Edna & Harvey: The Breakout
- October 25, 2013
- Daedalic Entertainment
- 28h median play time
The extreme difficulty challenged me and I find it's dark and murderous charm quite infectious.
Get on Steam
Get on Apple StoreIn "Edna & Harvey: The Breakout," play as Edna, a young woman with no memory of her past who wakes up in an insane asylum. With her talking stuffed bunny, Harvey, by her side, Edna seeks to escape the asylum and uncover the truth about her past. Along the way, she encounters various quirky characters and must solve puzzles to progress. The game features hand-drawn animation and humor, making for a unique point-and-click adventure experience.
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Reviews
- The game features a unique and engaging story with dark humor that keeps players entertained.
- The characters are quirky and well-developed, adding depth to the gameplay experience.
- The game offers a vast amount of interactions, with unique dialogue for almost every item combination, enhancing replayability.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs and crashes, particularly in the English version, which can hinder progress.
- Some puzzles are overly complex and illogical, often requiring a walkthrough to solve.
- The graphics and interface feel outdated, which may detract from the overall experience for some players.
- story344 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The story of "Edna & Harvey: The Breakout" is widely praised for its depth, humor, and engaging characters, particularly the protagonist Edna and her stuffed rabbit, Harvey. Players appreciate the blend of dark themes with comedic elements, creating a compelling narrative that keeps them invested throughout the game. However, some reviews note that the story progression can be hindered by confusing puzzles and technical issues, which may detract from the overall experience.
“The game's charismatic characters and impressive storyline take players on a deep adventure.”
“The story itself, funny characters, and the ending were on point, 10/10, totally recommend!”
“The story is well written, and I was interested in finding out what happened to Edna, what's going on at the asylum, and meeting the other inmates.”
“But I dislike many of the story elements, as well as a few of the puzzles being completely confusing either in order or in understanding what the puzzle even needs.”
“The beginning was fun, but it changed more to a chore of finding the right combination to move forward in the story.”
“And there's my biggest complaint: the actions required to advance the story are sometimes very far-fetched and might become very tedious at times.”
- humor238 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in "Edna & Harvey: The Breakout" is a standout feature, blending dark and absurd elements with clever, witty dialogue that often elicits laughter. Players appreciate the game's ability to balance lightheartedness with serious themes, particularly regarding mental illness, while also providing a wealth of interactive comedic moments. Despite some technical issues and occasionally illogical puzzles, the overall charm and humor make it a memorable point-and-click adventure.
“But it’s the humor that stands out—balancing absurdity and slapstick without trivializing the seriousness of mental illness.”
“This adventure is a wild, thought-provoking ride, filled with memorable characters, clever puzzles, and a generous dose of dark humor.”
“The story and dialogue is a blast, not to mention it's hilarious.”
- graphics166 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the refreshed visuals in the anniversary edition for their vibrant, hand-drawn style that enhances the quirky atmosphere. While some players find the cartoonish art charming and fitting for the game's humor, others note that the graphics can appear rough or outdated, reminiscent of older point-and-click adventures. Overall, the visuals contribute positively to the game's unique character and storytelling, despite some technical issues and a few criticisms regarding their quality.
“For fans of the original, the anniversary edition offers refreshed visuals, with sharper, more vibrant hand-drawn environments and character sprites that breathe new life into this quirky world.”
“Eye-catching cartoon-style graphics offer players a unique atmosphere.”
“Truly a masterpiece with its cartoonish art style and charismatic characters.”
“The art style is cartoonish, rough around the edges, and looks hand-drawn with a mouse in paint.”
“It's rather old which shows in old-fashioned graphics, bad animations and rather uncomfortable controls.”
“From the graphics, I thought this game was much older than it was when I bought it - and the glitches that happened nonstop seemed to back this up.”
- gameplay68 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Edna & Harvey: The Breakout" is a mixed bag, featuring challenging puzzles and a unique mechanic called "temomorphing," but it suffers from sluggish pacing and technical issues like lag and crashes. While some players appreciate the charm and character of the game, others find the gameplay basic and frustrating, with unnecessary dialogue detracting from the experience. Overall, it offers a nostalgic point-and-click adventure feel, but its execution leaves room for improvement.
“Technical problems apart, I enjoyed both graphics and gameplay; sometimes riddles are tricky but well thought out. The game and characters mock the player, laughing with you and at you, creating an overall very enjoyable 'old school' experience.”
“Although it is not customary to talk about point-and-click games' gameplay, I feel like 'The Breakout' does something outstanding when it comes to player interaction.”
“The gameplay is very basic, and everything you expect out of a point and click, and the story is decently interesting and effective enough in its function, but this game's absolute greatest strength is just how much character and charm it has.”
“Edna & Harvey: The Breakout's challenging puzzles and sluggish pacing may hinder the gameplay experience at times.”
“This is a point-and-click game with some outdated mechanics.”
“Horrible gameplay, lags, crashes.”
- music64 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric quality and catchy compositions, enhancing the overall experience. However, some users noted issues with a limited soundtrack that tends to repeat, occasional sound errors, and the inability to adjust music volume relative to dialogue. Despite these drawbacks, many found the soundtrack to be a highlight, contributing positively to the game's charm and emotional impact.
“I really loved the soundtrack and the artwork of the game; it made the game even more atmospheric.”
“Music is atmospheric mostly, but there are several really nice melodic compositions.”
“Everything in this quest was beautiful – storyline, dialogues, characters, music, and humor.”
“The soundtrack fits, but as a lot of time is spent in some areas, it may get annoying.”
“English version does not show credits at the end, so you stare at a screen with music, wondering what happens.”
“Very limited soundtrack, pretty much keeps repeating a few select songs throughout the game.”
- stability58 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 97 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly impact gameplay, particularly in the English version. While some players find enjoyment in the story and humor, many recommend avoiding the game at full price due to its technical issues, suggesting it may be more playable in its Unity version or when purchased on sale. Overall, the consensus indicates that the game is plagued by stability problems that detract from the overall experience.
“The Unity version is bug-free and easier to control.”
“This game is decent, but this version is just a dated, clunky, and buggy mess.”
“The game kept freezing and crashing - you better be saving often, especially with some achievements; one of the puzzles glitches to impossibility unless you are playing in the original German; and no matter which ending you choose, the credits get borked to the point of restarting.”
“It's horribly buggy, dreadfully rendered, and (almost) entirely unplayable on default settings - definitely check out the community hub before buying.”
- atmosphere22 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by eye-catching cartoon-style graphics and a mix of atmospheric music, creating an immersive environment that evolves from whimsical to darker tones as the story progresses. Players appreciate the witty writing, engaging voice acting, and the unique blend of humor and tension, which enhances the overall experience. The captivating atmosphere, reminiscent of classic LucasArts games, is often highlighted as a key element of enjoyment, overshadowing the puzzle-solving aspect.
“The environment that delivers the game's story allows player interaction and creates atmosphere and immersion.”
“This is one of those games that starts as a strange adventure with non-obvious solutions that are better looked up but later on captivates you with its charming LucasArts-ish atmosphere and makes you lose all desire to search for the solution online.”
“This game at least has a creepy atmosphere, but there are no jump scares (unless you count this one part toward the end where Harvey sees the dad in creepy scenes that come out of nowhere).”
“Much of the enjoyment of this game is not in the puzzle completion, but more in the atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere becomes darker and more ominous as you progress through the game, which helps the story gain its tension.”
- emotional20 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game delivers a surprisingly emotional experience, with a story that is both funny and heartbreaking, particularly through the character of Edna. Players praise the exceptional voice acting and engaging dialogue, which enhance the emotional depth of the narrative. Despite some technical roughness, the combination of humor and poignant moments creates a memorable and touching journey.
“I didn't expect to be emotionally affected by the story as I was.”
“Edna's life is funny, insane, and heartbreaking, and you learn about what led her to being sent to this asylum.”
“Another point worth praising is the voice acting; Edna in particular is fantastic with some of the best emotional voice acting I've ever heard.”
- grinding12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Players frequently describe the grinding aspect of the game as tedious and repetitive, often requiring them to revisit areas multiple times to progress. This grind can detract from the overall enjoyment and charm of the game, leading to frustration and a sense of boredom. Despite these challenges, some players remain committed to finishing the game.
“It can be a bit grindy sometimes, but it adds to the overall experience.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding, but it's worth it for the rewards.”
“And there's my biggest complaint: the actions required to advance the story are sometimes very far-fetched and might become very tedious at times.”
“It's tedious going through all the areas of the asylum.”
“The charm of the game loses a lot of its luster when you have to go through a tedious section of it all over again.”
- optimization8 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is criticized for its poor performance in windowed mode, which is notably small and lacks in-game options, running at a low resolution of 800x600. Additionally, the requirement for Java is seen as a drawback due to its subpar performance. Despite these issues, the exaggerated character performances somewhat mitigate the overall experience.
“However, since 80% of the characters are insane, even the most hammy and ridiculous of performances feels appropriate in context.”
“Game warns that windowed mode may have performance issues.”
“Windowed mode is insufferably small by default, and I'm not going to bother trying borderless gaming with windowed mode just in case the performance issues are real.”
“It requires Java (which has rather poor performance), has no in-game options, and runs in 800x600.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Users highlight that the game's replayability is significantly enhanced, suggesting that improvements could further increase its playability. However, some express disappointment that, despite its potential, it feels like it could benefit from additional updates or patches.
“This makes the game 100% more replayable.”
“Even for a university project, you'd think there'd be a few patches to make this a little more playable.”
