Broken Rules
Broken Rules is a game development studio located in the heart of Vienna, Austria, in the Museumsquartier. Our mission is to create games that innovate while maintaining broad accessibility. Our games focus on originality, simplicity, refined game mechanics and rich interactivity. We regard video games as important cultural achievements and seek to make every game a new and meaningful experience that lingers in your mind long after you've powered down your computer. We value quality over quantity, a healthy and sustainable work-life balance, an inclusive work environment and advocating the significance of games as cultural media.
Broken Rules at a Glance
Broken Rules is an Austrian studio founded in 2009 and based in Vienna. They have released nine games on PlayPile, acting as a developer on eight titles and a publisher on six. Their catalog spans from the late 2000s through 2022, with most of their output appearing in the 2010s when they released six games. The 2000s saw one release, while the 2020s brought two more titles. This shift shows a slower pace of production as the company moved into its second decade of operation. The studio focuses heavily on Puzzle and Indie genres, with five games in each category. They also lean toward Adventure, which accounts for four of their releases. Their work appears across many platforms, with six games available on PC and five on both Mac and iOS. Linux support reaches three titles, while console presence is lighter with two games each on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. Quality varies across their portfolio. The average IGDB rating sits at 64.9 based on five rated titles. None of their games achieved a great score above 80. Four titles fall into the good range between 60 and 79, while one game landed in the mixed category. Their top-rated title is And Yet It Moves from 2009, which holds a score of 75. Old Man's Journey followed with 68.3 in 2017. Other notable entries include Chasing Aurora at 64.7 and Gibbon: Beyond the Trees at 61.4. Secrets of Rætikon sits lower at 55. Recent releases like Vitriol and Eloh do not yet have high-profile ratings listed, but their scores align with the general trend of solid but not exceptional reception. The company states a desire to create original games with simple mechanics that serve as cultural achievements. Their bio emphasizes quality over quantity and mentions a focus on sustainable work practices. This approach likely explains why they released only one game in the last three years after a burst of activity in the mid-2010s. Players looking for clever puzzle experiences will find their earlier works like And Yet It Moves to be their strongest offerings, while later titles show a consistent but modest level of reception.
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