Video Game Review: Braid

Just might be the best game in years

Once in a great while, a video game comes along that changes the way we think about gaming. Perhaps the most recent example is Valve's Portal, a game that took first person shooters to new heights with its inventive puzzles and ability to make simplicity into complexity, without the frustration.

That was before Braid, a 2D platformer for the Xbox Live Arcade and PC. On the surface, Braid certainly doesn't appear to have much in the way of innovation. It looks and controls a lot like the original Donkey Kong, and we've seen the ability to rewind time to correct mistakes in other games too, notably in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. But Braid has a lot more going for it than just these elements.

For one, it's the best game I've played in years. Braid is a perfect example of multiple visions coming together to make a magnificently cohesive whole. Developed by Jonathan Blow, the game features a "painterly" art style provided by comic artist David Hellman and music compiled from several different artists, all of whom wrote the music for purposes other than Braid.

Braid is the story of Tim, a seemingly average guy who is trying to rescue the Princess. Start playing the game, however, and you'll realize just how complex the story is. At its core, Braid's story focuses on regret, and the possibility of going back and fixing one's mistakes. That pithy description can't come close to doing the story justice, but suffice to say it's a nice twist on the typical plots of this type, and probably has the deepest and most complex storyline I've ever seen in a platformer.

As the game's official Web site states, "every puzzle in Braid is unique. There is no filler." This couldn't be more true. Each puzzle has its own twist, and many appear quite impossible to solve at first glance. Once each puzzle is solved, Tim gains a puzzle piece. Once Tim finds all the puzzle pieces in an area and puts that area's puzzle together correctly, a ladder in the overworld grows a little closer to bringing the player to the final chapter of the game.

Each world features a puzzle "motif," meaning all the puzzles will revolve around one central concept. None of these concepts are throwaways, and all had at least one puzzle that took forever for me to crack. This is an important feature, since it really is impossible to die in the game since time can be rewound and Tim's death prevented. The challenge is necessary to keep gamers glued to the screen like I was.

On the visual side, Braid shines unlike any other game I've played. Playing this game feels like playing a constantly-moving painting. The environment and background are always active, making the effect of rewinding time that much more noticeable and impressive.

Braid's music deserves a special shout out. As mentioned before, none of these songs were written specifically for the game, but they fit so well that it feels as if they were. The orchestration is beautiful, providing just the right amount of whimsy and foreboding demanded by a game like this.

The only potential downside to Braid is the replay factor. While I fully intend to play through it again, I doubt it'll be nearly as fun as the first time. Not knowing the solutions to the puzzles and the satisfaction of figuring them out was one of the crowning achievements of Braid. Still, for just a few bucks, you can't go wrong.

Hopefully the game industry learns a thing or two from Braid. I wasn't joking around when I said this was the best game I've played in years. That's the honest truth, and the reason is simple: Braid takes a smaller budget and a simple concept and makes that concept into something smarter and greater than even the best mainstream games. It does so by taking its simplicity and making something truly puzzling out of it, coupling that with a fascinating storyline, wonderful music and graphics, and a whole lot of charm.

Braid is available on the Xbox Live Arcade and for download on PC here. Buy it, and you won't regret the purchase. Braid is a one-of-a-kind experience, and one that should not be missed by anybody, gamer or not.