Gaming – when compared to the other ‘arts’ at least – is still perceived as a somewhat immature medium; somewhat correctly in my opinion. This is partly due to age of course; from literature to theatre; poetry to cinema; all of them have had a great deal of time to establish their import to society in a variety of ways.
Don’t get me wrong, there have been many important games, but these have mostly been important from a technical or gameplay perspective; think Mario 64 revolutionising platform games, for example, and you’ll be on track to see where I’m going with that point.
Games that make an impact due to story, dialogue, character, or simple artistic merit, however, are a little more thin on the ground; Deus Ex, Torment, possibly the other games I discussed in my Games as Art article (shameless plug?) would qualify, but even these are of arguable artistic merit when compared to similar examples from other mediums.
That rather longwinded introduction brings us to Braid. Many people would have heard of this game; the 2D platformer with the time-control mechanic, hand-painted graphics, and supposedly pretentious storyline. This is the ‘simple’ platformer made by an indie developer that nonetheless cost a huge amount of cash to create (we’re talking in the hundreds of thousands). Braid is all of this, but it is also something more: it is important.
In fact, it may just be the most important game to ever see commercial release.
Exaggeration? Hyperbole? You would have to play it to make that judgement I guess. The worst part is that, beyond describing the beautifully presented, multi-layered, and carefully crafted narrative as a beautifully presented, multi-layered, and carefully crafted narrative, there is basically nothing I can say to convince you without spoiling what makes the game so special. All I can say is that the plot is delivered in a beautiful, storybook-like fashion with an amazing twist, only for there to be far more subtext and layers for those that wish to look for them, to the point that there are twists within twists that make you question…well that would be telling. Some my find it pretentious; I found it very interesting, at times confusing, and also rather sad.
Beyond the amazing story, every other aspect of this game is also presented in a phenomenally gorgeous way. The visuals are truly stunning to see, with the painted look making for a very unique and fairytale-esque feel; anyone that thinks good graphics are determined solely by the amount of normal-mapped polygons being pushed around should look at this to understand the true meaning of ‘art style’ in a game.
Sound effects in the game are relatively minimal, but suit the atmosphere perfectly, and the musical score is hauntingly beautiful, especially when you take into account the effect that reversing, slowing, or speeding up time can have on it.
Speaking of which, the time manipulation in this game goes way beyond the kind of thing seen in the Prince of Persia series, and in many ways matches the complexity and jaw-dropping awesomeness of the puzzles in Portal. While initially nothing more than a way to reverse death or redo puzzles, time powers soon begin to alter from world to world in Braid; you may come across items and enemies that are unaffected by your time reversing abilities, for example, or reach a world where time stands still when you do, advancing or reversing depending on which direction you move.
As soon as you’ve mastered one new facet of time manipulation, another is thrown at you, forcing you to constantly work out your brain in ways that it wouldn’t often get used (unless you frequently travel back through time I suppose). The puzzles manage to perfectly straddle the line between frustration and achievement, and the seemingly impossible will often just ‘click’ into place in a way that leaves you with a warm sense of accomplishment; if it doesn’t, you are always free to move onto another puzzle and tackle things in the order you want to.
Braid is a game that, quite simply, lives up to the hype. The look is unique and gorgeous, the story multi-layered and surprisingly engaging, and the gameplay is fiendishly complex but never punishing. Most importantly, Braid is a game which achieves maturity through a clever narrative and intelligent gameplay, not excessive swearing and exposed tits. It may be short, the mechanics and story may confound some, but this game is absolutely worth the points on Xbox Live.
So spend a little money, enjoy some amazing gameplay, help support independent game development, and enjoy a game that achieves something truly unique in gaming; what have you got to lose?
Rating: 10/10 (Braid is one of those games that is going to lead to some contentious reviews, with the game being called ‘pretentious’ by some and ‘incredible’ by others. Even if you agree that the story might not be your cup of tea (you’re doing yourself a disservice, incidentally), this is a game worth owning purely for the amazing craftsmanship; from the time mechanics to the charming visuals, from the musical score to the fiendish puzzles; and most especially for the mature, engaging story, you owe it to yourself to buy this game.)
- Tim Sweeney
Braid Image Gallery
Your Say