Parallel destinies 穿越平行世界的冒險

Like in fashion, trends in the gaming world are constantly evolving. The newfound popularity of point-and-click adventure game Broken Age can’t be a better example of this.

正如時尚風潮不斷變化，游戲領域亦是如此。最好的例子莫過于游戲界的新寵——指向點擊類游戲《破碎時光》。

At the end of last month, Broken Age Act 2 was released to a solid review from IGN, a gaming and entertainment website. IGN describes the game as “smart, fun, [and] challenging” and says the whole game “ushered in a new era for the point-and-click genre”. First released in early 2014, Broken Age Act 1 was developed by Tim Schafer, a US game designer. It tells the stories of a man and a woman leadingparallel lives.

上月末，游戲與娛樂網(wǎng)站IGN不負眾望，發(fā)布了《破碎時光：第二章》。IGN這樣描述這款游戲：“機智有趣、極富挑戰(zhàn)”，并表示整款游戲 “開辟了指向點擊類游戲的新時代。” 《破碎時光：第一章》于2014年年初發(fā)布，由美國游戲設計師蒂姆•謝弗研發(fā)，講述了一男一女生活在平行世界中的故事。

Vella is a young woman who rejects her fate as a sacrificial lamb to the beast called Mog Chothra, while Shay is a lonely young man on a spaceship who wants to escape from a boring life and do something grand.

女主薇拉與命運抗爭，拒絕成為怪獸莫格•徹斯拉的犧牲品，而男主謝伊則是一個乘著宇宙飛船的孤獨年輕人，他想要逃離無聊的生活，去做一些大事。

Most enjoyment lies in the game’s puzzle design. With a minimal use of menus, the puzzle-solving process is streamlined. You just click and drag the items to use them on various objects.

此款游戲最大的樂趣大部分源于開發(fā)者對謎團的設計。在盡量減少菜單設置的情況下，解密體驗十分順暢。你只管點擊、拖動各項目來完成所有任務。

Unlike Act 1, “the puzzles in Act 2 are much larger, more complicated tasks, but most of the time that means the reward for solving them is that much sweeter,” Marty Sliva, an IGN editor, said.

IGN編輯馬蒂•斯里瓦稱，“相比《第一章》，《第二章》中的謎團更大，任務更復雜，但是大多數(shù)情況下，這也意味著解開謎團獲得的獎勵會更豐厚。”

In Act 2, these two characters switch positions. “Vella continues to develop as a determined and strong character. Meanwhile, Shay’s experience with being duped makes him particularly well-suited to deal with Broken Age’s cast of supporting characters,” US game magazine Game Informer noted.

《第二章》中的兩個角色轉(zhuǎn)換了位置。美國游戲雜志《游戲快訊》指出，“薇拉將依舊是個堅定堅強的角色。同時，謝伊被騙的經(jīng)歷讓他尤其適合與《破碎時光》的配角們打成一片。”

The game’s visual design is also impressive. The coloring and animations have a chalk-like texture, creating an almost tangible feeling, IGN said. In an age when most games are designed with 3-D models, its 2-D design evokes a sense of nostalgia.

游戲的視覺設計也很讓人欽佩。IGN表示，游戲的色彩及動畫極富質(zhì)感，給人一種身臨其境的即視感。在這個大多數(shù)游戲走3D路線的年代里，這款2D游戲更掀起了小伙伴們的懷舊情緒。

Though the game is relatively simple, featuring fights and escapes, it still manages to present a story with deep connotations. The narrative addresses themes we can all relate to, like loneliness, sacrifice and growing up, Sliva wrote.

雖然游戲內(nèi)容相對簡單，以打怪和逃跑為主，但是它仍成功呈現(xiàn)出一個內(nèi)涵深刻的故事。斯里瓦寫道，故事的主題與我們息息相關，比如：孤獨、犧牲和成長。

All in all, like global game magazine PC Gamer wrote, “as a nostalgia trip, a casual adventure, and a world to explore, it’s pleasant and very pretty company”.

總之，正如全球游戲雜志《電腦游戲》所描述的那樣：“它是一次懷舊的旅程、一場偶然的探險，一個可以去探索的世界，它還是你有趣可愛的小伙伴。”