Braid Review

I'm still playing through the games in that big indie games pack, and actually got through two of them this last weekend. First up: Braid.

Braid is a very interesting puzzle game, the likes of which I don't believe I've ever seen. At its core, it is little more than a simple platformer with puzzle elements. You move, jump, stomp enemies, and use keys to open doors while trying to collect puzzle pieces. In fact, the first set of stages are little more than that. However, the game has a hook that really changes its dynamic: time manipulation.

If you die somehow, instead of presenting you with a game over screen or similar, the game just shows you the rewind time button. As you hold that button down, time rewinds until you let go -- even all the way back to when you started the level. You can use the trigger buttons to speed up/slow down time, even reversing its direction and playing it forward again. While this does have a Sands of Time style usage as mentioned previously, it is a LOT more involved than that. For example, any item that has green sparkles around it is unaffected by time manipulation. You can jump down a pit, grab a "green" key, and then rewind time and watch the key come right out of the pit with you. It makes for some REALLY interesting mechanics. Furthermore, each level has a unique time related mechanic you use throughout its stages. I'll discuss those more below.

Intro done; here's the review:

Loved

• Time manipulation. I really enjoyed the time manipulation mechanic. It was very interesting and allows you to do all kinds of things you wouldn't even initially realize. The game also has some great graphical changes when you were manipulating time, with the screen becoming gray scale when reversing and oversaturated when going forward.
• Unique level mechanics. As I mentioned above, each level had a unique mechanic. There were 5 level in all (although for some reason the first one is level 2), and each played VERY different. Level 2 was merely a set of jumping puzzles. Level 3 introduces you to time manipulation and "green" items. Level 4 was probably the most unique in that as you move right on the screen time flows forward and as you move left, it flows backwards. It made for some super interesting solutions. In Level 5 you have a shadow that appears after you rewind time and carries out all the actions you yourself just did. Solutions here require you to actual work together with yourself. Finally, in level 6, you can erect a time-slowing bubble. Every level had a very different feel and it kept the game quite fresh.
• Logical solutions. With one relatively glaring exception (remember that enemies bounce up when they land on your head), all of the solutions actually made sense. There were not really any times where the solutions were ridiculous and they all generally just required some thought and a little trial and error.
  

Hated

• No "capstone" level. The game length really wasn't bad, but I felt like it could have used another level at the end that required you to use all or some of the mechanics together. Stages where you have to run your shadow through a time-slow bubble or something similar REALLY would have been cool. The final stage was actually relatively disappointing and required very little thought.

My quibbles with the game are definitely minor and I would recommend it to anybody. Even at the $10-$15 price point, I don't think you'll be disappointed. If you have even a passing interest in puzzle games, pick it up.