You Can Totally Write About Broken Age

Backers of the Double Fine Adventure Kickstarter, Broken Age, should be receiving their beta access codes today, two weeks ahead of the general public. In the project update, Double Fine emphasised that as a beta build, it will include bugs and localisation issues that they are currently working on.

In the “Marketing/PR Update” section of the project update, Double Fine included an embargo for reviews and a request not to include video footage beyond a certain section of the game.

“We’re also preparing to send out review codes to press, who will be under review embargo until January 27. This embargo also applies to any of you backers who are in the press or have blogs — we are requiring all formal reviews be held until January 27 at 10am Pacific time (6pm GMT). The same time limit applies to the press as to backers; everyone is in the same boat!”

and

“As you know, backers are getting access to Broken Age Act 1 before anyone else, so we request that you be sensitive to spoilers when discussing the game and releasing Let’s Plays and similar game footage.

To that end, we are requesting that any videos you release of the game be cut off after the Sugar Bunting Maiden’s Feast in Vella’s world and upon meeting Marek in Shay’s world“

These controls have annoyed many gamers that I know, who seem to have interpreted Double Fine as saying that people can’t write anything about Broken Age.

That’s not what they meant. The text refers specifically to “formal reviews”, so I got in touch with Double Fine to clarify things. Greg Rice responded:

“We’re allowing Let’s Plays up to a certain point, as outlined in the backer update. It’s okay up to the end of the Maiden’s Feast in Vella’s story and meeting Marek in Shay’s. After that we get a bit spoilery and want to save some of the fun until the game is out.”

He also confirmed that it’s fine to publish first impressions analysis articles, videos and basically any coverage that’s not a formal review (with or without a score).

Given that you can fix a lot of bugs in two weeks, especially with the power of 87,000 beta backers testing your product, I can see why they’d want people to hold off publishing scores until the final release build.

You want to write a blog post after playing the Broken Age Backer’s Beta? Go ahead.

Here’s a trailer revealing Vella, the female protagonist of Broken Age.