Braid

In recent years, people have been debating whether or not games are art. Although some examples are older games ( Panzer Dragoon, Earthbound, Out of This World, etc.), most gamers cite modern games made after 2000. One of the most common examples is Braid, an independently developed platformer released in 2008. Part of the reason is its striking watercolor art style and calming soundtrack; a larger reason is its imaginative and satisfying use of time mechanics, blending adventure games and platformers into one excellent product.
 
Of course, given its significant focus on art, Braid invests a lot of time in its story. Unfortunately, it does not show very well, since the basis for the entire story is “rescue the princess.” This is not an exaggeration; looking only at the events in the story, the majority of it is about Tim, the protagonist, trying to rescue his princess. Fortunately, though, what Braid lacks in plot events, it more than makes up for in themes and characterization. Each world begins with a series of books which detail the complex nature of Tim’s relationship with the princess, from how they spent their time together to possible reasons why he was separated from his princess in the first place. The exact details of their tryst are often complex to the point of confusion; at times, it is even hard to tell if the princess is a literal one or some type of vague idea, and the narration does not make it clear what is intended and what the player is simply imagining. It does not help that most of the story is told through dense tomes that, again, do not heavily focus on the plot.
 

Much of the remainder of the story is told through jigsaw puzzles you assemble over the course of the game. Through them, you slowly discover how Tim grew tired of his life and left it in search of something new. Obviously, like the main story, this view is open to interpretation; however, unlike the main story, none of the plot points depicted in the paintings are necessary, meaning they are easier to enjoy. Yet even if you do not like their story aspects, they still provide tremendous value to the gameplay. In fact, the entire goal of Braid is to collect and assemble puzzle pieces. Although advertised as a platformer, the reality is that it feels more like a puzzle game. Collecting each one requires clever use of your time manipulation powers, and solving each one gives an immediately obvious feeling of satisfaction. Each puzzle is completely unique, and there are rarely any repeats, meaning the satisfaction of figuring out a puzzle does not diminish over the course of the game. Yet like most adventure games, some of the puzzles are near impossible to figure out without the aid of a walkthrough. Yet these puzzles are few and far between, and the majority of the puzzles make full use of the game’s creative mechanics.
 
While that would suggest that Braid has a series of consistent gameplay mechanics, in actuality, the game introduces new concepts so frequently that there are not many constants from level to level. The only constant is your control over time, something the game fully fleshes out. Powers include rewinding time, creating shadow clones that perform your previous actions (although this is one of the game’s most well-known powers, it appears oddly late in the game), slowing down time, and many other powers. The only thing that seems to be missing is the ability to carry earned powers into previous levels. In fact, acquisition of powers flows in only one direction, eliminating the potential for non-linear progression or multiple puzzle solutions. Even though this sounds limiting, Braid actually manages to use these in incredibly creative, challenging ways from level to level, never repeating itself. Even when the game repeats level formats almost verbatim, it uses a new power, making the level feel unique when compared to its previous iteration. Unfortunately, one of the reasons that Braid manages to be so inventive is because of how short it is. It is only six worlds long, and because 100% completion is required to beat the game, there is not much replay value to be found; in fact, the only achievement that you possibly will not get simply by beating the game requires you to beat the game within a certain amount of time. However, the game’s innovative and fun use of time manipulation will most likely balance out the short length that accompanies it.
 

Yet Braid’s most memorable asset is its unique art look. Most of Braid’s levels look like watercolor paintings, colors very easily blending into one another. Along with the serene, calming music, it helps create a very relaxing feel to the slowly changing world around you, which lessens the frustration of some of the harder puzzles in the game. However, perhaps the best part of Braid’s visuals is how compatible they are with any computer. Although it was originally designed for the Xbox 360 (the PC version came out eight months after its Xbox 360 equivalent), Braid runs perfectly on even the worst computers. Even when running in full screen, the game very rarely slows down, if it does so at all. The only problem with Braid’s art style is that it is too blunt with its allusions to Super Mario Bros.; ignoring the “save the princess” basis of the plot, Braid borrows many things from Super Mario Bros., like Goomba-esque creatures, piranha plants in pipes, and a few “your princess is in another castle” references. While these are not enough to destroy the game’s artistic style entirely, the allusions are enough to keep the game from being taken as seriously as it should.
 
Whether or not it should be taken seriously, however, does not matter as much as it appears. In fact, Braid’s status as a piece of art is slightly irrelevant to its quality, as it is an incredibly good game, artistic elements aside. This is not to say that the game’s art style is unimportant; they also contribute to the game’s unique, memorable nature. Appropriately, the final level of Braid best sums up the very essence of the game: although confusing and somewhat frustrating, at times, it is a highly creative and enjoyable platformer that does a lot with what little it has and is worth checking out.