Broken Lens Review (PC)

If Wall-E (yes, Wall-E) has taught us anything, it’s that beauty, no matter its size, value, or connection with the universe, is often in the eye of the beholder, and that, vision, or simply lack thereof, is but a figment of our imagination, and not to mention a poor excuse not to analyze the real-world issues that orbit our lives on a daily basis. That was all real talk — and it came from the mechanical sockets of an old pile of junk, which just further illustrates my point: Wall-E, in spite of its polka dot eyes and its limited ability to see beyond the surface of its moral boundaries, knew the differences between a complete picture, and one that lacked the proper detail to convey a powerful message. And, as it turns out, those same moral values flow through a similar set of veins in Broken Lens, too.

Believe it or not, there is a reason for the sheer volume of Wall-E references that I’m mindlessly spouting here. First and foremost, there’s the protagonist—a robotic companion that, like the eccentric scrap-shifting hero, shares the same vision and hopes of being able to view the planet from a greener and eco-friendly perspective. Secondly, there’s the setting—an artificial world that’s as equally rife with peaceful landscapes as it is transparent pollution. Add the fact that there’s also an additional layer of intrigue embroidered into its sound effects and ambiance, and you’ve got the perfect combination of puzzle pieces and Disney-Pixar themes. Voila — it’s essentially Wall-E meets search and find on an interactive platter.

So, is Broken Lens actually worth playing, or is it one that’s better left for the back burner? Let’s talk about it.

Childhood Memories, Reborn

Broken Lens takes a leaf out of countless search and find books by way of adding the basic features that we’ve seen thousands of times before: missing objects, side-by-side comparisons, and a treasure trove of lost information and scattered pages with little more than a generic index to guide you towards the next allusive fragment. That, in short, is the basic setup for Broken Lens, which means, if you have ever played through just about any search and find game in the past however many years, be it on a virtual scale or on paperback, then you’ll no doubt feel right at home with this one. Why? Well, aside from it sporting a fresh sci-fi aesthetic and a plethora of quirky characters and what have you, the game is exactly what you’d expect it to be: a straightforward spot the difference puzzler. And that’s fine.

The story is simple: a small robot with one functional lens and one—you guessed it—broken lens, sets out to visit numerous locations and decipher the differences between each of the two perspectives. Simply put, you have one lens that can see the complete picture and all of its contents, and a cracked lens, which can only just about see a small portion of the same image, only with fewer details and inanimate objects. The goal of the game, really, is to spot the differences — and that’s about it. So, like I said, it’s a classic interactive search and find game with a Wall-E coating, nothing more, nothing less. The question is, does it do anything to elevate the blueprint? Eh — yes and no.

Spots & Stripes

As far as its signature gameplay mechanics go, Broken Lens has just the one primary feature: clicking. As it is indeed a point-and-click game by birthright, it doesn’t really stretch much beyond the basic rules that are written into the code. Typically, you will spend your time analyzing an image with a fine tooth-comb, and then highlighting various things, including missing objects, patterns, characters, and other intricate details. For example, in one scenario, you have two images stacked side by side, with each one depicting a small group of bots hovering over a selection of cubes, clouds, and vibrant floral patterns. In a case such as this, you’re looking to compare the two images with one another, and essentially siphon out the objects that are missing, whether it’s a missing stripe on one of the set pieces, or a single spot on one of the several clouds.

To make it absolutely clear, Broken Lens isn’t the most difficult search and find game, though it does feature its admirable share of complex puzzles. Well, I wouldn’t go as far as to say that these puzzles are on a similar wavelength as, say, Cats Hidden in Georgia, or even a Where’s Waldo iteration — because each of its scenes simply lack the same depth and scale of a full-fledged search and find map. What I mean to say here is that, while several of its subtle differences can be relatively tough to locate, at no point do they make a habit out of hiding behind copious amounts of unnecessary set pieces of components. What’s more, as each scene doesn’t require you to scrub and scroll through entire cityscapes and other detailed landmarks, it also means that you have more time to bathe in the simplicity of each scene.

A World of Wonders

Broken Lens’ heart and soul idles within its design—a vibrant and unique world that contains smooth and crisp blends of fluorescent colors, eccentric lighting, and unusual inhabitants. It doesn’t take much, either, to realize the sheer amount of tender love and care that its creators poured into the cauldron to produce it. Sure, its initial handful of levels are a little more flashy than the second or third batch, but that doesn’t change the fact that, from a viewer’s perspective, each locale still has its own extraordinary properties and unique twists, either stuffed into an ultraviolet light or hidden within various scrolls containing additional lore on the world and its origins. It helps, too, that each region possesses a soundtrack that’s enlightening and almost calming—two palatable pieces that pair perfectly with the simple yet elegant gameplay style.

Broken Lens isn’t one of those types of games that you’ll want to chomp through to eliminate your own hunger for high-octane action, or anything along those lines, for that matter. On the contrary, it’s a game that you’ll likely turn to after a hard day’s work, and one that you’ll stick around for for several hours, if only to bathe in its natural beauty and digestible UI. Again, it isn’t a demanding job, spotting several items on a checklist and sifting through some rathe generic puzzle pieces, but it certainly makes such things feel less of a chore and more of an enjoyable interactive experience. In other words, if you enjoy basic obstacles that don’t require any form of strenuous training to overcome, then you’ll no doubt be able to fall in love with Broken Lens rather quickly.

Verdict

Broken Lens doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel when it comes to tugging on all the same DNA strands of its literary counterparts, nor does it do anything that’s conceptually different than the average page-turning search and find game, either. And yet, even though it does aim to imitate a lot of the same basic mechanics as its adversaries, it still finds a way to establish its own form of identity through a solid collection of hand-drawn locales and characters. I’m not saying that it’s about to revolutionize the genre, or even the way developers approach it, but it certainly deserves credit for keeping the heart and soul of a timeless category alive and kicking. And that’s a rare find in this day and age, truly, what with the majority of the market gradually shifting away from point-and-click games in favor of other forms of entertainment and what have you.

Broken Lens is as cozy as it is colorful, and it’s arguably one of the easiest games to recommend to those who’ve yet to take a page out of the encyclopedia and experience it for themselves. To echo, it isn’t all that difficult, nor is it something that’ll take you countless hours to complete, either. Still, if you’re on the hunt for a genuinely interesting and relaxing ode to the world of search and find games, then you’d be right to plant your feet in the cozy boroughs of Broken Lens, for it does seem to have all of the appropriate tropes and tricks to keep you immersed — if only until you find something else to keep you busy between slightly more demanding puzzlers.