Hamst3r's Quick Review
Braid
Braid is pure, hardcore, badass mind-fuckery. While time manipulation in games has been done to death, the time manipulation gameplay in Braid still feels fresh and interesting. Also, the ending of the game is so insanely clever and poignant that it had me wide-eyed, shocked in amazement, laughing in amusement and ready to cry.
Braid is split up in to 6 “worlds” which are split up in to several levels. At it’s very core: you run from the left side of the screen to the right of the screen, jumping on to enemies and searching for puzzle pieces. At the end of every world you fight a boss and approach a castle. It’s a Mario game…basically. The amount of homage paid to classic Mario games is quite entertaining and nostalgic.
It’s the time manipulation and puzzle gameplay though that puts Braid entirely in a league of it’s own. Each of the 6 worlds in Braid offers a new time-bending mechanic to play with. The first lets you simply reverse time. Another causes time to only progress when you move right and to rewind when you move left. Another world causes a shadowy version of yourself to emerge after you rewind time and repeat whatever it is you last did. There are also some objects in the game that can not be affected by time and furthermore some which allow you to not be affected by time while you’re standing on them. It’s insanity.
In short, Braid is where it’s at. It’s an intelligent 2D puzzle platformer with a hell of a lot to offer in both gameplay and story. The story is laid on thick with multiple layers to ponder. The puzzles are incredibly clever and will have you bashing your brain in until you suddenly realize the often simple and astoundingly brilliant solution. Not to mention it also has great music and beautiful graphics.
Basically, if you haven’t played Braid yet, you’re doing yourself a disservice. If the hold-up is due to the fact that you don’t have an XBOX 360 and don’t know anyone who does, then fear not: Braid for PC will be out later this year…and Once it is, there will be absolutely no excuse to not play it!
