Braid single handedly redefines the limits of Xbox Live Arcade, and brings gamers a journey unlike any seen before.
Braid will catch the player right off the bat with a beautiful opening screen featuring lead character Tim silhouetted against a burning cityscape. At first this game seems like a classic Mario platformer. The player can jump on Goomba-like enemies, there are murderous plants coming out of tubes, and each level ends with Tim arriving at a castle only to be informed that the princess is hidden elsewhere. While it may seem derivative at first glance, Braid's similarities to Mario are only superficial and act more as a homage than anything else.
Braid is first and foremost a puzzle game. On every level of the seven-world game there are a certain number of puzzle pieces to be collected. While it is easy to get from world 2 to world 7 in under ten minutes, the player wont see the final level, and understand the depth this game has to offer unless he goes for those elusive puzzle pieces. Getting the pieces isn't necessarily difficult from a mechanical stance, that is, the actual jumping to the puzzle piece isn't hard. The trick is getting past various obstacles that block the player path. To do this the player must manipulate time.
On the second (the first the player plays) level reversing time is used mostly to fix platforming errors. Mistime a jump and the player can just rewind and try again. The player can rewind time all the way back to the beginning of the level. While this may seem like it would make the game too easy, I can't stress enough that the challenge of Braid isn't the platforming.
Once the player gets to the second level the proceedings reveal themselves to be more interesting and deep than previously believed. Here, some items, say keys or doors, aren't affected by time. So, for example, if the player were to jump into a pit and pick up a key normally he would have to jump his way out. If there was no way out, the player would have to reverse time, but this of course would eventually cause him to rewind to before he picked up the key. However, if the key is unaffected by time, it will stay in the player's hand regardless of how far back the player rewinds. Therefore the player can rewind out of the pit and still have the key. These types of puzzles permeate the remainder of the game. Each level adds its own wrinkle. In one time moves forward when Tim moves right and backwards when Tim moves left. In another Tim can place a bubble in the world that will slow down time within its vicinity. Because of these slight changes the game manages to stay interesting all the way through.
If Braid were merely a puzzle game it would still be great, but it is more. Unlike some modern games, it challenges and frustrates, and also unlike those modern games the feeling of accomplishment when the player beats Braid is almost palpable. After trying to solve a devious puzzle for two hours, that elation one feels when it all finally clicks is worth playing the game by itself. But Braid is more than a puzzle game. Braid is the greatest argument so far for the games as art movement. It isn't only the painterly graphics and haunting, ethereal score. No, it's the combination of these elements, and the gameplay mechanics, and how they mesh with the story. Initially Braid seems like a classic tale of a man seeking to make right the wrongs of his past by saving a damsel in distress. After completing the game, though, the player finds the experience is so much more. Without spoiling anything, a revelation on the final level makes the player reevaluate every preconceived notion about Tim and his journey. It's a sorrowful and heartbreaking conclusion to what started out as a very simple story. After the final level the player is treated to an epilogue that features something unheard of in gaming. Braid may be the first game whose entire story is an allegory for something completely different. It's unique in an industry whose stories are so often superficial or meaningless.
But even more amazing is how these complex symbols merge with the gameplay. In Braid the player rewinds time, fixing his mistakes and making what is essentially a perfect run. In the story Tim is trying to rewind time to fix his past mistakes with the girl he loved. So in a sense the actual mechanics of the game are a direct extension of the story. So whereas some games feature mechanics that are completely out of sync with the universe the game is set in, Braid's universe and mechanics are one in the same. Braid is the ultimate merger or form, function and meaning, and it is because of this connection that Braid excels beyond almost any game before it in the long battle to prove that games are truly art.
Braid is essential gaming. It takes the simplest of controls and adds continuously complex mechanics that are easy to understand but difficult to master. Every level twists the very constructs of the mind as the player attempts to navigate his way around a devious puzzle. Whether it be a puzzle piece stranded high in the sky, a seemingly unreachable platform, or an unopenable door, every moment leads to another mind bending task that rewards with an incredible sense of achievement and leads to an incredible finish.
Braid's worlds can only be described as moving paintings. Deceptively simple, levels feature excellent animation, incredible design, and perfect color, in what can only be called one of the greatest achievements in 2D sidescrolling history. Tim himself is detailed and lovable. Little touches like his red tie and curly hair add to his connection with the player. And while levels may not be as varied as in some games, Braid is short enough for this to not matter, and indeed it delivers a sense of cohesion missing in some titles.
The music in Braid can be described as ethereal, haunting, beautiful, soothing, moving and at times heartbreaking. This is great because there is no voice acting in Braid. The sound effects are all solid with the thump of Tim's feet when he lands being a highlight. Also the killer cat bunnies have to be one of the most inspired enemies in quite some time. In addition, both the music and sound effects sound great when slowed down and reversed. It adds incredible tension when every effect has a slow, deep resonance to it.
And like other short puzzle games Braid doesn't overstay its welcome. Just when the player starts to feel bored the game comes to a close. That doesn't mean there isn't more to do, as those who want the true ending can search for the hidden stars and attempt speed runs for achievement points. When all is said and done there are a good 10 hours worth of game here depending on your skill level. Honestly some players will beat this game in only a couple hours, while some will find themselves stuck on a single level for quite some time.
Overall Braid is an groundbreaking triumph. It turns the tables on those who argue that games can never tell compelling narratives or offer deep symbolism. Not only that, it has a striking art style, gorgeous music and plays better than any game in recent memory. In a year of numerous disappointments, Braid is a pleasant surprise. It cements the legitimacy of download services as a platform for indie developers to reach an audience, and proves that not every game has to be a gruff and rough shooter to be a success. Play this game.