A masterpiece in every sense of the word, from the art style to the gameplay.
The gameplay is incredible, and the fact that instead of dying, you can just rewind to before you died makes this game that much more tense and relaxing at the same time. Now, you have to play the game to understand that restarting the room or having lives would be incredibly frustrating after a while.
The art style in this game is so good I almost peed my pants when I first saw this, and the gameplay is so addicting that I find myself having dreams about it when I'm asleep and wondering why everybody else is moving while I'm standing still as I'm awake. The worlds are ingenious, and the way time reacts differently in each one makes you rethink you puzzle tactics not only in every world, but in every room.
The premise isn this game is a simple one, save the princess from the monster. Strangely, I found this much less cliche than a revenge or save the world plot. But the way the story is set out and presented is ingenious and clever. The tale of Tim and the princess and of Tim's personal life is incredibly well written and thought provoking. It makes you question the concepts of love and friends more so than almost anything else I have ever played.
But to get to the core gameplay, I have not much to say other than the fact that it is incredible. From the mind twisting puzzles to the excellent platforming and simple yet challenging bosses, braid excels in nearly every way possible that a 2D platformer(not to mention games in general)can. That being said, I do have one gripe with the gameplay in that some puzzles are just too damn hard. It's true I've never been that partial to or good at puzzle games(except this and portal), Many of the levels in worlds 3 and 6 are practically unsolvable. Even though Those are amazing and creative worlds, Many of the puzzles are way to hard to figure out. Some even depend on sheer luck and guess work. Like in world 2 where you have to move the puzzle pieces sp they create a platform for you to get the piece. Or in movement by degrees where you have to move the plants out of the monsters way, and you have to move almost inhumanly fast to get onto the ladder to move the final plant, and even then you must move quick enough to jump onto the monsters back before he falls on the spikes. But these are minor gripes, and without these challenges, the game wouldn't be much fun at all.
The final thing in this game, and the best, is the music. I don't know if its just me, but this is the single best game soundtrack I have ever heard. I love the composer more than I will ever love my first born child(to clarify, I'm fifteen and don't have kids). It is moving and beautiful music that almost brings tears to my eyes.
In summary, Braid is the best game I have played so far this year, and one of the best of all time. It is completely and totally worth the $15 price tag. Go buy and play, no, experience Braid. You will never forget it.