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Braid
Written by: Grant Hatchimonji
An independently developed puzzler that's sure to go down in the history books of gaming.
It's easy to get caught up in all the other elements of video games (graphics, sound, gameplay) and forget the cornerstone that makes the truly great titles: creativity. "Braid," an independently developed, 2-D, side-scrolling platformer, takes a feature that has been used in games before—the ability to rewind time—but brings it to a whole new level of creativity, creating an interesting, unparalleled experience as a downloadable title on Xbox Live Arcade and PC.
The story of "Braid" is a classic fairy tale, albeit an unorthodox one. You play as the protagonist, Tim, who has made a "mistake"—which is not revealed to players at the start of the game—and must save the Princess. As you progress through the game, your goal is to collect puzzle pieces that you assemble to form images telling the story of Tim's past. In addition to the completed puzzles, there are also books that you can glance over before entering each of the game's worlds that offer more insight about Tim, his relationship with the Princess, and what put the two of them in this situation.
The somber melancholy nature of "Braid" is primarily due to this story. As you learn more about Tim, you cannot help but be moved by the tragic nature of his character and his flaws. Without spoiling anything, I can safely say that the ending of this game—in terms of the plot—concluded one of the most incredible and tragic stories I have come across in all of my gaming. The end is admittedly vague in many senses (developer Jonathan Blow has stated in articles that he intentionally made it ambiguous so it can be subject to interpretation), but in some ways that's the best part about it. Just like any good book, movie, or other form of media, the story of "Braid" is subject to a number of different interpretations, each as equally intriguing as the last.
On a slightly related side-note about the story, the game also features sustained references to the Super Mario series of video games, which offers some clever humor to relieve the sadness that pervades "Braid." Given that you are, after all, playing a platformer and trying to rescue the Princess, you often finish levels by raising a flag at a castle, only to be told, "The Princess is in another castle." These kinds of references to Mario are sure to bring a few grins to faces of not just hardcore gamers, but anyone who is remotely familiar with the Mario franchise.
The references to Mario come from the fact that "Braid" appears to be a simple platformer, but after just a couple of minutes it becomes apparent that this isn't the case at all. The game is broken up into five worlds (plus a final stage and an epilogue area), each of which contain the puzzle pieces that are spread over multiple stages within the world. Though your goal of collecting the pieces may seem straightforward, the difficulty ramps up quickly as you learn of different ways that you must use the game's time manipulation feature to obtain all of them. Initially, your only ability is to rewind time, which does mean that technically, you never die in "Braid"; you just go back in time to wherever you were before jumping into that pit of spikes. Things get complicated as you progress through the worlds, however, and soon other elements come into play, like scenarios where time only progresses when you move to the right (and goes backwards when you move to the left); instances where keys, enemies, or even Tim are immune to the reversal of time; or the ability to produce a doppelganger that mimics your last performed motions after you turn back the clock. Later on, you gain the ability to drop a ring that emits an aura that slows down objects the closer they get to it, and eventually you reach a point in which everything is moving in reverse except you.
At first, I was a little irritated that I was given no explanation as to what was going on each time one of these new gameplay elements was introduced, but eventually embraced it as part of the game's challenges. It's uncomfortable, it's difficult to get used to, but there's something about that "What the hell is going on now?" feeling that intrigues you and urges you to push forward. It gets to the point where each time a new bizarre facet is brought into play, you don't get frustrated; you're filled with a sense of wonder and want to learn how to use it to your advantage.
The game's propensity to throw you into the water to see if you sink or swim is not its greatest challenge. That honor goes to the puzzles of "Braid." Similar to other games that introduce deep, innovative formulas (e.g. "Portal"), "Braid" forces you to think outside the box. This isn't a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat platformer or action game (save for the final level, which is just incredible); rather, you'll find yourself on more than one occasion sitting back from your keyboard, analyzing all of the elements of the level's environment, and figuring out how they can lead you to the next puzzle piece.
And while the game's puzzles are difficult and mind-bending, they are the perfect balance between challenging and frustrating. Yes, there were a couple of puzzle pieces that took me about 45 minutes to obtain (per piece), but never once did I get angry. The process of solving the puzzles in "Braid" produces a huge feeling of satisfaction and achievement when you succeed, and very little disappointment when you fail. "Braid" is the type of game that encourages experimentation of all kinds—especially considering the fact that you can't die—and in many cases, you'll find yourself engaged in the most fun sessions of trial-and-error that you've ever had. No idea is too far-fetched when playing "Braid." In fact, the most outlandish ones are the very solutions that will get you each of those puzzle pieces that are just out of reach.
As you play through, there's no sense of feeling rushed or hurried, and much of this relaxed atmosphere can be attributed to the game's soundtrack. Blow did not create an original soundtrack from the game; he used licensed music from Magnatune artists Cheryl Ann Fulton, Shira Kammen, and Jami Sieber. The songs are very soothing and easy on the ears, primarily featuring soft harp and violin playing, and they're all lengthy so as to go unnoticed by the player when they eventually have to loop. Rarely is classical music like this the soundtrack to a video game, but it fits well here with the somber nature of the game.
Like the game's soundtrack, the art style of "Braid" is also unique and refreshing, blending well with the game's mood and ambiance. The various worlds and areas that you traverse all take on a distinct look, all of which are colorful but not overly bright with the soft hue akin to a watercolor painting. Tim and the creatures he comes by have a hand-drawn look to them, but they, too, come off as more elegant than cartoonish. The way the visuals in "Braid" blend together shows that a PC game doesn't have to push your specs to a blistering maximum to look elegant and beautiful.
The game's only flaw—and I mean only flaw—is its length. It only takes about five or six hours to beat, as long as you don't struggle too much with the puzzles, and the only other thing you can do besides the main story are speed runs, which are unlocked upon the game's completion. Speed runs just offer a goal time for you to beat a certain level in, and even if you succeed, there is no reward whatsoever. Also, there aren't even speed runs for all of the games levels; only a handful. While this may not seem terrible for a download title, it isn't that great of a deal considered with the fact that it costs $15 (up from the usual $10 for games like this) and has barely any replay value.
"Braid" is one of those games that you just have to experience. It's a seemingly straightforward platformer, albeit with the ability to rewind time, but an excellent story and some creative, inspired puzzles make this a much deeper experience than any other downloadable title—and some retail titles—out there. It's sad when it's over, which is far too soon, but it's the type of game that will stay in your mind for quite some time.
Score: 9.2/10
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