Reader Review of Braid
Publisher Note — This article is in response to an accepted challenge by one of our faithful readers, Mr. Lee Weedall. Lee took the time to voice his displeasure of Kyle’s Review and in doing so, it sparked me to challenge him to do a better review. Please read this review with an open mind, and feel free to let Lee know what you think of his work afterward.
Not as simple as it looks…
This is not your normal platformer. In place of pixels, there are lush hand-drawn graphics. In place of chiptunes, there is beautiful and haunting folk music. And in place of traditional jumping skills, the challenge is instead aimed squarely at your grey matter. It would not be stretching things to describe it as a puzzle game disguised as a platformer. Nods to other classics notwithstanding, Braid owes more to Back to the Future than it does to Super Mario.
The very first time you die in Braid, you are shown how to rewind time in order to undo your mistake. At the time it seems like a helpful gimmick, but soon reveals itself to be a powerful tool. Skillful manipulation of the timeflow is often required to traverse the levels, and is generally essential if one is to collect the jigsaw pieces littered therein. Solving the jigsaws is the driving force, as access to the end of the game is denied until all are solved.
It doesn’t end with mere time control; each world unveils a new power, such as a ring that affects the passage of time in the immediate surrounding area. In one, time moves according to your direction; another has your shadow repeating your actions. In both cases, you will need to think before you leap to solve the conundrums placed before you. You will need to think outside the box, inside it again, and even to a time before the box existed.
To what end? Well, what initially appears to be a standard “Rescue the Princess” plot soon reveals itself as something far deeper, and far more insidious. Subtle clues litter the levels, segments of a story are given to you, and the reveal is something that will live long in the memory. Braid is, it has to be said, a dazzlingly clever game.
Missed? Not a problem, just rewind time and try again.
Sadly, as is the case with puzzlers, replayability is somewhat limited. A mere five worlds means that you are only looking at a brief fling. Sure, there are the speedruns that unlock post-completion, which serve to illustrate how well designed some of the levels are. An additional challenge also exists, for those who want to find it, but even this fails to lengthen the experience too dramatically. However, the need to replay is but a function of the enjoyment garnered through playing. Braid gets under your skin, into your mind, and leaves you wanting more. The fling may be brief, but it is a fling that you will remember for a very long time.
If anybody ever asks “Can games be art?”, Braid is the answer to give them. It moves you, makes you think, makes you feel more intelligent, and even makes you feel mighty. If you allow it to, it will stretch and challenge you, but it will also enlighten and shock you. That a downloadable 2D title can achieve all this is the greatest testament to it. As a gamer, you owe it to yourself to experience this miniature masterpiece.
