Braid

"Almost Flawless. ALMOST."

Simply put: players who download Braid as a trial may feel cheated. Sure, the graphics are gorgeous, and yes, the gameplay may feel engrossing right off the bat. But players who judge Braid on its 20-ish minutes of free play are missing something grand.

Broken down into its basics, Braid seems very simplistic. Its beauty aside, it uses a very simplistic Mario-world-esque gaming design. Platforms, enemy bouncing, even the time reversal has been seen before. But the ingenuity of the game design and the overall beauty of the art direction takes it places no platformer has ever been (at least not this affordably.)

Cliched or not, Braid presents its players with a sound fairy tale premise: save the Princess. It even gives a humorous nod to its platforming roots: "The princess is in another castle."

Yes, another castle. But Braid offers much more than that.

The art direction alone is amazing (more on all this later.) The music always fits the laid-back mood. But it is the key dynamic of Braid that makes it stand alone.

Time Travel. Yes, there are many games that use reversal of time as a game mechanism, but where Braid goes that few games has gone, is with the issue of objects that don't reverse in time when the player does. Objects highlighted in green do not stop or reverse when the player reverses time. This is the key to the game's puzzles: placing the character in a position timely enough so that he can take advantage of a quirky object that allows the solving of puzzles through thinking on two levels: interacting with objects that reverse time as you do, and those that don't. Unfortunately, the free demo does not explore this much, but the next level does. Additionally, progression through the story does not require perfect puzzle solving, but the compulsion for perfection is high.

A lot has been said of this game, and as I don't want to waste the ear of the player, here are the numbers:

GRAPHICS 10/10

The graphics evoke a sense of hand-drawn, watercolor art. In an era where the goal is good textures, believable polygon counts, and limb-lighting, normal mapping, etc. it's refreshing to see a game that does in 2D what no game has yet managed to do in 3D. It's simplistic, beautiful, and stunning.

AUDIO 10/10

The music is slow-paced and beautiful, perfectly matching a thinking man's game such as this. The sound effects are simple but lend the right amount of quirky to this title, such as the rabbits that meow. Trust me, it never feels out of place.

GAMEPLAY 10/10

The simplistic platform playing style is refreshingly old-school, and the time reversal dynamic adds an edge not seen very often, if ever. This game throws curveballs at the player; for instance, a puzzle built in the background actually become part of the foreground, as a platform visible in it actually can effect gameplay.

REPLAYABILITY: 7/10

This is the only area in which I cannot give Braid a 10/10. Sure, the beauty of Braid is worth repeated plays; but the puzzles must, essentially, be solved the same way every time. For the player looking for a new challenge, Braid provides none after a successful play. But for the experience, it is worth a second or third run.

ROBUSTNESS: 10/10

Braid's visual and audio elements provide a very good, believable world. Though it may feel derivative for the first few minutes, it quickly departs from the norm. Regardless of how many games its fundamentals may have derived from, it is different enough to provide a compelling play through that fans of puzzles and platform games alike should both enjoy. It's world is all-inclusive, and any question a player may have is moot. Braid is Braid, and nothing feels out of place.

OVERALL: 9/10

For anyone intrigued by this review, yes, Braid is worth the price. Scratching your head is part of the experience. This game is amazing: the individual elements are simple, but the sum is more than the whole of its parts.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/23/09

Game Release: Braid (US, 08/06/08)