“Developers should design innovative, ethical and personal art because players are hungry for inspiring new games.”

When making statements like this Jonathan Blow has a lot to live up to and with Braid his debut platform/puzzle game not only does he live up to them, he manages to bring the world of video games one step closer to a respectable art form.

At a quick look it would be easy to mistake Braid for a Super Mario Bros. clone; both feature a solitary man traversing multiple worlds in search of  a kidnapped princess; both feature similar enemies and both end each level with the same mantra “the princess is in another castle”. Those similarities and homages aside Braid has little interest in being the next Mario, instead it’s more content with wrapping it’s complex and mysterious story in time based puzzles.

Each of Braid’s six worlds revolves around a different time based puzzle and theme, bookended with some cryptic narrations and littered with puzzle pieces the game slowly offers players a glimpse of the story’s emotional undercurrent and while the narrative may at times come of as both over and melodramatic by Braid’s closing scene all the pieces fit perfectly, both asking and offering players questions they may not have been expecting given it’s minimalistic presentation.

Expertly designed with both a gorgeous art style and haunting music Braid would not quite work as a game were it not for it’s gameplay and thankfully both Braids platforming and puzzle elements manage to live up to the games it pays homage to. While at times it may seem as if the solution to it’s increasingly complex puzzles is out of reach, for those willing to both think and overcome the multiple red herrings the game throws their way will find a very rewarding experience. Braid is the future of gaming, both emotionally and artistically rewarding it offers something unfortunately not seen very often in modern gaming. It’s also an extremely fun experience to boot.

10/10

Braid is available for download on Xbox Live, Playstation Network and PC. The above version is a review for the Xbox Live version of the game.