Braid

5 Braid is an Experience.
Once in a while, a game such as Braid comes a long and somehow transcends a level of expectations within gaming; Lush and vibrant visual atmosphere coinciding with some of the most charming and engaging music is only half of what this game has to offer. I used the word experience because from the moment we start playing, one would assume that this happens to be just another platform puzzle game… Slowly however we become absorbed in a world that is not as how it seems, and simply teems with hidden meanings all over the place. The reason this game is so different and stands high in my opinion is because it makes us think about the plot and it’s mystery. We are only given so many clues and with our subjective baggage, must deduce what that secret is.

Because of how the story unfolds, I felt that the ending really held a “wow” factor for me; Leaving me to play the game again and look upon the visuals and storyline with a whole new outlook.

The only con I can say about this game is that the ending is a little vague on it’s explanation and leaves you to deduce it on your own, but then that’s half the fun.

I give this an easy 5/5 and it is definitely worth the $15 for the experience in which it has to offer.

5 Braid has become more than Braid.
Much has been made of Braid since its 2008 release to the public. Prior to that it had grabbed IGF’s 2006 Award for Excellence in gamedesign and was an Indiecade finalist in 2007. But of course what separates Braid from every other indie game is that, before its release, indie games were largely relegated to the margins played only by a dedicated few who were mostly self-styled artists or game-developers themselves, while its release paved the way for the vast success of other indies, like Flower, World of Goo, Alien Homonid, and the like, plus the success of XBL’s indie channel, XBIG.

That’s a lot of credit to give one game, especially when it has more to do with Braid’s astounding success rather than it’s content, per se.

So where does that leave Braid as a game? How would one would even rate such a game, to what does one compare it? Other garage indie games or to big studio productions? Clealy Braid is superior to many a big title as well as small projects, but it’s not exactly clear who Braid’s peers are.

Regardless, Braid is a fantastic game. As a puzzle-platformer, it is incredibly mind-bending at times, requiring hard thought, replay after replay, and that glowing feeling of accomplishment when any given puzzle is solved. But the puzzles far outweigh the platforming. While Braid looks like a platformer, and it’s narrative is utterly dependent upon the original platformer (Mario), the platforming aspects are more story-driven than they are gameplay elements. In other words, they serve a narrative function primarily.

But puzzle game or platformer, Braid is a fun and challenging game in its own right. Does that make it the game it’s become? Probably not. What the game has become is due to the narrative alone. Narrative questions concerning identity of good and evil, control v. freedom, and a critique of video game cliches. It is a reflection on that ever so innocent cause of play, and is therefore an image of the desperation of the player.

Of course we haven’t even touched the painted landscape, the aspect of time in relation to play, etc. but let us note all of that in passing, simply to say that, if you haven’t played Braid, don’t expect it to be what it’s footprint or impact is. Braid is just a game, and when you play it, you’ll simply play that very good game. But when you finish it, you just might have a hint at why Braid is so important to gaming and to indie games in particular.