So goodoog oS
| Platform | OVERALL |
|---|---|
| PlayStation 3 | 8.50 |
| Overall | 8.50 |
|
Yeah I know, it is a year old, so knowing that I don't have to describe the game you know what it is. This game is all about the puzzles, it presents them in a platfomer game fashion. I thought this game would be a bit more platformer, I was wrong. The sole purpose of every single area is to present a puzzle piece and your job is to figure out how to obtain it, usually by altering time. These puzzles are brilliant, it puts so many video game "puzzles" to shame. The best part is that the solutions aren't so obscure or trail and error based that you won't find the need to run to a gamefaqs. This game found the sweet spot of making a puzzle difficult enough but it always has a logical answer. The time manipulation is a game mechanic I really hope more games use. I never played Blinx or any other game that plays with time like this one. The rules are clearly established, not with words but through simple actions that slowly grow into more elaborate puzzles. Too keep the game fresh every new world (5 and a half in all) presents a new time manipulation mechanic that is put into use throughout that world. For the 4-5 hours it takes to complete this game you will never repeat the same puzzle or solution twice. As much as I love playing the game, it is too short. Yes I know its a cheap budget game, but I have played $10 games that offer far more content. I know the saying that a game should be as long as it needs to be, I feel this game just scratches the surface of something much larger. Part of me was expecting this time manipulation based puzzle platformers, with full levels as if it were a Mario game. I did not like the way the game was structured, it is basically a small area, complete a few puzzles and enter another small area. I never get the sense that I am in a full fledged level. It feels like bite sized puzzles strung together. Imagine this large level, almost Mario World in style, secret paths, hidden objects, you name it. Instead of the puzzle solution always being right in front of you in one screen, you need to traverse this entire level to slowly piece together the solution. That's what I thought I would be getting. This game reminds me of Portal, that game felt like a training mode for the first four hours. It was a series of tasks meant to introduce you to the game mechanics. Then for the last hour the game in a way "starts" and it lets loose, allowing you to put together all the skills you learned into one long level. At the end of it I was thinking how a full game of Portal would be amazing. Braid never lets loose, it never puts together all the game mechanics you learn, it felt like a training mode from beginning to end. As I mentioned each world introduced a new time gameplay mechanic, sadly that mechanic almost always remains only in that world (there are a few that appear in other worlds). The game teases you with two boss fights, both the same enemy but you use a different time mehcanic to defeat them. Again this is an area where they could have gone all out and make this boss battle that requires you to rewind, cast shadows, use the slow ring but it keeps it simple. Maybe simple worked, the puzzles were hard enough already, maybe heads would explode if they went any more complex. Yeah I know I spent the last three paragraphs basically complaining about length and the game I wanted Braid to be, I just had to convey why I feel a bit let down. If you take Braid for what it is and you should, it is a beautifully constructed little game. Graphically its gorgeous to look as. It has dream like soothing music. Every second of the gameplay is quality. I just wanted more. |
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Posted by Dvader Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:41:06
Recently Spotted:
travo (9m)
and to think that i was so looking forward to this game coming to steam
THIS GAME GIVES ME FUCKING HEADACHES!