Braid isn’t the kind of controversial title that will get parent’s groups and politicians up in arms. No, it’s the kind of game that splits up the gaming community, between those that see their favourite pastime as a game and those who look for there to be a higher meaning. Either way, there’s always something about independent games released into the mainstream that seems to get the gaming critics going. While there is a level of pretension to Braid that may cause a few to grumble, the merit in the gameplay is undeniable.
Braid starts off by giving you the impression that you’re playing a Mario clone. The main character Tim is off on a quest to find “The Princess”, while moving around similar environments with rather familiar enemies. However, the game is actually a whole lot more. Very quickly you discover that you have the ability to rewind time, though aside from actually being a key gaming mechanic, its purpose is to allow you play without the need to restart the level. That, and it gives you ample time to figure out how to do things without worrying too much about the ‘enemies’.
It starts off simple enough....
Divided into six different worlds, each with several ‘rooms’, if you play the game like the platformer that it initially makes itself out to be, you can “traverse” each world very easily. But that’s missing the whole point. Along the way there are a bunch of puzzle pieces that need to be collected. Collecting all twelve and piecing them together to “solve” each world is the way to play. As simple as this may sound, actually getting each piece presents a unique challenge.
Now this is where not only the game sets itself apart from being a platformer, but establishes its credentials as such a hot topic. Braid can only be described as a puzzle/platformer, as the perspective is merely a vehicle for some of the most clever and well designed gaming puzzles seen in some time. Not only this, but with each world, the game constantly evolves and innovates, requiring the player to adapt to their newly granted abilities. Some of these abilities aren’t explicitly new or revolutionary on their own, but their implementation to the specific environments is excellent.
Far from being a casual game, Braid really requires you to get the grey matter moving, something that won’t be for everyone. However, progression manages to be quite natural and ingenious at the same time. Things progressively get harder and sometimes it may even seem impossible, but in the end, everything can be solved. You just need to think outside the square, sometimes WAY outside the square and take into account the subtleties of your current granted ability. There is a rare satisfaction attached to the successful completion of a puzzle that’s just taken you an hour to figure out.
Then you realise that you could be there for a while.
On the flip side, the main hindrance to the game is that you’ll sometimes figure out exactly what you need to do, only to end up fighting slightly slippery controls and loose mechanics. And sometimes something will seem impossible only because of this. Other minor detractions include the repetition of rooms in each world, though to their credit, each often requires a vastly different approach. Finally, death is completely inconsequential, as the game will wait for you to rewind time before you get any sort of restart screen. However, this isn't really a criticism, as this aspect is really tied in to the whole ‘point’ of the game.
Braid deserves a lot of its praise purely on the merits of its gameplay. However, it has also received plenty of plaudits over its unconventional narrative delivery. While we don’t want to give away too many specifics, it does boil down to the interpretation of the individual. We thought is was probably a little too obtuse for its own good, but it’s tough one to judge. This is because those who ‘get it’ will likely have their gameplay experience enhanced by the package, while those who ‘don’t’ will likely be disappointed, regardless of how much they enjoyed the gameplay. Still, it is entirely possible to ignore the entire story and purely take the game on its gameplay.
The game’s price point is another controversial matter. Artsy games have a long history of underperforming, so Microsoft’s insistence of releasing the game at 1200MS points looks to try and reinforce the ‘premium’ nature of the content. While Braid is somewhat on the short side, especially if you know what you’re doing, the price will be justified to those who ‘get it’. For those who really want to delve into the deep end of the game, or really get their money’s worth, there is the side-quest that gets you to collect eight stars that really are on the borderline of impossible to find and a truly masochistic task to undertake. However, the process of their collection and the end ‘reward’ tie in nicely to the game’s theme overall.
Wrong way!... Or is it?
Apart from some bland character models, Braid is a stellar on the eyes. The vivid colour and details in the background are thoroughly engrossing, particularly as they subtly evolve from level to level. Resembling a water painting, the macro visual environment is one of the most appealing aspects of the game. So much so that we’re willing to forgive some micro level detail discrepancies. Sonically, the game has some very subtle yet suitable background tunes that we wish were fleshed out a bit more, as the quiet times start to take away from the atmosphere being created.
In the debate over whether games are art, Braid gets one thing right. It allows itself to have this artsy, obscure and possibly pretentious premise because it has great gameplay to back it up. While mechanically not as tight as a dedicated platformer like Mario or Castlevania, Braid transcends genres and brings more ideas and great designs to the table than anything in recent memory. Furthermore, the game has a wonderful unique look and sound that is just as refreshing as it is excellent. So while not everyone will ‘get it’ and it’s heavy cerebral nature takes a certain frame of mind to be played, anyone after something different or something challenging should definitely check Braid out.
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