Braid

A silhouetted figure stands just beyond the reach of a feebly glowing street light, the still-burning remains of a city silently flicker behind him.  Glowing embers twist and float around him as he slowly crosses the darkened bridge. The orange glow of the city and harsh yellow light of the street lamp slowly strip the shadows away from his face and body, but don’t dare touch the ones in his heart. The man takes one last look up at the night sky, the stars twinkling against the fiery glow, before facing the journey that lay before him. He must right the wrongs of the past, rebuilding the shattered pieces of his life like so many puzzles. Most importantly, he must find his princess and save her from the horrors of this place and so, with a final sigh, he enters the home.

So begins a masterpiece of art, music and gameplay innovation, Braid. Available on the Xbox 360 Live Arcade, Braid is a 2-D puzzle platformer that grants the player the ability to rewind time through control of the main character, Tim. While it’s not the newest idea, it is done uniquely enough to remain interesting and fun. There’s no limit to the amount that you can rewind in a level and you can even rewind to before you fell into that gaping pit of sparkling spikes. This feature makes puzzles that would be impossible in a conventional platformer laughably simple. Each stage either changes the rules of time manipulation or gives you a new ability to work with. Otherwise, they’re all very similar in purpose: Use your ability to muck with time to collect puzzles pieces and open various doors with ludicrously fragile keys, all in the hopes of finding your princess.

The story contradicts itself a few times, but is so open to interpretation, that it really doesn’t matter. Just when you think you’ve figured out who the Princess is, or that she may not be in the castle that you’re heading towards, you’re thrown for a loop. I’ve pieced together a handful of possible explinations, half of which seem to be completely and utterly different from what most forum-goers think. I’ll refrain from giving anything away in this review because I do think that everyone should experience the “Huh, but I thought he…” feeling that I went through playing this game. Most people won’t give a damn though, if for no other reason than the fact that what you’re seeing and hearing are so damned beautiful that it doesn’t matter what they’re trying to get you to read.

Braid is a gorgeous game. If you’ve ever wanted to walkthrough a watercolor painting, this is your chance. It brings back memories of What Dreams May Come’s visuals of heaven: Brush strokes and deep textures that help bring the levels to life. The soundtrack fits with it perfectly, each song matching the tone of it’s corresponding level.

There are a few flaws, but nothing bad enough to warrant skipping out on this incredible game. I know that if you’re reading this review, you’ve probably read or watched a dozen others with that same sentiment. It’s for a reason. Braid is well worth its fifteen dollar price tag, it’s lack of replay value or multiplayer is moot when you take into consideration what this game is trying to do. It’s giving the player something new, exciting and fun. It’s not rehashing a popular game and cranking out a profit from the mindless bastards that care for nothing more than headshots. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good mindless explosion fest, but for every Halo we need a Bioshock. This indie title is a good start. With any luck, it’s success will fuel more innovation than imitation.