计优秀的游戏评测

Игрок 8060·Не рекомендует

I like the art style and vibes, but holy motion sickness bro. Unplayable for me, and I see its the same for a few others as well. Man man. :/

Игрок 1566·Рекомендует·4 ч в игре

Visually, this game is a piece of art, a walkable Vaporwave-sculpture with puzzle elements if you will. I am in love with the atmosphere and I really appreciate the effort that must've gone into building this unique world. Textures alone are insane. It makes me want to frame screenshots on my wall.

Игрок 1626·Рекомендует·8 ч в игре

Great game that I definatly will come back to. If you like vaporwave and want to just get inside one - there's your chance.

Игрок 7731·Рекомендует·7 ч в игре

Broken Reality's aggressively colorful worlds, charming design, and wonderful soundtrack make it a great edition to anyone's library. It may be just a little rough around the edges but it makes up for it in charm and personality. You can tell the creator had a lot of fun making this.

Игрок 7489·Рекомендует·11 ч в игре

I loved the game until I reached the final part. The difficulty spiked to infinity and beyond so I can't finish the game at all. A shame because the rest is absolutely my jam. I still can't help but to love it.