Grade: A
Time Spent Playing: 6 Hours
I've held off posting my thoughts on Braid because I've been mulling over its story in my mind. Not to spoil anything, but the ending throws a couple of narrative curve balls at you. One is clever and makes sense, the other is dumb; a tortured analogy that comes directly from left field. I've looked at the analysis of the latter from competent minds and, sadly, found support for my conclusions. Time has only reinforced the validity of my interpretation and I have to ultimately admit my disappointment in the narrative.
Not that it effectively affects my affections for the time I spent effecting the game. Up until the final revelations, I was enthralled by this game. The gorgeous hand drawn art; the baroque musical compositions; the allusions to cherished video game memories and Renoit paintings and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; the superlative puzzle design: all exceptional means leading to a remarkable end.
Speaking of puzzles, there are some real doozies here. Braid has the ability to make you feel like both a dumbass and a genius. A few had me absolutely convinced that I lacked some prerequisite platforming skills to solve them, until I convinced myself to start from scratch and try to see things from a different perspective. The game trains you to approach each mystery like a scientist might; before taking any action or making any conclusions, it's best to first observe the subject.
Perhaps, more so than the message of its tenuous metaphor, the true legacy of Braid will be how it imparts the necessity of looking at a problem without preconceived notions of what the solution should be. The positive over the normative.
Or not. The game is great. Go buy it.
