Broken Age Act 2; Silverpoint; Omega Quintet, gaming reviews: Plenty of twists and turns

From a successful Kickstarter to a missed opportunity for greatness

The protagonists in Broken Age are generally likeable

Broken Age Act 2

***

PS4, Vita (£19.99)

Broken Age started life as a successful Kickstarter when Tim Schafer of Monkey Island fame decided to try a point and click adventure game again. As the mechanics of an adventure game are so simple they live and die on the story. Broken Age does a reasonable job of weaving an interesting story with twists and turns and two generally likeable protagonists. It's certainly worth a look; however, it may be more worth your while to check out Schafer's wonderful and recently re-released game Grim Fandango.

Jack Fleming

Silverpoint

**

iOS (Free)

It is hard to think up new ways to promote your product nowadays, I get that. So the popularity of ARGs (Alternate Reality Games) as a promotional tool has really taken off in recent years. An ARG is a mystery players solve through a combination of virtual clues and sometimes physical exploration. Silverpoint is on the surface a rather tedious and repetitive puzzle game that unlocks a story as you complete levels. The game eventually reveals locations that you can visit in real life to further progress the story. Worth a look if you live in London.

Jack Fleming

Omega Quintet

**

PS4 (£54.99)

The Verse Maidens are supposedly a satire of Japanese idols: "cute" teenage girls who sing and dance while destroying monsters in front of TV cameras. While manga comics have often portrayed girls in skimpy clothes, this game takes it to ridiculous levels. Sadly, it's great fun. After sitting through all the abhorrent cut scenes, there's actually a decent turn-based battling system, but it ends up feeling like a missed opportunity for greatness. There's a solid foundation underneath the overlong story, repetitive missions and hyper-sexualisation just waiting to be found.

Jack Shepherd