Braid review

From creator Jonathan Blow and "Number None"comes the latest Xbox LIVE Arcade game that was released this past Wednesday,the unique puzzle platformer entitled "Braid". Braid,like I said,is a hybrid of sorts,it has a very unique time control element not seen in many games. But it is also a brain teaser puzzle game not seen since the likes of titles such as Portal which was included in Valve's "The Orange Box". Do not let the time control and puzzle elements scare you from enjoying this game however,it is very accessible and easy enough to play for most ages to enjoy. Control wise the premise is simple,it is a "go left" platformer,much from the style of the Mario Bros games. Holding down the X button executes the time rewind feature which will be used to solve the game's puzzles. The main goal of the game is to assemble each level's puzzle by reaching the various puzzle pieces found throughout the levels. The game is forgiving however,you do not have to worry about how many lives you have,if you die,simply rewind the time and try again. Braid is not about staying alive,but rather completing the puzzles to get past the levels and move on.

Graphically is where Braid really shines. The art style is truly amazing and unique. You really feel like you are inside of a story book. The backgrounds sport a beautiful watercolor painting look and your character is small but also detailed enough to not look out of place in comparison with the beautiful surroundings. The enemies are simple but they look fine for the style of the game as well. Overall Braid is a tue winner in the graphics department. This is one of those games that you feel like you need to show anyone,non-gamers included,to show off the art style of the visuals,yeah,they are that good.

The combat in this game is where the game shows off it's obvious respect to the Mario franchise. As you will definitely notice,there are alot of homages in the game to the Mario and Donkey Kong franchises. The combat takes after Mario with hopping on the heads of enemies to take them out and the level design of one level in particular is an almost exact replica of the levels found in the classic Donkey Kong arcade game. Some are calling this a "rip-off" made by the game's designer,but I see this as more of an homage being made to a revolutionary game franchise,simply a "tipping of the cap" toward the the creator of the Mario and Donkey Kong franchises,and I can respect that.

The sound of the game is top notch as well. The music ranges from piano to jazz to music that sounds like it is straight out of a music box. The music fits with the game's art style and furthermore makes you feel like you are having some kind of dream being inside of an art story book.

The game features no multiplayer modes but with Braid being the type of game that it is,a multiplayer mode would seem tacked on and out of place. Braid is simply about figuring out the puzzles and moving on to the next level,which only works in a single player environment. The price of the game is 1,200 Microsoft points ($15.00) and this is where the game is having a hard time being accepted. In a post that I made yesterday I explained that is ok for an Xbox LIVE Arcade game to be over 800 msp as long as it is worth it,and Braid is worth it. The game is an amazing achievement in art and overall game design,argue with this if you will,but what I say is the truth.

Braid is an interesting mixture,it sounds complicated on paper when you read about all of it's puzzle and time controlling elements but when you play it,you say "oh,ok this game is fun!". And that right there is a hard thing to achieve in videogames,but the creator of this game nailed it! Overall Braid has no faults,the closest thing to a fault on Braid's behalf is it's controversial price point,which is a shame becuase there are far more worse games out there for the Xbox 360 that cost anywhere from $40.00-$60.00. Gamers just need to look past the fact that the game is downloadable. I feel that if the game was available on disc noone would have a problem paying $15.00 or maybe even $20.00 for the game. Look past the fact that the game is an XBLA title and just see the game for what it is worth,a great and unique achievement in game design.

Graphics-9/10 (gorgeous for a 2d platformer,unique art.)
Sound-8/10
Control-9/10
Fun Factor-9/10
Overall-9/10 (a highly recommended game)