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The interesting thing about Braid is that it's neither a “new” nor old game. However, it's arguably an “indie darling”, having received glowing reviews upon release. As games go, it's certainly an interesting one: based around the manipulation of time so you “can't die”. To put it bluntly, Braid is a very weird game. The plot is hard to follow (if not non-existent), and some of the later levels can be damn difficult to get your head around. But despite all this, it’s really fascinating.
The game starts simply enough: a traditional platformer, with above-average level design. If you've seen any of the screenshots, you'll know it's very pretty; the backgrounds are hand-drawn and coloured, flowing very smoothly. The difference is that you can use time travel to reverse your death (or indeed any other actions), making them pretty easy levels. The only challenges are classic platformer ones, such as jumping on enemies’ heads, or collecting keys to unlock doors, and you could be forgiven for wondering how exactly time travel can create “puzzles”, when you can simply erase everything that happened. In the second chapter of the game, this is elaborated on, as certain parts of the world are not affected by time, either backwards or forwards. From this, several more “advanced” puzzles can be created, such as manipulating levers in a certain order, or racing a floating platform along the level, speeding yourself up while it remains constant. The difficulty curve is not too intense as the game makes sure you're aware of different concepts in order to progress.
After this, the game only gets harder, and completing challenges can make your head hurt. Time in the third world moves forward and backward as you move left and right, and every time you reverse time in the fourth world you create a “shadow” which performs any actions you did before reversing. After several minutes of play in this world, I had to lie down. Apparently I can't think in the fourth dimension.
It's not perfect; indeed, the game struck me as a little pretentious. Its story is deliberately vague, and developer Jonathan Blow has stated that this is his intention. As well as this, its difficulty leaves a fair amount to be desired. If one simply runs through the levels, the end can be reached very quickly, and one could definitely call it “too easy”. Collecting all ‘pick-up’ item puzzle pieces however can be really, really hard. Additionally, Braid isn’t cheap, costing £6.99 on PC, rather a lot considering its actual length of just six worlds.
Braid is less of a game, and more of an experience. There's nothing else quite like it out there, even two years on in the notoriously derivative video game industry. Give it a shot once; there's a free demo available for 360, PS3 and PC. But you've really got to be of the right sort of mind in order to solve its time-bending puzzles.
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