Instead of blowing a zombies head off, one finds themselves solving puzzles and following a story to be invested in. A point-and-click adventure carried by witty writing and intricate puzzles. Sound familiar? Probably not. Over the years, these games have “died”… or so they say.

Broken Age is a new adventure game from the mind of the well-known point-and-click adventure games Monkey Island and Grim Fandango, gaming icon Tim Schafer.

Schafer’s small studio, Double Fine Studios, founded in 2000, specializes in characters and  stories. The small business is known in the industry for stressing the story instead of the normal nowadays of gore and glory.

To fund this game, Schafer did something a little crazy, proposed an idea to fans and launched a Kickstarter campaign. Kickstarter is a platform where creative projects and ideas are funded through the direct support of fans. In the hopes of  being able to produce even the simplest of games, the Double Fine goal was $400,000. Fans managed that goal in a little over eight hours. By the end of the campaign, 87,142 backers pledged over $3 million dollars for a Schafer adventure.

Because Double Fine vowed to bring the adventure game back to life, and certainly received the money to do so, they have documented the experience. The Double Fine Adventure is a 20 episode documentary produced by 2 Player Productions, recording the creation process.The documentary provides an in-depth look into the gaming industry and the trials and tribulations of the creation process.

The game was released in two separate parts with Act One releasing on January 14, 2014, followed by the release of Act Two on April 28 2015. The game hosts amazing 2-D artwork and a star cast including Elijah Wood, Jack Black and Jennifer Hale. Although released in separate parts, the game now sells in a singular purchase; with previous purchasers receiving the second part through an update.

Broken Age is a game that follows the story of two young teenagers, Vella and Shay living in two seemingly different worlds. Vella lives in a town where young maidens are sacrificed every 14 years to a monster known as Mog Cothra. Shay’s lives his life on a spaceship with his overprotective computer mother. Both begin to ask questions, and neither exactly like what they find.

This coming-of-age story is a beautifully presented puzzle game that leaves players memorized by the world Schafer has created. While some locations seem repetitive and some early puzzles easier, the game is an overall amazing experience. This game bodes well for the future of adventure games, and I truly hope it brings the genre back to prevalence.

The witty, beautifully hand drawn graphic game is a breath of fresh air in the “Call of Duty” and “Assassin’s Creed” era. The puzzles prove a challenge and the writing carries those sometimes frustrating “unsolvable” periods. Broken Age is available on the following platforms for purchase: PlayStation 4, Android, PlayStation Vita, iOS, Microsoft Windows, Ouya, GNU/Linux and Mac OS. For more information, visit the games’ website: www.brokenagegame.com.