There isn't a lot of games like Braid. On the surface; it's a puzzle platformer with a unique rewind mechanic. It's filled with a lot of little eureka moments and is perfect for anyone that wants to get into that genre more. I've played this game through again for the 3rd or 4th time now. Either my intrinsic familiarity with games leads me to play with little resistance, or those playthroughs, distant in some years apart, lead me to remember each solution. Every key and locked door. It all clicked in place.
Now that I'm older, I see this game differently. There's a puzzle to the meaning of this work. With time we grow old and look back on what we could've done differently. We make mistakes that we can't undo. They haunt us into an obsession until we lose ourselves. There's a loose connection to the game's art and mechanics, and how it connects to the story.
In all the games I've played and media I've enjoyed, it's rare for a game to feel more sentimental and introspective. I understood each puzzle, but it never clicked before that there was more to the game than the sum of its parts. Its physics, mechanics, objectives. It felt like there was something more that I didn't understand before, and yet I'm still left with questions.

I recommend this game to people interested in puzzle games, nostalgic fans of the former Xbox Live Arcade line-up of titles, speedrunners and general audiences.

Side note to speedrunners specifically: this game kind of has bunny-hopping and momentum conservation. Try jumping at the edge of a solid platform down a ramp (or in other words some might understand: perform an "edgebug"). It's fun!

There isn't a lot of games like Braid. On the surface; it's a puzzle platformer with a unique rewind mechanic. It's filled with a lot of little eureka moments and is perfect for anyone that wants to get into that genre more. I've played this game through again for the 3rd or 4th time now. Either my intrinsic familiarity with games leads me to play with little resistance, or those playthroughs, distant in some years apart, lead me to remember each solution. Every key and locked door. It all clicked in place. Now that I'm older, I see this game differently. There's a puzzle to the meaning of this work. With time we grow old and look back on what we could've done differently. We make mistakes that we can't undo. They haunt us into an obsession until we lose ourselves. There's a loose connection to the game's art and mechanics, and how it connects to the story. In all the games I've played and media I've enjoyed, it's rare for a game to feel more sentimental and introspective. I understood each puzzle, but it never clicked before that there was more to the game than the sum of its parts. Its physics, mechanics, objectives. It felt like there was something more that I didn't understand before, and yet I'm still left with questions. I recommend this game to people interested in puzzle games, nostalgic fans of the former Xbox Live Arcade line-up of titles, speedrunners and general audiences. Side note to speedrunners specifically: this game kind of has bunny-hopping and momentum conservation. Try jumping at the edge of a solid platform down a ramp (or in other words some might understand: perform an "edgebug"). It's fun!