Broken Pieces

67%
Game Brain Score Based on 146 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Broken Pieces Game Cover
Broken Pieces is a nostalgic mystery adventure that feels like it might be missing one or two components still.
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"Broken Pieces" is a gripping narrative-driven adventure game that explores the aftermath of a tragic event in a small town. Players will uncover secrets, solve puzzles, and navigate complex relationships as they search for the truth. With its atmospheric setting and immersive story, "Broken Pieces" offers a memorable and emotional gaming experience. No information available on the game's release date, developer, or publisher.

  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Cloud
  • NVIDIA GeForce NOW
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

67%
Audience ScoreBased on 146 reviews
story48 positive mentions
grinding10 negative mentions
  • The game features beautiful graphics and a captivating atmosphere that immerses players in the coastal French setting.
  • The puzzles are engaging and well-designed, providing a satisfying challenge without being overly difficult.
  • The story is intriguing, with a unique narrative style that unfolds through cassette tapes and environmental storytelling.
  • The combat mechanics are clunky and unresponsive, detracting from the overall experience and feeling unnecessary.
  • The ending leaves many questions unanswered, resulting in a sense of dissatisfaction and an incomplete narrative.
  • Frequent backtracking and a lack of a map can lead to confusion and frustration during exploration.
  • story128 mentions

    The game's story is generally regarded as intriguing and atmospheric, with many players appreciating its mystery and the unique method of storytelling through collected tapes and clues. However, criticisms arise regarding the pacing, lack of clarity, and an unsatisfying ending that leaves many questions unanswered. While the narrative has potential and engages players initially, it often feels rushed or directionless, leading to a mixed reception overall.

    • “The story is engaging as you play the character Elise.”
    • “The story is interesting for the most part, but unfortunately, the ending feels anticlimactic and unrewarding considering the buildup.”
    • “The game has a unique way of storytelling which I liked so far; it drops you in the middle of nowhere without telling you why you are here or what happened, but slowly it reveals pieces of the story by finding hints and clues during your gameplay, which adds to the mystery of the game.”
    • “A plot that explains nothing at the end.”
    • “The story has a lot of potential but seems to drag and ultimately falls flat.”
    • “The story hinges on a mystery, though, and it's a bit of a slap when the storyline neither advances nor clarifies any of that mystery.”
  • gameplay45 mentions

    The gameplay in "Broken Pieces" features a mix of exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat, but it is often criticized for its clunky mechanics and repetitive nature. While the puzzles and atmospheric elements are praised, many players find the combat frustrating and the backtracking tedious, leading to a lack of motivation to progress. Overall, the game shows potential with its intriguing story and unique mechanics, but it suffers from a disjointed integration of gameplay elements that detracts from the overall experience.

    • “The gameplay was satisfying and the puzzles were not overly difficult but felt rewarding to complete.”
    • “The game has several time and weather manipulation mechanics.”
    • “What makes these base mechanics interesting is the attempt to set it all on a concept of a daily schedule and light survival features.”
    • “This game could be a lot more and a lot better if it didn't opt for unnecessary gameplay elements like inventory management, time management, and, last but not least, extremely clunky combat mechanics.”
    • “The puzzles feel obscure and overly complicated with frequent backtracking for seemingly trivial things (the night mechanic forcing you to go back to the house at the end of every day is frustrating).”
    • “The tacked-on crafting and survival mechanics are pointless and shouldn't be in the game at all.”
  • graphics37 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received generally positive feedback, with many reviewers praising the beautiful visuals, detailed environments, and captivating atmosphere. While some noted issues with optimization and repetitive design elements, the overall aesthetic quality is considered impressive, especially for an indie title, and is often compared favorably to modern games. Additionally, features like weather changes and various camera options enhance the visual experience, making it a highlight for players.

    • “The graphics are absolutely gorgeous on ultra settings.”
    • “The (unreal engine) visuals are absolutely splendid - the game reeks of the refined, sedate decay of a beautiful little fishing village whose prime has long past, yet still retains a vibrant (though now, suddenly missing) community.”
    • “If you enjoy a puzzle game with a mysterious back story and hauntingly beautiful graphics, this is the game for you.”
    • “Also, the game is poorly optimized as even after turning down a lot of graphical details, my GPU continuously ran at max heat.”
    • “Graphics = 6/10”
    • “I found this game to be disappointing in part because the graphics are nice and it does a pretty good job of mimicking an older Resident Evil type game.”
  • atmosphere29 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning visuals, nostalgic feel, and immersive sound design, often compared to titles like "Life is Strange" and "Silent Hill." Players appreciate the beautifully crafted environments and the emotional depth conveyed through music and audio elements, which enhance the overall experience. However, some critiques mention that while the atmosphere is compelling, it is occasionally undermined by narrative and gameplay issues.

    • “Some of the otherworldly sights on display in this game are stunning, often resembling paintings in texture and atmosphere. I found a bit of that upended when the game shed light on some of its inner workings, though I understand it may not have been the intent of its developers to obscure every aspect of the narrative.”
    • “The best things this game has going for it are its incredible atmosphere, sound design, and original soundtrack.”
    • “In my opinion, the game is worth playing for the atmosphere alone, and the well-crafted mystery adds to its appeal and helps make up for the combat.”
    • “It's a shame because the atmosphere set is right, the protagonist is likable, and the story could be much more fluent and enjoyable to follow if it weren't for those elements, which look like they don't even belong to a game like this.”
    • “Some of the otherworldly sights on display in this game are stunning, often resembling paintings in texture and atmosphere, so I found a bit of that upended when the game shed light on some of its inner workings, though I understand it may not have been the intent of its developers to obscure every aspect of the narrative.”
    • “The combat is awkward (a common problem for indie fixed camera games!) and the narrative ends somewhat abruptly, but elsewhere, the experience of fixed multicam survival-horror-lite is absolutely worth playing for its sense of place and time (1991, a fictional remote coastal French village!) and the lonely, wistful atmosphere conjured by audio diaries and sad Gallic rock.”
  • music21 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread praise for its quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many players highlighting the enjoyable original soundtracks and the immersive experience provided by listening to in-game tapes. The sound design complements the visuals beautifully, creating a captivating environment that encourages exploration. While some players noted a few character-specific songs as less appealing, the general consensus is that the music significantly contributes to the game's charm and engagement.

    • “The sound direction is amazing and the music fits perfectly.”
    • “I thought the music was phenomenal!”
    • “The music, especially the cassettes you can listen to whenever you want to, are wonderful and honestly the most fun parts of the game are when you're exploring the streets with one of these playing and just soaking up the atmosphere.”
    • “Sound is also exceptional; the tapes you listen to are all trippy musically, or fitting when other unique (but unmet) characters are introduced.”
    • “Finding tapes and playing the music you like was a neat angle.”
  • grinding10 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is generally viewed as frustrating and tedious, with players noting excessive backtracking and combat that feels unnecessary and poorly integrated. While the game features an intriguing story and beautiful music, the repetitive nature of exploration and combat detracts from the overall experience, leading to a mixed reception.

    • “Frustrating, tedious and ultimately disappointing.”
    • “The environments are large and while you unlock shortcuts through the village, a lot of the time the game will have you going back and forth between points to get items/find locations, and it is pretty tedious.”
    • “Overall, Broken Pieces is a great looking and sounding game marred by fairly needless combat that feels bolted in to hook more players in and some tedious backtracking-esque exploration.”
  • stability5 mentions

    The game's stability has been criticized for frequent bugs and glitches, particularly when entering new areas or interacting with storage features, leading to crashes and a generally frustrating experience. Reviewers noted that the game appears to have been released without thorough testing, resulting in a clunky and unreliable user interface.

    • “Sometimes the UI becomes buggy when entering new places.”
    • “Interesting storyline and very good graphics, but the game was not fully checked for errors, problems, and glitches before being released.”
    • “Weird, clunky, annoying - I would even say buggy (the game crashed two times while my storage box was open).”
  • optimization4 mentions

    The game's optimization is mixed; while some players experience high performance with settings like DLSS, others report overheating issues with their GPUs even at lower graphical settings. Overall, the visuals are praised, but there are notable concerns regarding optimization.

    • “Visuals are really good, and performance-wise I didn't have any issues. I turned on DLSS and was getting at least 150 FPS in most cases with a 3090 at 1440p resolution.”
    • “Performance/price = 8/10 (spent a nice time with a cheap price).”
    • “Bit unoptimized, but it's fine.”
    • “The game is poorly optimized; even after turning down many graphical details, my GPU continuously ran at maximum heat.”
    • “It's a bit unoptimized, but it's fine.”
  • humor2 mentions

    The humor in the game effectively balances the emotional weight of the narrative, providing a necessary respite without becoming overwhelming. Puns and lighthearted moments serve to protect the protagonist's sanity, enhancing the overall experience while maintaining a connection to the serious themes.

    • “Puns and humor are there to balance and protect her sanity from the toll the events have taken on her.”
    • “She had big shoes to fill being the only living, present character in the story, and the emotions ranged from serious to bits of humor that never got on my nerves.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    Players appreciate the emotional depth of the game, particularly the immersive experience of returning to the house, which enhances their connection to the world. However, there is a desire for a deeper exploration of the protagonist Elise's emotional responses to the unfolding events.

    • “I loved having to go back to the house from time to time; it felt real and made me feel like I was truly a part of that world.”
    • “I also wanted to get more of a sense of how Elise is emotionally affected by everything that’s happening.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

70% average critic score

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Play time

3hMedian play time
3hAverage play time
3-3hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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