Braid for Mac

The independent gaming community has been flourishing recently thanks to hit titles like World of Goo, And Yet It Moves, and Windosill. Indie developers have even included Mac gamers in their fun by releasing the majority of these titles for us as well (take that EA). However we’ve been missing out on what many consider to be the indie crown jewel, Braid. Well after patiently waiting, Braid is now available for Mac gamers to enjoy. All I can say is that it was well worth the wait.

Braid is a 2D puzzle/platformer where our hero is tasked with rescuing the princess from a fiendish beast. Sound familiar? While the archetype is nearly as old as gaming itself, Braid’s innovative gameplay makes it delightfully refreshing. In addition to the typical run and jump abilities, you are also able to alter the flow of time. With these powers you must collect several puzzle pieces and find your lady love. The heart of the game lies in determining how to obtain each piece, some of which may require hours of trial and error before success.

From the very start, it’s clear Braid is no normal game. Upon launching you are thrown straight into the game without a menu or text box to impede your path. Similar to Windosill, Braid is quick to state its artistic vision and that it will not be disrupted by conventional standards. This sets the tone for the entire game as ‘thinking outside the box’ seems to be a recurring motif.

Unlike most platformers, Braid’s challenge does not come from staving off death. The first ability taught in-game is how to rewind time, which can be done indefinitely. As a result there is no fear of death since a simple rewind will mend all wounds. The main challenge comes from solving the puzzles, which are astoundingly imaginative. Each puzzle has a unique solution that managed to taunt me with its deceptive simplicity. I’d hate to divulge any answers, so I’ll only share a hint for the earlier worlds: if it looks like a ledge, it’s a ledge (trust me, it took hours to discover that fact). Also not once did I feel any puzzle acting as filler. Braid treated every moment of my experience as precious time, a theme far too uncommon in most games.

Even if puzzle games aren’t your forte, Braid’s difficulty curve and controls make it accessible to everyone. Puzzles gradually increase in difficulty, easing players into more challenging feats. You can also solve the puzzles in any order you prefer, so feel free to skip one if its giving you grief. Just don’t expect to return later on with new abilities that will help in your struggle. Braid ensures that you are given everything you need to solve every puzzle the first time around, though it does not always seem possible. The controls are arguably the best I’ve seen in a platformer since Super Mario Bros 3, and the time manipulation techniques are simple to master. The only thing you can fault for not getting a puzzle piece is that you’re not solving it correctly.

Braid’s artwork is awe-inspiring. Everything from sprites to the background scenery is carefully crafted with an overall artistic vision in mind. The result is a gorgeous title that is equally a piece of art as it is a game. The music is also perfection as it adds a sense of wonder and fantasy to the experience. The developer even took into account the frequency at which players would be altering time, so the music sounds just as good forwards as it does backwards. I must admit that I have even downloaded the soundtrack for this title and am currently listening to it as I type. It’s that good.

The only area Braid stumbles is with its story, which may alienate some gamers. You are only given glimpses of the plot through disjointed pieces of text that leave the story ambiguous and non-linear. It is up to the player to provide his or her own interpretation of the experience. I personally enjoyed this aspect and found it in keeping with the overall artistic style, but it is definitely not for everyone. However the sheer originality of the gameplay warrants purchasing regardless of any minute flaws I can dredge up.

It’s clear that in its port to Mac, Braid has not lost any of its charm and elegance that made it a favorite of critics and gamers alike.