The Nerdy Type

Back before The Nerdy Type became what it is right now, I was still writing about video games in other places, and one of those games was Broken Relic. This gorgeous point-and-click is one of my most anticipated games of the next few years, and it has just begun its Kickstarter campaign. 

Dreamed up and created by solo developer Pablo Morales (better known by his online alias Sandpenguin), Broken Relic is a point-and-click adventure that feels every inch like the LucasArts games of old. Imagine the humor and style of Monkey Island injected into a fantasy world, and it all begins with a terrible first day at work. 

Broken Relic? More like beloved relic

It’s hard to really pinpoint the moment I realized just how special Broken Relic is. It might have been the point at which Tim gave his friend a washed-out cooking pot in place of a helmet, or when I solved a puzzle by talking to a pigeon. I was definitely already obsessed by the end of the demo when I accidentally unleashed a demon upon the world on my first day on the job. 

Between the voice acting, the humor of the script, and the gorgeous pixel art done solely by Morales, there are heaps of qualities in Broken Relic that perfectly exemplify why point-and-click adventure games will never go out of style. 

The demo alone is endlessly enjoyable. I’ve replayed it seven times in the last few months, at this point, I could speedrun the experience, but I never do; it’s worth savoring. With so much of Tim’s story still to come and the demo ending on a massive cliffhanger, Broken Relic is worth backing for any point-and-click enjoyer.

Retro-coded rewards

With Broken Relic being such a retro-styled game, it should go without saying that the rewards on offer for the Kickstarter are similarly retro-themed. The ‘Classic Big Box’ tier pledge will get you a delightfully 90s-style game box and a ‘floppy-styled USB’, whatever that means. All I know is that it looks like a floppy disk, and I’m old, therefore I need it. For nostalgia purposes. 

If you’ve got deep pockets and are feeling particularly generous, you could choose one of the two highest-tier pledges and get yourself in the game. The highest tier lets you become a voice actor for your character, too, which would be an insane experience for any fan of this glorious genre. 

This sounds like a paid promotion, but it absolutely is not. I’m simply a fan of the game, and the point-and-click genre in general, who fell in love with a demo and now wants as many people as possible to do the same. On that note, the demo of Broken Relic is still available to download and play through Steam, so you can experience the dreadful first day mishap that befalls poor Tim.