Braid Review

Individuality, bit of a mixed bag really; for all that applaud such 'special' qualities, there's the stick waving mob ready to roast the Ogre. Think about it Gandhi, JFK, Martin Luther King heck even Jesus! I'm sure you've noticed the common pattern; and gaming too has its own fair share of gaming casualties, Psi - Ops, Beyond Good and Evil, Ico, to name but three, all sporting the 'individuality' badge. Braid almost aware of this, treads an uneasy path between freak or unique within the gaming world.

Braid instantly shocks the gamer through the visual style and the lack of a traditional start screen, instead placing the gamer into a Lowry come Vangough inspired Landscape, dark and foreboding with a rich tapestry of smog illuminating the solitary silhouette of Town house. As you go right towards the house you immediately realise that this it the game hub , with each room intricately detailed offering a portal to the game 'world' - all the while daubed with the artists ominous brush!

This is a stark contrast to the graphics depicting the levels themselves, which are bright, almost impressionistic in style, with several layers of colour swirling whirlpool like within the game objects such as clouds.


Graphically though Braid is a mixed bag, with the in game characters not sharing the same level of charm and appeal as the levels they occupy. The hero of the piece, Tim who is the character the gamer controls for the duration of Braid, is hampered by a limited set of animations. Jump sequences look very similar to walking, he shows little or no emotion when reaching the 'Barneyesque' end of level Dinosaur, which unless living on Sesame street you might find a slight bit odd!

The same criticism can be levelled at the in game enemies, all of which lack the variety and personality of a Mario or Zelda adventure. This is especially odd considering the level Environment designer David Hellman redrew these to "Better match the now-predominant style of the backgrounds"

Such feelings are largely offset by the sublime in game music. Braid's orchestral tones beautifully contrasts with the gamers expectations of a Platformer; its Celtic Violin melodies brilliantly reflecting the melancholy tone of the game narrative.

Had Braid solely been a Platformer in the traditional sense, then the game would have floundered; massively. Simply keep going right, opening the subsequent doors and you will reach the final world with relative ease... Braid though is anything but traditional! Each level serves as a logic puzzle, taxing the gamer and providing some genuine 'Scratch your head and think' moments. The real task of Braid is not that you reach the end of the level, but rather that you are able to collect every Jigsaw piece within the various worlds.


Rewinding time, slow motion, creating a deathly double of yourself all become skills the gamer needs to acquire in order to gain the illusive jigsaw pieces, and while puzzles increase in their complexity, Braid subtly introduces new skills ensuring that the gamer never feels lost at sea.

Within the Puzzle solving, Braid strikes a wonderful balance between taxing gameplay and the need to have 'Just one more go!' The puzzles, when conquered offer enough 'Eureka' moments to instantly make the gamer feel as though Einstein and Hawking were their equals (albeit without the need to love quantum physics!)


As a Puzzle game Braid works fluidly allowing for an easy comparison between gaming greats within that genre such as Chu Chu Rocket and Echochrome.

The only marring of Braid's puzzle credentials is that at times the platform jumping ( a necessary part to completing many puzzles) can be extremely fiddly, resulting in countless attempts - not due to the gamer not understanding how to solve the puzzle, but more due to a slight flaw in the game mechanics.

So where does Braid rest on the arc of individuality? Is it Zen like in its thinking? or rather just a bit wacky and awaiting the playground bully to 'sort 'im out' Braid certainly is bold as a concept, almost frighteningly so; fighting at times to contain all the ideas it intends to offer the gamer. While the platforming is hit and miss, and Braid's hero Tim is largely unremarkable; level design, sense of atmosphere and the ingenuity of the puzzles counter balance any negative feelings, helping it remain a rich gaming experience.

Longevity comes through revisiting the levels rather than any additional extras, and while 1,200 point price tag seems steep - especially when compared to recent releases such as Geometry Wars 2 and Bionic Commando - Braid still commands attention making it a more unique than a freakish experience, and one that is certainly uncommon within Xbox360 marketplace.