Braid

I am not a big fan of puzzle platformers and I am not a big fan of the visuals of this game either. But I've read pretty positive reviews about this game, and when I got the game through the humble bundle, I eventually played it. Not excited at the beginning I skipped through the story elements, something I later really regretted to do. But the more I played the more I liked what I did. Puzzles really became interesting and challenging. Solving them made me feel good, progress in this game really made me feel good. And not too long into the game, the game was sadly already over. But the feeling I had when I finished the game was a bit mindblowing. I really had to sit back and rethink what just happened. This feeling in the end is the true reason why I can't give this game anything else than a 5-Star rating. But one advise I can give to you when you decide to play this game now: You really need to solve the game on your own. Don't look up solutions or look up how someone else finishes the game, it won't work, you have to play this game on your own. And even then I can't guarantee you that the game will have the same effect on you, than it had on me, but I can guarantee you that there is something truly unique in this game.

Braid is a clever puzzle-platformer game with unique elements. This is the game is considered to be one of the most famous of indie platformers alongside Limbo, and it has most certainly earned its reputation. As far as gameplay goes, it's worth mentioning that death is impossible, as you can reverse time at your leisure. Each world is built around a time mechanic, such as use of a ring that slows anything thats get close to it, or a level which makes time go forwards as you move right and backwards when you move left. It requires a great deal of brilliance to not only think of these uses, but to integrate them properly into clever puzzles, and the creator deserves a great deal of respect for this. The main game itself is not so difficult, but rather it's collecting the puzzle pieces where the challenge lies. They're tucked away in hard-to-reach places which require timing and ingenuity to access. Not all puzzle pieces have to be collected in order to progress through the game, however, and if you don't want too much of a challenge, you can seek out the worst ones by consulting a walkthrough. For those who want even MORE of a challenge, there are hidden stars to look for after the game has been beaten, as well as an alternate ending which can be achieved after finding all of these stars. Some people have chosen to dislike the game because of the pretentious personality of Jonathan Blow, who's gone so far as to overemphasize the artistic value of his game which has a rather indecipherable and, arguably, purposefully vague plot. However, I'm of the personal opinion that the game should be judged independently of its creator. If you're a person who values what the man behind it is like, you might want to look up more about him before buying. Overall, this is a "staple" indie game which I highly recommend. The art style is beautiful, the soundtrack is utterly fantastic, and the gameplay is only as much work as the amount of effort you choose to put into it.

This was one of the first indie games I really stopped and noticed. It was the hand-drawn style that drew me in (fresh after an enjoyable play-through of Child of Light). But this is no story-driven platformer. This is a hard-core puzzle game, and if you are even remotely considering this purchase you need to be completely aware of that fact. The Good: This is a puzzle game. In it you will certainly find some unique puzzles that involve different kinds of time-bending mechanics. You may already know about the "rewind" button you have for most of the game. You can literally rewind all the way back to when you first step into the level. The ability to rewind that extensively and whenever you want without any real restriction really encourages experimentation when working on the puzzles of each level. There are other time-themed mechanics too, such as how on some levels the enemies and objects on the level move forward through time when you walk to the right and backward through time when you walk to the left. If you jump on an enemy and then move to the left the enemy will rewind back into place as if you never killed it. If you enjoy puzzles that could make for some interesting setups. The Bad: This is a puzzle game. There is basically nothing else to it, so if you are looking for something besides puzzles take this as a warning. The story itself is vague and I found it to be a little too much like a philosophical thought experiment than a true and engaging narrative. Also, the controls felt a little soft to me, especially when there are certain puzzles that demand pixel-width precision. I know I could just rewind and try each maneuver over and over, but I personally found the rewinding mechanic jarring. Rewinding constantly broke any sort of flow or pacing the game had, and the high-pitched squeal of the music track running backwards at high speeds made it hard for me to play with headphones. The Verdict: If you have read my review this far you may have realized that I dislike puzzle games, and I admit that some of that personal dislike may have seeped into this review. All I can say is that if I had understood from the start that this game is more like colorful Sudoku and not at all similar to games like Child of Light I would have skipped it completely. On a brighter note, I have yet to see a puzzle game with a more pleasing artistic style.

Braid is a Puzzle-platformer where you collect puzzle pieces. It's definitely a meta-experience that gets very complex as you go on. Elements of time and movement are being played upon and expanded in the narrative and in the actual gameplay. This is also a sad game. There's a beautiful, poignant aspect to the art, the music and the overall design. It's a story of regret and the attempt to redo the past. It's one of the best games I ever played.