Something went wrong. Try again later
    Follow

    Braid

    Game » consists of 11 releases. Released Aug 06, 2008

    Manipulate time to complete puzzles in this 2D platform game made by indie developer Jonathan Blow.

    herooftime82's Braid (PC) review

    Avatar image for herooftime82

    Goombas may have mated with lions, it's Puzzle Time!

    In Braid, you play as Tim, a man on a quest to save the princess. Don’t be fooled by the simplistic set-up and familiar trappings of the platforming genre. While Braid clearly pays homage to Mario with enemies that look like Goombas mated with lions, the game is more about puzzle solving than precision based platforming. When you get stuck in Braid, and you will from time to time, it will be because the solution to the puzzle hasn’t dawned on you yet, not because you can’t make a well-time jump.

    What makes Braid stand out among other 2D side scrolling puzzles games, as if there are millions of those, is Tim’s ability to rewind time at the mere press of a button. Think Prince of Persia but with less sand. Being able to rewind time means you cannot die, but the challenge remains as the point isn’t to get to the end of the level, but to do so while solving the puzzles.

    The artwork is nice, almost like looking at a painting, and the music compliments the game play well. It has a calming effect that helps put your mind into the mode it needs to be in to solve these puzzles. Also, there is just something about that sound effect of rewinding and fast-forwarding time that brought back fond memories of listening to an old tape deck.

    The game consists of six worlds, which are in turn comprised of multiple stages. In the beginning you only have the ability to rewind time. However, each world introduces a new mechanic keeping things fresh and challenging. For example in one world certain objects are unaffected by the rewinding of time, in others you create time bubbles that slow everything within their sphere of influence. Some of the ones that really test your special orientation skills involve linking the flow of time directly to Tim’s movements, such that time passes normally as Tim moves to the right of the screen, while rewinding when the player goes towards the left.

    Each puzzle can be solved the moment you encounter it as the new abilities unlocked in later worlds are specific to the puzzles in that world. The game doesn’t force you to complete the puzzles in a stage before moving on so when you find yourself stuck on a particular puzzle, resist the urge to simply look up the solution. Either take a break from the game or move on to a different world for the time being. I cheated on a few puzzles and I regretted it afterward as every other time I got stuck I had that satisfying eureka moment when I re-approached the problem later on.

    If Braid has a weak point it is probably it’s plot which, depending on whom you ask or how much time you spending diving down the rabbit whole that is the Internet, is either brilliant or pretentious garbage completely divorced from the actual game play. My own take was somewhere in between these extremes. You can take the story at its simplest, as a man trying to find his princess and still have an incredible experience solving the puzzles, or you can dig deeper into the narrative and form your own conclusions about what the game is really about.

    If you are like me and missed out on this gem from several years back I highly recommend picking it up now. Regardless of what you think about the story, the puzzles themselves are highly enjoyable and the satisfaction you get from completing them is well worth the price of admission, especially at the bargain bin prices digital copies of the game currently go for on services like steam.

    Other reviews for Braid (PC)

      A beautiful, unforgettable puzzle/platformer experience 0

       Believe me, dear reader, it took a lot to resist the urge to make some sort of pun involving time in the title of this review...”Braid is Timeless”, “Braid rewinds puzzle/platforming to a simpler age”, etc. etc. But I didn't go that route out of respect for you. I hope you appreciate that! Anyhow, Braid is a puzzle/platformer whose gimmick is that of time travel. Tim, the main character, is off searching for his princess, and like every other puzzle/platformer out there, Tim has to traverse...

      12 out of 12 found this review helpful.

      A highly creative platformer that does a lot with time travel. 0

      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 ...

      3 out of 3 found this review helpful.

    This edit will also create new pages on Giant Bomb for:

    Beware, you are proposing to add brand new pages to the wiki along with your edits. Make sure this is what you intended. This will likely increase the time it takes for your changes to go live.

    Comment and Save

    Until you earn 1000 points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Giant Bomb users. This process takes no more than a few hours and we'll send you an email once approved.