Braid

Added April 23rd, 2008 by ArtG

Braid is an upcoming Xbox Live Arcade game that you probably haven’t heard about.  After I had some extensive hands on time with a near-finished build of the game, it is safe to say that Braid is a game you will be hearing a lot more about as it nears release.  It succeeds in all the places that I believe Portal succeeded in—that is, Braid delivers both a unique setting, as well as a clearly defined world for players to interact with. If you’re unsure of what I mean, let me set up the premise and what Braid actually is.

Braid is a puzzle game with a touch of platformer mixed in for good measure. In it, you’ll control Tim, a man in search of a “princess in a castle.” Each of the worlds are prefaced by little tomes you can read before  you reach the gameplay, offering little nuggets on Tim, the princess, and other odds and ends. So far, the story could turn out into something neat, but to me, the main attraction is the puzzle-solving, which is, in a word, phenomenal.

 Going back to my Portal and “clearly defined world” example—what I mean by that is that in Portal and now in Braid, these games put you into situations where it is either orally taught or experientially learned by the player on what the rule sets are in the world you are playing in. So, in both Portal and Braid, you can look at your surroundings as they are and then logically think through the steps you must take in order to retrieve puzzle pieces (more on these in a bit) or to clear an area.

A personal pet peeve of mine is games that do not introduce puzzles that are completely bereft of logic and have you slapping your head, wondering how the developer thought anyone would understand their intent without consulting a game guide. These moments are not to be had in Braid. The challenge is not figuring out what the hell to do, but how you are going to accomplish that end given the specific rules in the world and the objects and obstacles that are in your way. Most of these brain-teasers come by way of trying to attain puzzle pieces that are strewn about in each world.  Collecting all the puzzle pieces in each world and then putting them all together helps you advance up a ladder to an additional world (which, sadly I report I have not reached).

Aside from playing great, the build also showcased a distinct visual style that exudes vitality and life. The backgrounds in the game world appear to be living, breathing hand-drawn watercolor paintings that move and pulse as you do. Braid also liberally uses color at every juncture, which adds to the good-natured, lively feel the game has. Though, the soothing, peaceful music tracks don’t hurt, either.

 I probably could have covered the game in a bit greater detail, (please don’t point out my faults, I know them all too well!) but for the sake of spoilers and to curtail my own man-crush from spiraling out of control, I need to cut things off here. Though this is not a final version, I can safely assume that this will be one of the most cherished titles to be released on Xbox Live Arcade. And although there have been plenty of stinkers to come out on the service, Braid is definitely not one of them. Rather, Braid has a chance to be regarded as one of the best.

Look for Braid to crash the XBLA in the coming months.