Storytelling in games has been a hit or miss thing. More often than not story and game play will get in the way of each other and as a result, one of them gets injured beyond repair. Sometimes those sacrifices are justified. But if you DO have to sacrifice one, you better make sure that the other makes up for any apparent losses as a result. Braid is one of those games where the games play and the story blend...
Wait a moment, let me stop myself right there. Braid's game play and story WOULD blend if the story was a little clearer than mud. Don't get me wrong, the story is good, once I hopped over to gamefaqs and read a story break down. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's break it down...

Gameplay

Braid's game play is a new take on some old and proven game play mechanics. First and foremost it's a 2D platformer, filled with jumping on things, collecting items and saving the ever elusive princess (don't worry if this sounds familiar, you're not going crazy). Braid however takes this and adds a time manipulation mechanic that is used to solve various time related puzzles in each level. Some of these puzzles range from sheer brilliant to frustratingly hard and aggravating. Thankfully the brilliant ones outweigh the hard and aggravating ones, and as such can be forgiven. The time related puzzles for each level are not what you would call new, but certainly a different twist on time manipulation. For example, on one level you get a ring that slows down time based on the proximity to the ring, while in another level as you move forward, time moves forward, and likewise, as you move back, time reverses.
Another great feature in this game is the ability to move past levels you can't complete. If you get stuck on a puzzle in a certain level, you can move on to the next puzzle or next level and come back to that later. In a game like this, it's nearly required, as it would have quickly gotten old had it forced you to complete each puzzle before moving on. However, don't think that this game lets you skip the point of playing it. By completing all the puzzles in each level you gain access to the final (or is it?) level which is probably the most brilliant level/story mechanic I have ever seen in a game. Well worth the hours spent figuring out the puzzles I promise. Just so long as you are paying attention to what's happening...

Story

The story of the game is a little hard to follow. Most of it is spelled out in books in the beginning of each level, and at the end in the epilogue (prologue?). Past that, not much story is given during the actual game play (with a notable exception of the end of every level and the last level). I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand, the story doesn't get in the way of the gameplay and you are free to focus on solving those puzzles. And then there is the other hand where the story is so vague and muddled that you're almost pushed to the point of not caring. Let this be a warning, unless you are the kind of person who likes to theorize and guess at what's going on without being actually told, the story will only frustrate and upset you. Of course you could always go to gamefaqs.com and read the story break down.

Graphics

In a world of "everything in 3D" games, this is a reminder why our roots are in 2D platformers. If there was ever an argument I was a part of about "games as art" all I would have to do is point to this game. It is absolutely stunning. Each level oozes personality and style, from the brightly colored water paint backgrounds, to the vibrant foreground colors and character detail. Each level is like a masterpiece painting. I really can't say enough about it other than it has to be seen to be appreciated. I wish more games took the amount of time and care that obviously went in to the graphics in this game. There would be tears of joy streaming down from gamers’ and artists’ cheeks around the world.

Sound

Like the graphics, the music is probably the most beautiful music I've ever heard in a game. You won't find a heavy beat techno track or a head banging rock ballad playing in the back ground. What you'll hear is pieces of music that suit the visual art style perfectly. It's almost as if they put both the graphics designer and music creator in the same room and told them they have to work together. Each level has music that while similar, is distinct enough to be a joy to listen to. I actually found some clips of music from the game and have a whole playlist dedicated to it. It's really that good. Again, unless you can appreciate good classical sounding music, it might not suit you. But I think that if you don't like the music on some level, you are probably dead inside. Yeah, I said it.

Replay Value

Unfortunately this game suffers from the same problem that most puzzle games suffer from. After solving the puzzles, there really isn't much left. There are some hidden and INSANELY hard stars to find, but past that, you won't find much to return for. It really isn't the game’s fault however. It's just the inherent problem found in this genre of games. There are speed runs though (which in a time manipulation based game just crack me up) if you enjoy that kind of thing.

The Verdict

Who's this game for:

• Fans of old school platforming
• Fans of puzzle solving
• Fans of deep, if not somewhat murky, storytelling
• Fans of beautiful art
• Fans of beautiful music

Who should avoid this game:

• People who don't like difficult problem solving
• People who don't care for classical music
• People who want more replay from their games
• People who want crystal clear story telling
• People who aren't a fan of 2D platformers (all 5 of you)

At 1200 MS points ($15) it's a bit more expensive than most Xbox Live games available. But is it worth it? I absolutely think it is. I've paid a whole lot more and have gotten a whole lot less than what Braid has given me. This game absolutely deserves the $15 price tag and I have no regrets purchasing it. Go download the demo now and see for yourself.

Stay tuned for full video review coming soon!