Info about Broken Lens:

Official game description:
  
**Broken Lens** is a relaxing game where you will discover the story of a little robot with a sight problem.  
Gameplay
--------
Inspired by the classic game of our childhood "spot the differences", Broken Lens allows you to renew the experience with a new exploration system.  
Move the point of view and zoom in to travel through works of art to find and get rid of the differences between your two visual sensors.  
Take your time to explore the artworks. Don’t forget to pay attention to the smallest and the biggest details, anomalies can be hidden anywhere.  
Collect the lost pages scattered across different biomes to know more about this world!  
Features
--------
*   \- A relaxing wholesome experience  
*   \- Travel thought artworks with a smooth exploration system  
*   \- Adorable creatures and environments  
*   \- Relaxing journey where you play at your own pace  
*   \- Various worlds to explore  
*   \- Hidden pages to collect  
*   \- A rich and extremely cute universe  
*   \- Escape to a peaceful world  
*   \- Investigate to help the little robot and understand its background
Development team
----------------
Team RUN is a tiny team of French indie dev composed by a combination of effort from EncreMecanique, Hephep, Malyss, Welrod, Yomoeh and Mellyfroggy.  
EncreMecanique, known as a tattoo artist, now wears a new hat as graphic designer. Every single element of Broken Lens is hand-drawn.  
On the other hand, Hephep is involved as our game developer. With meticulousness, he designed a new exploration system and a smooth gameplay to renew the experience of spotting the differences.  
Malyss, our narrative designer, is the one who gives the game its singular sparkle and strong overall cohesion to the little robot’s story.  
Welrod, our sound designer, polished the tiniest details for a perfect immersion.  
Yomoeh, implicated as the music composer. He brought his magic touch to harmoniously complement the project. His captivating music compositions and soundscape will allow you to have an enchanting experience.  
Finally, Mellyfroggy, allied to the team as social media manager. She’s our voice on different platforms and globally on the internet.

Release date: Jul 22, 2024

Categories: Hidden Object, Perspective-based Puzzles, Exploration, Collectibles, Relaxing and Cozy Gameplay


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $3.99 - $9.99
  - Reasoning: The evidence describes the game as having a small price tag and being worth the price both on sale and at full price, indicating that the community considers a low to moderate price point appropriate. The short length and spot-the-difference genre suggest a typical indie budget price range, so a fair base price likely falls between $3.99 (common sale floor) and $9.99 (full price acceptance).
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 10.0h
  - Story completion: 6.0h
  - Session length: 1.5h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The Spanish review directly states base game duration is 5-6 hours and 100% completion is 10-12 hours. Two other reviews confirm 100% completion around 9-10 hours. Session length is indicated by the phrase '1-2 hour sessions'. No reliable evidence for endgame hours; the translation/extended playtime mentioned is not quantified. Thus, game completion is set to 10 hours (typical 100%), story/campaign completion to 6 hours (base game), session length to 1.5 hours (midpoint of 1-2), and endgame is null.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Players find initial enjoyment in the notes and secrets, but the fun quickly drops due to click registration issues and a tedious, boring game loop. No specific time-to-fun anchor is available.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Discovering notes and secrets
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: Click registration issues; Tedious difference-finding; Boring game loop; Confusing abstract shapes; Initial worry about being too easy
  - Unlock drivers: N/A
  - Conditions: Exploration mindset focused on notes and secrets; Casual play avoiding 100% completion; Acceptance of abstract shapes
- Player Archetypes:
  - Secret Hunter / Completionist (buy)
    - Motivation: Uncovering every hidden secret and achievement in a relaxing setting
    - Playstyle: Meticulously scans scenes for hidden objects and interactables, often replaying or solving puzzles outside the main spot-the-difference loop
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: completionist; secret finder; achievement hunter
    - Reference games: I Spy; Where's Waldo; Hidden object games
  - Cozy Chill Spotter (sale)
    - Motivation: Relaxation and enjoyment of cute visuals and soothing music
    - Playstyle: Plays at a leisurely pace, focused on finding differences and appreciating the art; often plays alone or with family
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: cozy gamer; relaxation seeker; casual puzzle lover
    - Reference games: Spot the Difference games; Hidden object casual games
  - Frustration-Averse Critic (no buy)
    - Motivation: Expects polished mechanics, clear design, and a consistently engaging experience
    - Playstyle: Begins with interest but abandons play due to accumulating frustrations; sensitive to usability and art quality
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: quality-focused player; easily frustrated; discerning gamer
    - Reference games: N/A


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Excellent spot-the-difference gameplay (weight 0.4): Players consistently praise the core spot-the-difference puzzles as entertaining, challenging, and varied. The rewarding feeling of finding differences is a highlight.
- Beautiful art and visuals (weight 0.39): The art style, including cute, colorful, and beautifully drawn graphics, receives frequent compliments. The visuals are widely considered a strong positive aspect.
- Great music and soundtrack (weight 0.32): Reviewers appreciate the incredible, cool, and pleasant music that enhances the overall soothing atmosphere. The soundtrack is a key part of the experience.
- Overall high quality game (weight 0.21): General positive feedback describes the game as very good, beautiful, decent, and pretty. It provides a satisfying overall experience.
- Well-designed hint system (weight 0.18): The hint system is praised for its thoughtful cooldown mechanic and lack of penalty, allowing players to progress without frustration. It builds towards a free hint, adding convenience.

Common complaints:
- Extremely subtle and hidden differences (weight 0.9): Many reviewers report that differences are often pixel-perfect, minuscule, or hidden in hard-to-spot locations, making them nearly invisible even with hints. This leads to excessive squinting, frustration, and reliance on hint systems.
- High difficulty and frustration (weight 0.73): The game is consistently described as very difficult, with no learning curve and erratic difficulty ramps. This leads to frustration, burnout, and the feeling that the game is not suitable for casual or relaxing play.
- Parallax and camera angle issues (weight 0.47): The parallax effect and camera angle adjustments hide objects behind layers, requiring players to move the viewpoint or change angles to find differences. This is described as frustrating, causing random clicking and making some differences inaccessible without adjustment.
- Story and language barriers (weight 0.44): The story is described as cliché, predictable, dark, or confusing, with a French-language notebook that requires translation. Some players found the lore complex and the ending unsatisfying, while others noted a lack of incentive for cipher decryption.
- Hint system limitations (weight 0.41): The hint system has a long cooldown, often highlights a large area that moves with the camera, and sometimes fails to pinpoint the exact location. This makes hints insufficient or unhelpful, particularly for hidden or parallax-obscured differences.
- Tedious 100% completion and secrets (weight 0.32): Achieving full completion or finding all secrets is described as tedious and not fun, with some secrets being nearly impossible without external help. The secret puzzles require interpreting unclear clues, translating French, and patience.
- Click registration and touch issues (weight 0.29): Players report that clicks often do not register on first attempt, requiring multiple taps or precise positioning. This includes buggy touch detection, needing to click several times on an item before recognition, and click registration failures on obvious differences.
- Eye strain and fatigue (weight 0.28): Prolonged sessions and the need to squint at extremely small or subtle differences cause significant eye strain and fatigue. Some reviewers mention needing breaks or eye drops, and the game is described as causing migraines or motion sickness due to moving layers.
- Confusing or incomplete registration of differences (weight 0.24): There are instances where differences do not load correctly, requiring a restart, or clicks on highlighted areas do not register. This includes buggy behavior where the hint registers a click but the difference is not visually seen.
- Performance and optimization issues (weight 0.23): The game has poor optimization, causing high CPU usage, overheating on laptops, lag, slow menu loading, and even heating up high-end GPUs like RTX 4060. This impacts playability and session length.
- Differences hidden behind objects or layers (weight 0.19): Several players report that differences are placed behind objects like mountains or covered by layers (e.g., a robot covering a missing dot). This makes them invisible until the viewpoint is adjusted, adding frustration.
- Not suitable for casual players (weight 0.19): Multiple reviewers emphasize the game is not relaxing or cozy, but frustrating and try-hard. It is recommended only for patient players and not for those easily frustrated or seeking a casual experience.
- Inconsistent difficulty across levels (weight 0.12): Difficulty ramps up erratically, with some levels requiring only half differences while others require all. This inconsistency, combined with a lack of learning curve, adds to frustration.
- Layer complexity and migraines (weight 0.12): The amount of layers and moving objects causes motion sickness, migraines, and makes the game painful to play. The depth of field complicates searching.
- Time investment not worthwhile (weight 0.12): Some players feel the time spent on the game was not worth the frustration, leading to a sense of relief when it ended. The game is described as burning out players.
- Camera bounce and screen shake (weight 0.08): The camera bounces at edges, making it difficult to spot and click differences. Additionally, screen shaking and noise when clicking are noted as annoying.

Gameplay feedback:
- Core Spot-the-Difference Gameplay (weight 0.96): The game is primarily a spot-the-difference puzzle where players compare two images to find discrepancies. The genre is repeatedly described as find-the-differences with variations like parallax layers and progressive difficulty.
- Parallax Layering and Depth (weight 0.83): Many reviews highlight parallax scrolling layers (foreground, midground, background) that require perspective movement to find differences. This adds a unique visual depth mechanic to the traditional spot-the-difference gameplay.
- Increasing Difficulty Curve (weight 0.81): The difficulty scales as the game progresses, with later stages featuring more cluttered scenes, darker colors, and differences that become extremely small or hidden behind objects. Players report that concentration is key.
- Relaxed and Cozy Experience (weight 0.76): Despite challenging puzzles, the game is often described as relaxing, with soothing music, no time pressure, and easy-to-learn mechanics. It fits the cozy game genre and can be played in short sessions.
- Hidden Secrets and Lore (weight 0.66): Players can find secret notes, diary pages, and meta-puzzles that unlock a deeper story or lore. These are often hidden within scenes and require deciphering fictional alphabets or codes.
- Hint System with Customization (weight 0.41): The game includes a hint system that can be adjusted in size, cooldown, and reveals the search area without pinpointing exact differences. Some versions have a green dot or a movable circle with three sizes.
- Narrative and Story Elements (weight 0.33): The game incorporates a narrative, often revealed through collectible journal pages or a hidden story. Some versions have a post-apocalyptic theme or a heart-wrenching final section. However, a few reviews note story is absent.
- Deciphering Alien Text (weight 0.26): Notable feature involves decoding alien or fictional language from notebooks, sometimes that translates to a real language. This adds a puzzle layer beyond finding visual differences.
- 100% Completion and Achievements (weight 0.26): Achievements often incentivize thorough exploration and collection. Full completion unlocks story content or extra stages, but is reported as very difficult.
- Zoom and Camera Controls (weight 0.25): A zoom function and camera adjustment allow players to pan and examine scenes more closely. Some reviews note that zoom is limited to a central area, while others mention its utility in finding fine details.
- Collectible Items and Pages (weight 0.21): Players collect notebook pages or diary entries often hidden in scenes. These are optional but contribute to lore and secrets, sometimes requiring translation.
- Multiple Biomes and Levels (weight 0.19): The game features multiple biomes (e.g., 6 biomes, 5+1) with many stages each. Levels have variations in scenery and difficulty, with around 600 total differences across all levels.
- Technical and Interface Features (weight 0.18): Additional features include touch-based detection, Steam Deck compatibility, save every 30 seconds, and a competitive multiplayer mode. The hint circle can have adjustable size.
- Comparison to Other Games (weight 0.15): Some reviews compare the game to I Spy, Where's Waldo, or similar hidden object puzzles. It is considered a specific genre for puzzle fans.
- Short but Engaging Playtime (weight 0.11): The game is relatively short, estimated between 5-10 hours or about 8 hours. It can be completed in 1-2 hour sessions, but full collection extends playtime.

Performance notes:
- Plays well on Steam Deck (weight 0.12): Multiple users report that the game is verified for Steam Deck and runs perfectly on the platform. This is a strong positive signal for mobile/console-like play.
- Slow loading times on levels (weight 0.12): Multiple reports highlight long or very slow loading times when entering and exiting levels and menus. This appears to be a recurring performance bottleneck affecting user experience.
- Overheating issues on Mac (weight 0.11): Several users report that the game causes the Mac to become very hot after extended play, which could indicate insufficient thermal optimization for that platform.
- Hints cause performance lag (weight 0.06): One user noted that a specific hint in the game triggers lag, suggesting a minor in-game trigger issue that may need optimization. This is a low-frequency but specific technical complaint.

Recommendations:
- Great for spot-the-difference fans (weight 0.4): Many reviewers highlight the game as ideal for people who enjoy find-the-difference or hidden-object puzzles. It is especially recommended for fans of spot-the-difference games with beautiful landscapes.
- Good value for price (weight 0.35): Reviewers frequently mention that the game provides solid entertainment for its cost, especially when bought on sale. Some even recommend it fully at full price.
- Relaxing and cozy experience (weight 0.22): The game is praised as a calming, low-pressure title perfect for unwinding or playing before bed. It suits those seeking a reflective, chill atmosphere rather than intense action.
- Suitable for all ages and groups (weight 0.18): The game is described as appropriate for solo play, families, and children (with some help). It works well for multiplayer sessions with anyone, regardless of age.
- Great visual challenge and detail scrutiny (weight 0.14): Those who enjoy examining images closely and searching for hidden details find the game rewarding. It appeals to fans of visual puzzles like I Spy or Where's Waldo.
- Not for action or high-difficulty seekers (weight 0.14): Several comments warn that the game is not suited for players looking for fast-paced action, overt challenge, or easy, relaxing gameplay. It may frustrate those who get easily annoyed.
- Not recommended for new genre players (weight 0.12): Some suggest that if hidden-object puzzles aren't your style, you won't enjoy this game. It is best for existing fans of the genre.
- Ideal for short gaming sessions (weight 0.1): Players appreciate the game for quick, relaxed bursts of play, making it perfect for killing spare time or engaging in short, satisfying sessions.
- Good for collection and achievement hunters (weight 0.05): One reviewer specifically notes the game is well worth going for all achievements, implying it has satisfying completion goals.
- Caveats about difficulty and translation (weight 0.05): A recommendation comes with warnings about the game's difficulty and poor notebook translation, which may affect the experience for some players.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.27): Players frequently reported extreme eye strain and difficulty spotting differences due to tiny, pixel-perfect, or parallax-hidden details, often requiring hints that failed to register clicks. Poor optimization caused overheating, high CPU usage, and unplayable performance on systems like the RTX 4060 and Mac, leading to uninstalls and refunds.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.12): Players enjoyed the game's innovative parallax mechanic, charming art style, and cozy soundtrack, which together create a unique and satisfying challenge. The abundant stages, hidden secrets, and community-driven lore discovery added significant depth and replayability.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.11): Players felt satisfaction from the balanced difficulty and customizable hint system, which preserved the joy of discovering tiny differences on their own. Uncovering the deep lore, hidden story, and secret endings through careful exploration and theorycrafting was particularly rewarding.
- Relaxation (weight 0.09): The game was widely described as calming and perfect for winding down, thanks to its beautiful visuals, chill music, and zen-like atmosphere. Many players enjoyed playing before sleep or during short sessions to relax.
- Disappointment (weight 0.08): Disappointment stemmed from poor optimization causing overheating and unplayability, as well as a monotonous BGM and overly creepy areas. Some players felt the story became cliché or predictable, and the lack of post-difference animations diminished the experience.
- Excitement (weight 0.07): Players were excited by the presence of charming characters like frogs and robots, the intricate secret system, and the joy of decoding a hidden lore book. The Twitch integration and community fun during streams also amplified the excitement.
- Appreciation (weight 0.05): Players appreciated the refined art direction, intelligent use of parallax, and well-considered details in menus and design. The hidden narrative and finely detailed artwork were frequently praised as cool and well-crafted.
- Admiration (weight 0.03): Players admired the clever hint system design, the beautiful art style, and the subtle, moving story. The excellent graphics and sound were noted for creating admirably atmospheric worlds.
- Pleasure (weight 0.03): Players found the game very agreeable due to its chill atmosphere, great music, and nice levels. The overall universe and art style contributed to a pleasurable experience.
- Boredom (weight 0.02): Some players felt bored by the monotonous color palette by later chapters, and the core game loop became repetitive without a learning curve. The declining art style and lack of engagement led to loss of interest.
- Affection (weight 0.02): Players felt affection for the cute robot protagonist and the touching story of the planet and robots. Discovering the lore deepened their emotional connection to the game.
- Curiosity (weight 0.02): Curiosity was sparked by hidden secrets, lore to decode, and an undisclosed extra feature. Players were motivated to decipher the game's writing and piece together its story.
- Sadness (weight 0.02): Sadness arose from the heart-wrenching final level, an unhappy story ending, and a generally melancholy background narrative. Some players simply did not have a good time overall.
- Joy (weight 0.02): Players experienced pure childhood fun and joy from sharing the game with family, enjoying a cozy and chill experience with cute robots. The game was described as SO GOOD and pleasant.
- Calm (weight 0.02): The game's calm, meditative tone, lack of time pressure, and nice music helped players regulate their mood. It was particularly noted as helpful for individuals with AuDHD.
- Surprise (weight 0.02): Players were surprised by how captivating a spot-the-difference game could be, exceeding expectations with its deep storytelling and unexpected amount of content.
- Beauty (weight 0.02): Players praised the beautiful overall game design and puzzle design, highlighting the visual and artistic quality.
- Relief (weight 0.02): Relief came from discovering the game was not too easy or boring, and a sense of closure from finally completing the experience.
- Gratitude (weight 0.02): Players expressed gratitude to the developers for creating a beautiful and moving game, appreciating the overall experience.
- Delight (weight 0.02): Delight was found in the surprises within the art and storytelling, the adorable color palette and art style, and the perfectly balanced music and challenge.}