Braid is the game that has most profoundly affected me. Never before has such a simple game contained so powerful a message and even numerous subtle ones. Braid is a simple 2D side-scrolling game with beautiful graphics and the storyline is explained through little books that you come across as you progress through the game but the main idea is that you’re trying to save a princess.
The gameplay of braid is somewhat unique, you play a character akin to Mario from Super Mario in the sense that you defeat enemies by jumping on them and there a platforms floating in the air for you to jump on but thats as far as the similarities go. Different chapters give you different powers but the they are al linked to your main one: Time Manipulation.
Depending on the chapter, you can reverse time, create a doppelganger, warp time and even control the direction of time. Using these powers, you are supposed to solve the diabolically complex puzzles and the further you go, the more powers you have to use together. While this sounds simple enough, take a look at the video below to see how confusing certain parts of it can be.
Now apart from the challenge of completing the game, you must pay attention to things such as the story from the books, the background art and the music. All of that will give you clues as to what is going on and help you understand the ending. But even then the majority of us will miss out on the secrets the creator hid throughout the levels. Finding all the secrets will unlock a hidden ending that will reveal a major twist in the storyline.
The game has a very haunting soundtrack that has won many awards. This combined with the beautiful artwork and amazing storyline will definitely blow you away. There is only one word that can do this game justice and that word is: Majestic. A full 10/10 and totally recommended.
