Week 2: Game

Braid

Instructions?

Many aspects of this game seem to have been designed in an attempt to challenge the generally accepted idea of a typical video game. The game lacks clear instructions, and instead players can learn the intuitive controls and innovative gameplay mechanics through experimentation and play! I quite like this approach, as it invokes a sense of discovery as each of the various mechanics are revealed – without the clear “in this level you can press this button to do this…” that might give-away or spoil the surprise!

Timey-Wimey Stuff

The idea of using experimentation in a sort of trial-and-error manner to learn to play the game and attempt the puzzles is reinforced with the key game mechanic of being able to manipulate time to “learn from your mistakes, but undo the consequences”. The time mechanics of the game remove “death” from the platformer and opens up a vast new world of possibilities for puzzles, and hence the game focuses more on puzzle and problem solving than finicky button smashing and luck like some platformers. Although at times the puzzles can be frustratingly difficult, the experience it provided was awesome.

Graphics & Sound

Speaking of awesome, there really isn’t much else to be said about the graphics and sound; purely works of art. The way the stunning graphics and amazing soundtrack and cute little sound effects all react to your manipulation of time makes for a wonderfully cool experience.

Story

The story is complicated, sad, and very confusing. The story challenges normally accepted views of video game story telling by being cryptic, not fully revealed, and humorously distorts the simple “save the princess from the castle”-plot of the popular Mario franchise. Furthermore, related to the gameplay mechanics of time manipulation, the story is also non-linear, with the first event only being revealed backwards and in the last level. Truly marvelous.