Braid: A Beautiful Puzzle Game Disguised as a 2D Platformer

When games borrow ideas and concepts from other titles, they often lose sight of their own vision and, ultimately, devolve into failure.  Braid is entirely the opposite. It purposely and blatantly borrows the 2D platforming concepts of Super Mario Bros., while also sneaking in the puzzle and time-traveling elements of Prince of Persia, the Impressionist vision of Van Gogh and the storytelling of films like Memento.  Yes, it does this, but it never loses sight of itself, which is why Braid is truly a fantastic, little game – small imperfections aside.

The game begins on a bridge and path that lead into a house.  The house is your hub world, with different rooms located throughout.  Each room takes you to another world and also offers another piece of the story.  The amount of care that has gone into the art, shading and perception is remarkable.  In side-scrolling games, attention to the backgrounds is very important, and Braid does all but disappoint.

The story puts you in the shoes of a stubby fellow named Tim who looks oddly like James Cagney – if the actor exchanged his oft-grimaced face for a tender one.  Tim is on a quest to rescue his love, the Princess (surprised?).  Before playing, I had noticed all the praise Braid was getting for having a main character that you really understand and a story operating on multiple levels.  Throughout the game, I thought Braid simply held one of those abstract stories that people nowadays seem to worship, but after completing the journey I gained a much different perspective and appreciation.  I will not say more, only that you should wait to see how you feel at the end.

As the title of this article suggests, Braid layers a 2D platformer over a puzzle game – and near flawlessly.  It is similar to how Sonic Spinball layers 2D platforming elements over a pinball game.  The controls are simple: Tim runs back and forth like Mario and Luigi, except that he cannot speed up and increase his jump.  In order to up his height, Tim must either sequentially jump on enemies or leap from higher ground.  This is just one of several small platforming elements that come into play.

The heart of the gameplay is collecting puzzle pieces, 12 within each world.  The pieces become increasingly more difficult to obtain, as you must make use of every “skill” and platform in the area to claim your prize.  While they may require some thought, veteran gamers and abstract thinkers should bask in the pride of collecting every piece using their own creativity.  However, some are tricky, and a split-second can sometimes be the difference between success and failure, or life and death.  You can imagine how this might prove irritating, but Braid is a game that keeps it simple.

Those “skills” I mentioned: throughout the game, Braid utilizes a rewind system that is way more forgiving than the most recently released Prince of Persia trilogy.  You can rewind at any time and for as long as necessary; so long as you do not let go of the button, and you can even fast-forward if you rewind too far.  It seems a little cheap, since you can never die, but you will soon appreciate that it is there.  This adventure is not about overcoming the “game over” screen; it is about solving puzzles, and the rewind button comes into play not just to prevent death.

Another neat feature are the unique devices that appear specific to each world.  I do not want to go into detail, because part of the fun is seeing what is to come, but just know that each world is special in its own way.  This helps in playing down some of the repetition that could have surfaced given the simplified control scheme.

As with any premier title, the game is not without its shortcomings.  There is little enemy variety; the core made up of variations on goombas, evil bunny rabbits, piranha plants and flaming cannonballs that are fatal to the touch.  The traps, mainly fire pits and spikes, also appear throughout every world.  There is only one boss who appears twice, but the fight is essentially the same both times.  Being puzzle devices, this is relatively unimportant; but with the high level of art production, it really makes me yearn for some diversity.  However, I have faith that game developer Jonathan Blow will concentrate on assortment should he choose to do a sequel.

My final complaint is that it is too short (to collect everything takes six hours, at most) and the ending is borderline anti-climactic.  Being a multi-layered game, there is a degree of poignancy to the story’s denouement.  But from a gameplay perspective, it is abrupt, slightly unfulfilling and will leave you wanting more.

Unlike the pre-existing drawing power of its competition, Bionic Commando: Rearmed, Braid lets charm and subtlety work its way into the hearts of gamers.  As a result, it has become one of the biggest under-the-radar releases for the Xbox LIVE Arcade.  Even with its initially “controversial” price tag of $15 (1200 gamer points), people are still jumping at the chance to play the game – this adventure that harkens back to the old pick-up-and-play games of the past, twisted with a pinch of tomorrow.  Braid is an enchanting experience that should not be passed over by any gamer.