Broken Mind Review

As someone that has written about games for a long period of time, I’ve got to experience many genres, sub genres, triple A games and indies. I have experienced the many wonderful creative talented studio’s efforts, ranging from huge developmental teams, right the way through the independent scene.

It’s in the independent scene, where you encounter and learn about the one person developers, and without a shadow of doubt, I can safely say with my hand on heart, the most unique gaming experiences have always been produced by games that have been developed with no more than a handful of people, and you can’t get no smaller than the unique developer Tony De Lucia who fronts the one person developer studio 2Bad Games.

I have played a few of Tony’s games (2URVIVE & Brutal Rage) since he formed 2Bad Games back in 2017, and they have always been crafted with passion, rich in detail, and have featured some amazing gameplay mechanics.

If you nail the gameplay, the rest will fall into place is a moto I’ve always loved, and I feel Tony always get’s the main part right when creating a game. Providing the player with such an experience, it proves difficult to lay the controller to rest.

With 2Bad Games latest effort, you assume the role of Agent Frank Morgan, a detective with a troubled history, in the film BROKEN MIND. You are tasked with looking into the case of a teenage girl who vanished after being kidnapped during a live Internet broadcast.

When Laura’s phone sends out a signal many miles distant in the heart of the forest, the inquiry is hastened, and it’s over to you to lead the investigation and find out what happened to Laura Campbell!

Do your research, investigate, obtain the clues, and solve the puzzles. Is Laura still alive? Only time will tell but be quick in this survival horror action film.

Broken Mind’s Unique Selling Points

• A narrative game with gameplay that mixes investigations, puzzles, and combat
• Follow the story from different angles, playing several characters with unique skills
• 7 actors and 1 music composer for a more powerful atmosphere
• An oppressive atmosphere, with a graphic style mixing 3D and handmade drawings

Setting the Scene

Everything begins with the disappearance of Laura, a young woman who was being kidnapped while streaming live online. The investigation is given to a detective who himself looks to be dragging a little weight in lack of enthusiasm, and this sets the stage for a game that alternates between action, narration, and a spooky atmosphere. The game portrays itself as a survival horror, but because it doesn’t rely heavily on jump scare techniques or overly graphic sequences, it will be especially suitable for the most sensitive players. You will move through exploration and fighting phases in the scenario to advance logically through your research and find the solution!

Clever Storytelling & Gameplay

Broken Mind’s formula fits the bill for an excellent story telling narrative experience, that hits all the right notes, and at the perfect pace, without dragging out the outcome. I don’t want to go in to detail about the ins and out’s of the investigation that unfolds, because I would love you to experience the game for yourselves. However, what I would love to try, is to give you an overview of what the game is, and just what I think of it in little snippets, rather than give it all away.

One of the major positives regarding this game is the imaginative storytelling used throughout the game. The live performance during which Laura vanishes and the fact that you can live in the front row by manipulating the character, is something I really enjoyed, and wasn’t expecting, it was a creative element that explored a damage mental feeling, that was executed perfectly, and really helped to set the tone creatively, exploring vulnerability, a sense of guilt throughout the opening level.

For the most part, the script works well; it contains elements that I have seen in other thrillers (Books and Film), but they are well-presented and allow for some good gameplay variations. As a result of all this, there are some research stages, not too difficult, but flow lovely and work really well within the story. Throughout the game you will encounter entities, having to fight your way through by choosing a melee action to strike the spooky enemy, or to make it eat lead with a shoot from your trusty sidearm (as long as you have ammo). And as with many games, if you have a collector’s spirit inside you, the game also features some hidden objects to find too.

Broken Mind is not the longest game in the world, with the credits rolling after about 3 hours, but what I love about the game time, is that there’s enough time for the plot to develop and run its course without any padding, therefore the game doesn’t have any repetitiveness to it, it just flows.

The Fights and Difficulty

The complexity of the game, particularly that of the fights, is another aspect of broken mind that I would like to Point out. And here’s a good point to talk difficulty first, because unlike many other games, Broken Mind doesn’t give you the ability to change the difficulty of your current playthrough should you be struggling on a certain aspect, and this leads me on to the fact that some battles did indeed make me work to advance, despite the game design offering very little options for attacking or defending.

The games fight mechanics provides a very small window of opportunity to advance, and perhaps predict the moves of your foes that will shortly be coming your way, thus giving you a sense of achievement when you progress, and perhaps sharpening your reactions along the way.

Verdict

Broken Mind is a very interesting game, packed full of passion, wonderful story telling, and a fairly unique experience that gathers pace, offering investigation, one or two atmospheric jumps and scares, and the odd fight here and there, mentally and physically.

A pleasure to playthrough, despite one or two niggles with strange save points, and the ability not to skip a cut scene, certainly if you have failed a few times, the game offers a test of the mind, and insight at times too when it comes to the Mind not functioning as it should.

Broken Mind offers the perfect, short, investigating mystery experience, why not give it a try today.