Very Quick Tips: Broken Age Episode One

Solutions to select puzzles

Double Fine just released part one of Broken Age to Kickstarter backers this week, and it’s a big deal for multiple reasons. Not only is the game highly anticipated, but the Kickstarter itself was full of fanfare and controversy, mostly for splitting the game into two acts.

Our own Caitlin Cooke is plugging away for a review [which has since gone live], but in the meantime, here are some tips I’ve collected throughout my journeys in the world of Broken Age. Most of these are at the request of readers who got “stuck” in an area or two, but like all adventure games, I urge you to try and beat it by yourself, and only consult these tips if you really can’t progress any further.

Also, there are light spoilers abound, so if you’re not a backer and aren’t playing, come back after January 28 when the game is released to the public!

[Second spoiler warning, ho!]

Vella:

• Like many adventure games, you can double-click the sides of each map to “fast travel” to the next screen or walk faster. Pressing “I” will bring up your inventory (the key can be re-mapped). Using both of these will save you time.

• In order to get the grandpa to give up the goods at the beginning, go grab a cupcake, use it on him, then ask to “split it” with him.

• When you reach the clouds, you’ll need to ultimately put three golden eggs in the baskets on the left area of the screen. You’ll get one by putting cloud shoes on the ladder you obtain from the character on the right screen.

  The next egg you can just grab after talking to Jack Black’s character — to reach him, put a fruit from the top area in the left area’s basket.

  The next golden egg is trickier — you’ll have to fall on the character that’s stuck in the tree by jumping into the northern-most cloud pit on purpose. Then you’re free to grab the blue egg, and switch it for the golden one with the blue bird in the central hub.

• To enter the ceremony in the second village, you’ll need to talk to the guards first to get their holy tear gas gun. It’s kind of ambiguous since you need to select a certain option to get the object. Go to the chum bucket in town and fill up the gun, then use it on the maidens. To solve the guard’s riddle, you’ll need an item in the cloud village. Backtrack if you need to.

• To defeat Mog Chothra, you’ll have to blow out his legs three times, get grabbed on purpose, put the ladder in his mouth, then aim the laser at it.

Shay:

• Shay’s story is considerably easier (and shorter), but there are still a few confusing parts. At one point, you’ll to venture out in space outside of the airlock, and break free of your suit’s limitations.

  Take the can of compressed air and use it on your suit, then cut the cord with the knife found in the kitchen, and use the whipped cream gun found in the ice cream room. The controls are on the top left of the area found in space.

• In order to set course for Prima Doom, you have to attempt to go to the Cozy Cluster, then alter the star chart below the ladder manually with the crochet needle. If need be, you can use as you have the game windowed.