by Derek L.

Created on: May 05, 2009   Last Updated: May 08, 2009

Like the many gamers who have played Braid, I heard about the game through various ads and online publications. Braid, for some reason, sneaked it's way into the XBox Live Marketplace without much advertisement or hype as far as I know. After playing the free trial via XBox Live Arcade, I didn't hesitate for an instant purchasing the full version. The $15 dollar price tag for this title may turn many gamers away, but I can honestly say that if you pass on this game you will be robbing yourself of one of the most unique interactive experiences in gaming today.

At first, Braid may appear to be nothing more than an archetypal representation of 2-D platformers from gaming's heyday in the 1980s with a colorful production pasted on top. Needless to say, its looks can be misleading, but in a very good way. What separates Braid from your average platformer is its innovative gameplay. Heavy emphasis on the word: Innovative. Though it is a 2-D platformer first and foremost, the heart and soul of Braid are its puzzles. Braid tries to set itself apart from everything else out there, and it succeeds completely.

The game stars Tim, an enigmatic character in a business suit looking for a princess. As you traverse through Braid's six peculiar worlds, your main goal is to collect puzzle pieces. The puzzle pieces collected are added to a slate which you can access through the levels themselves or from the residential overworld. Each level has its own cryptic portrait that must be assembled from the puzzle pieces collected throughout every level. Every painting completed adds a section of ladder which leads to the final level of the game. Each of Braid's six stages consist of different art themes and new gameplay mechanics. Sounds simple, right? Dig deeper.

Similar to the Prince Of Persia: Sands Of Time trilogy, Tim has the ability to reverse time. Just like other platformers, a miscalculated step can lead to a pit death or getting taken out by an enemy; this is no problem however, just reverse the time far enough back prior to your mistake and try again. Essentially, there is no way to die in Braid. There is no limit to the time reversal mechanic either. It is your main weapon in Braid to conquer the humble enemies and solve a majority of its cleverly crafted puzzles. Each new world introduces Tim to a new skill that can only be used in that particular world respectively. These mechanics do not carry over to the other stages of the game, making each

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