good

Delisting the old version of your game to sell the new version? Really?

I try hard to be kind to indies but this sort of thing does not fly with me, be it AAA or shoestring-budget indie. Can't wait for Mr. Cult of Personality to make his excuses on a million podcasts.

Note: The final score is a 6.5, which is hardly a strong recommendation, so it's best to consider this review a neutral one. If only Steam would allow such an option.

Despite not being the first game to utilise time-manipulation, Braid remains an interesting one due to its commitment to the concept, and sheer level of detail and complexity in the way the mechanic works. However, despite the impressive "concept" the "game" is a fairly vapid one, especially as a puzzle game, where it falls somewhat flat; there are a few standout puzzles in a sea of otherwise mindless ones, up until the end where things get somewhat complex, yet frustrating because of the degree of precision required. It's a game that feels like it never quite ramps up, or becomes that interesting. Or, rather, maybe it's more appropriate to say that it continuously ramps up and then down, since the game is divided into "worlds" that contain eight or so individual levels, and the difficulty seems to reset at the start of each one.

This feeling could stem from the fact that every world introduces a new twist; in the first world, the game is a simple one: it's a matter of rewinding time. This could mean falling into a pit to grab a puzzle piece (the main collectables of Braid), and then rewinding back to the precipice. In a later world, time only moves when the player moves, so the challenge becomes carefully observing all of the elements on screen, and predicting their forthcoming movements. Because of this segmented design, and the short duration of the worlds, it feels like the mechanics are never pushed far enough, and they don't ever overlap at all. So, what effectively happens is that things show up suddenly, and never reappear. This makes for distinct worlds, but it also creates a game that feels haphazard. There's a world where a clone of the player repeats the movements and actions stored in the last rewind, and one of the most interesting puzzles in the game is featured here (the clone must be made to jump over a pit of spikes, allowing the player on the left-hand side to grab the key from him before he falls and dies, since the gap cannot be cleared), but after this world, the clone concept is dropped.

Then, for the penultimate, an entirely new concept (a ring dropped by the player, allowing time within its vicinity to be slowed), mapped to a hitherto unused button appears, and instead of feeling surprising, it's actually rather jarring. The puzzles featuring the ring also happen to be some of the most frustrating (not to be conflated with difficult), because they make the action elements of Braid (it is very 2D Mario-esque, after all) rear their ugly heads. Up until this point, the platforming and enemies were more of an afterthought—a means to an end—and now, suddenly, the ring must be carefully placed, and tricky jumps or actions must be made precisely in conjunction with wherever the ring is. This makes for puzzles where the player has long since "figured it out" but has to repeatedly try to nab the piece anyway, in game that mostly handed them out previously.

The story of Braid is definitely deeper than most games (not that it's a particularly high bar to clear), and it's nice that none of it is forced on the players. The bulk of the story is written in books that the player passes by. That being said, there's a memorable ending segment that almost anyone will immediately understand, and genuinely stands out as one of the greatest climaxes to a game ever, and also re-contextualises everything that happened in a clever way. It's because of things like this that criticising Braid so harshly is difficult, and yet, it feels justified, because there are so many more puzzle games that feel much stronger, even without the narrative bend. The presentation and music are truly beautiful, and serve as other aspects that justify experiencing Braid once. But after that one time, it's really hard to consider revisiting, because most puzzles don't leave a lasting impression, and the game is too easy.

Rating: 6.5/10