This platform/puzzler will hypnotize you... for about three hours
I was a little apprehensive about downloading Braid from the Marketplace. Although I love 2D platformers, $15 seemed a bit steep for what sounded like a very short experience. Needless to say, after trying the demo, I was hooked and promptly added enough MS points to my account to unlock the full game.
The first piece of the story is revealed through a series of books (don't worry, not that much reading) that informs the player about Tim's plight and why he must go through the trials set before him. The writing is captivating and drew me into the story instantly. These books are the only way for the player to find out what is going on in the story, the gameplay really has nothing to do with the plot.
The game mechanics are simple, on the surface, and change very little throughout the game. Form the start, Tim can manipulate time both backward and forward at varying speeds. What does change is how each world responds to Tim's power. Each new world has a simple level at the beginning that allows the player to experiment with the surroundings until the new gameplay element is discovered. One world will send out a second version of Tim to redo all actions preformed before rewinding while the real Tim is still controllable, another only allows movement in the world while Tim is moving. These elements help keep the gameplay fresh without having to learn new moves or purchase upgraded weapons. The final level incorporates elements form all the worlds and is very challenging.
All of this innovation would be wasted if the game wasn't polished enough to warrant the $15 price,. Thankfully, Braid is beautiful. Visually, the game is breath-taking with it's over saturated colors and gorgeous level design. Braid puts other popular 2D games such as Castlevania to shame. Even better then the visuals is the sound track. The music in Braid is breathtaking and will induce goosebumps over and over again.
I can only find one downside to Braid, but (for me) it's a pretty big one. The game is short. One of the achievements in the game is to complete the entire story with all collectibles in less than 45 minutes. Thats too short. Also, I don't feel compelled to play through the story again after beating it (in just under 4 hours). Portal was short, but I played through it four times and will likely do it several more times. Not so for Braid. There is only one way to solve each puzzle, so once they are solved there isn't much left to do. Do I still think it's worth $15? Sure, but $10 would have been a much better match.
