Time to Complete: 5 Hours
Braid:
One of the first breakthrough indie games, Braid (2008), received immediate acclaim, while defining the term through its innovation. Though short in length, it should instead be seen as concise, for in that space the developer has packed such a breadth and depth of material, that it would be a shame to limit a description to one thousand words, so this is the first of two articles.
A platformer and puzzler, revolving
around the mechanic of time manipulation, the player controls Tim(e),
a well attired man. In the common convention of platforming, Tim is
limited sideways movement, jumping (and falling), and activating
switches. But though one must describe Braid as a platformer,
it uses platforming to
deliver its puzzles, unlike Mario or Sonic whose platforms are an
obstacle.
Braid opens with Tim standing
upon a bridge, in the distance a darkened sky encloses a city
illuminated by a radiant reddish orange glow, which a first one might
assume to be flame, but must be the city lights. Advancing, Tim
paces under the a sky bereft of auburn structures, a witnesses the
outline of the constellation of Andromeda, conspicuously absent of
stars. At last, he enters a house, with five rooms (each with space
for a painting), and a ladder leading upwards. Each of these rooms
contains a World, much like Super Mario, and each World contains a
number of levels. A curious observer might notice that the first
room is described as World 2, and the other rooms, when activated are
Worlds 3 – 6. Upon closer observation, the ladder leading upwards
is missing five pieces. Completing the picture for each World
unlocks a section of the ladder, and with all five, Tim can access
World 1.
To complete a World, Tim move through
the multiple levels it contains, by entering through a door and
exiting through another. Once he has accessed a new level in this
way, he can return to any level he has already been in, without
passing again through the others. But this isn't how one finishes
the pictures. There is no challenge in walking from one door to
another, instead one must collect the picture pieces and arrange them
correctly in the picture frame. Each World contains twelve picture
pieces.
The first World (World 2) is a training
exercise, allowing the player to experiment with Tim's ability to
manipulate time. But there is not a single puzzle of World 2 which
requires his ability (though it would be hard to complete without
it). Tim has the miraculous ability to rewind time, undoing the
effects of the recent past. Everything moves backwards; Tim, picture
pieces, enemies, keys, locked doors, and other moving components. If
one waits long enough, the level (at least in World 2), will entirely
reset itself, with Tim entering through the door.
Each level contains one, two, or three
picture pieces. Each of these requires Tim to solve a puzzle. Even
if when are multiple puzzles on the same level, they are often
unrelated. Most puzzles are distinct with no connection between
them, though sometimes a puzzle must be beaten to advance. He must
collect the pieces by avoiding enemies, for they are deadly.
Yet, dying is impossible for one who
controls time itself, and whenever Tim collides with a flames,
spikes, or an enemy, he undergoes an animation of death, but before
the screen can change to black, the game pauses and waits for the
player to rewind time. In spite of death's transience what are these
foes? Braid debuts Monstar, a Goomba like enemy, who patrol
back and forth, heedless of danger. Jumping on their head gives Tim
a bounce (simultaneously eliminating the threat), and bouncing
repeatedly from one to another, imparts an increasingly powerful
force upward. There's also the Claw, who unmistakably resembles
Mario's piranha plant. Wonderfully designed, with a
delightfully wet smack, smack, smack sound, like that of the movement
of gratified lips.
Braid doesn't waste a single World (or
level) to unnecessary bloating. Worlds 3 – 6 alter the basic
dynamic of time manipulation with distinct variations.
This variety is accentuated by “The
Pit”! A training level, included (with minor modification) in
Worlds 3 – 6, it introduces the player to the new feature. Though
each World contains a unified mechanic, each puzzle requires a
completely unique mindeset.
World 3's innovation is grounded
objects. Certain enemies, doors, keys, and platforms will be
unaffected by Tim's ability to reverse time. As everything else
travels backwards in time, these objects (helpfully distinguished by
a sparkling green glow) continue progressing forward (in time). This
allows for some interesting interactions. If Tim picks up an
ungrounded (normal) key and rewinds time, both he and the key will
return to their starting positions. But “the Pit” demonstrates
the difference: Tim must jump into a hole, and retrieve a key, and
then rewind out. The grounded key he picks up stays in his hand as
he travels back in time. Additionally, if Tim stands on a grounded
platform, he too becomes grounded, and will not move backward in
time, even as other objects do. Grounded objects are a common
sight in future Worlds, as they interact well with the other
variations.
In World 4, time is attached to Tim, as
if is running on some strange treadmill. While standing still, time
does not move. The Monstars, Claws, and platforms stay in place.
When Tim moves to the right, time progresses, but moving to the left
forces everything (but Tim) to move backward in time. It has the
same effect as Tim using his time manipulation ability. The greatest
difficult lies in trying to carry a key to the left. It jumps out of
Tim's hand, desperate to return to correct position in time! For
better or worse, once the player has defeated World 4, they will not
experience this mechanic.
World 5 is a mixture of reality and
shadow, a land where everyone is a Peter Pan. Every time Tim
rewinds, he creates a shadow which reenacts his last thirty seconds.
It is not just Tim, all moving objects, whether alive or abiotic
create a shadow image. Like grounded objects in World 3, there are
Shadow Objects, indicated by a purple glitter. Shadow Objects exist
in both realities, and are effected by real Tim and shadow Tim. For
instance, a regular Door requires a real key, but a Shadow Door can
be opened by a real key, or a shadow key. Shadow Tim can also pick
up Shadow Picture pieces. Shadow Objects (and Tim's shadow) exist
only in World 5.
World 6 allows Tim to deploy a Ring
(wedding ring or symbol of eternity) to slow time. Closest to the
ring, time nearly stops, while the further an object (or Tim) is from
it, the faster time passes, eventually approaching normal speed.
Eventually, victory will be Tim's, or
will it? Find out next week!
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