Journey of the Broken Circle is a game about a broken circle. The broken circle in question is having a bit of an identity crisis as he’s looking for his missing piece. A piece which, when found, would make him whole again. On his journey, our incomplete friend is going to come across other entities like talking balloons, an angry tree, and a pinecone (I think, I don’t actually know what the character Sticky is I just assume he’s a pinecone) Some entities like Sticky, fit perfectly in the gap of our circle.
These friends we made along the way allow for different types of puzzle-solving and platforming mechanics to be displayed before us. The puzzles themselves serve as a small but enjoyable challenge. Your reward for every micro-obstacle you come across is some pretty fun dialogue. This dialogue varies from the circle talking to themselves like a doofus. The circle and their current partner having a conversation. And if you come across another NPC that just wants to vibe with you for a minute.
The story shown to us is a good one. It starts off as an adorable game about a shape feeling a little stinky about not being a complete circle, to later dialogue in the game talking about existentialism. Maybe this game is trying to tell us that Hell is Other People™ as sometimes your partners turn out to be not as compatible as you think.
This game relishes in its gorgeous, simplistic art style. Clean vector-y shapes cover the screen with small flourishes of color and particles to all tie itself up into a neat little package. Nothing in the game looked ugly and that is due to the heavy stylization. You aren’t in an environment for too long until you get swept away into another equally gorgeous one.
To complement the visuals and the overall chill vibe of the game the music is the nail in the coffin for your immersion. What I mean by that is the music is so good it’s like you’re playing the game alone in an echo chamber or coffin. A coffin designed for Journey of the Broken Circle.
Journey of the Broken Circle presents itself confidently as a game with a clear beginning, middle, and end. It’s a game you play for the immersion and story and if that’s the criteria the game has set itself out to meet then I believe it has done so pretty well. Whether it is fun puzzle-platforming, great music, and picture-book-Esque visuals. Journey of the Broken Circle has it all. Oh and let’s not forget the nightmarish existential crisis our protagonist goes on.
Roll on little Circle.
I give Journey of the Broken Circle an: