Braid
Monday 18th of August, 2008
Have you played Braid yet? This was not a game I was really looking forward to — I'd heard a few things about it before it launched, and seen a few screenshots, all of which had left me entirely unmoved. Thankfully, it was released through XBLA, and as such was contractually obliged to include a free demo version — because this is one of those games that needs to be played.
And make no mistake, Braid needs to be played. There are many games that aren't done justice when showed as screenshots, and this is definitely one of them. In motion, the gorgeous painted backgrounds move in parallax, giving a genuine depth to the compositions — and the subtle particle effects make every screen pulse continually with life. The start screen, shown above, is an excellent example — showed off several times before the game's launch, it makes a perfectly attractive screenshot, albeit one which conveys little real information about the game. Compare this to the ingame setting — the player takes their first steps as Tim across the darkened bridge; a city glows hazily in the distance, and the soundtrack is a single low bass note. Instantly, the entire sense of the game's character is revealed, as Tim hurries back to his empty house (which serves as the hub for Braid's stages). The world outside is a dark and somber place, and Tim's slightly gloomy home is a fitting middle ground between the darkness of the streets, and the brightness of the game's fantastical (and possibly imaginary) stages. The levels themselves are dreamy and colourful, referencing the visual motifs of gaming's history without looking like anything which has come before. The same goes for the soundtrack — ethereal and beautiful, and utterly different.
That doesn't necessarily mean that you'll like it — or even if you do, that you'll feel obliged to buy it. Much has been made of the title's (relatively) high price tag and (genuinely) short length. At M$1200 (finally, a real use for that irritating Linuxism) it's one of the more expensive games available through the service — slightly over £10, for those of you who prefer thinking in actual currency. And you could easily play through the game from start to finish in a single sitting, if you're smart enough to solve the puzzles without taking a break. A friend who played through the demo on my recommendation told me the next day that she enjoyed it, but couldn't justify buying it, because there were full length games that she hadn't bought yet. The idea that the game is a poor 'value-for-money' proposition is one that comes up a lot in the comment fields of the big gaming sites, too — and it's a pretty misguided one, as far as I'm concerned.
From a gameplay perspective, too, this game needs to be experienced — if only to see why everyone is raving about a puzzle-platformer. Despite having the UI of a left-to-right platformer — as well as the frequent nods to the Mario games of old — the challenge here is entirely cerebral, thanks to the core time-reversal mechanic. Missing a long jump is no longer a frustration, as holding down X will spool back Tim, his enemies, and the environment to whichever point the player chooses. Later, extra mechanics are added — a green glow indicates that an object or creature is not affected by the protagonist's mockery of time, for instance. But these additions are rarely used to create a situation that could frustrate the player, and any puzzle in the game could be run from start to finish in a couple of minutes by a clued-up player.
Anyway, you don't need me to tell you that this game is good. But I will anyway — It's good. I'm pretty sure that this is the game the Smashing Pumpkins would have made in 1995 if they hadn't been making my favourite album ever — the mood is both dreamy and lonely, the writing is just the right amount of pretentious, and the whole thing is utterly different from anything else. It might not be your particular type of good, but there's a free demo — so you might as well find out. If you're anything like me, you won't be disappointed.
End note: the always-excellent Cubeecraft has come up with some rather awesome Braid papercraft figures — as linked by the man responsible for Braid's unique art style, David Hellman. Just one more reason I need to get a printer.
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