Jeff Hoy, American

I’m a little late to the party on this one.  Braid has been out for a while now on various platforms, but I only just picked it up during the Playstation Network 10 for 10 sale.  At $14.99 Braid was considered a good buy by most critics, at the sale price of $7.49 it is an absolute steal.

This puzzle/platformer will have your noodle twisted up in all kinds of different ways.  Using time as one of the key elements to solving all the puzzles, Braid is a truly unique experience.  There aren’t many puzzlers of this sort out there that leave a lasting sense of accomplishment after figuring out each obstacle.  The difficulty of the puzzles makes for a lasting challenge, most people won’t run through this game in one session on the first play through.

The story is told through books in between worlds and seems to be a very touching story of lost love.  It’s not just puzzles that are affected by time, the story is as well.  A very different twist, demonstrated through game play, rather than story telling, takes place at the end (beginning?) of the game that reveals the true nature of the story and it’s protagonist. 

Graphically Braid is stunning.  It’s water color style visuals and the special effects are quite a sight to see.  The animation is smooth and all the graphical elements are very appealing.  Braid’s music is excellent and fits the theme and style of the game very well.

The controls are simple and taught in the early levels.  As new mechanics are introduced through out the game, small, in game tutorials demonstrate their use and effects.  For the Playstation 3 version there’s 12 trophies to be earned.  Five of them bronze, seven silver.  All but one are easily obtained just by completing Braid.  The final trophy is earned by completing a speed run, which is a play option unlocked after the first successful play through.

It’s kind of a short game, and if you’re better at puzzles than I am, it’ll be even shorter for you.  But at $7.49, or even full price, it’s still a must have game.  Get it for the PS3, XB360, or PC (Windows or Mac)

My one piece of advice about this game, take short breaks from it periodically, or it’ll jack up your brain.  I didn’t, I played it for hours over two days and even after completing the game, my brain was still stuck on the idea of time manipulation.  It kept wanting to rewind time in real life to redo things such as read and reread paragraphs.  Or not spill the soda I had dribbled on myself.  All  kinds of crazy stuff was going on.  So take breaks.

Info

Platforms

Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows, Mac OS X

Product Website

braid-game.com

Buy it

PSN

XBLA

Braid (Digital Download, Windows or Mac OS X) Greenhouse