The artsiest game you ever did see.
Ah, Braid. The go-to example in pretentious "Are games art?" conversations. I'm not going to get into that argument in-depth here, but suffice it to say, Braid is quite the artsy game. Though I could do without the ridiculous metaphorical storyline (don't get me started on the epilogue), the game's art style is amazing. It gives off a sort of hand-painted, watercolor vibe that's simply gorgeous. Though the underlying gameplay basics are that of a simple platformer, the game's real strength lies in the time-warping mechanics. Each world has its own specific rules of time manipulation, and each one will truly make you go insane at least once. The solutions to these puzzles seem to be impossible, but once solved, every one will make you go, "Damn it, I should have known that!" And yes, I am ashamed to admit I went to GameFAQS for 2 puzzle pieces. Just 2! Though the game is technically short, getting stuck frequently will probably artificially lengthen that play time. And as much as I hate what the epilogue of the game does to the story overall, the final world of the game stands out as a great example of going against the expectations of the player. Though Braid may not hold up as a groundbreaking work of art, it is still an amazingly well designed puzzle game that will keep you scratching your head for a long time.