A truly remarkable game with some of the most clever puzzles ever designed.
GRAPHICS:
Braid looks simply beautiful. The painterly style used for the main character (Tim) and the environments looks stunning on an HD setup. The graphics create a charming appeal that makes the game more inviting. The only real slip-up in this section involves two certain figures (I won't mention what/who they are to avoid spoilers) which seem like they were just thrown in and the painterly style almost entirely avoided. But, the game is still gorgeous.
GRAPHICS SCORE: 9.5/10
SOUND:
The orchestral music in Braid is very well done and is, like the graphics, beautiful. Though more songs maybe should have been included, what is in the game is amazing. Also, the music moves along with the time manipulations you perform; in other words, if you are causing time to flow backwards, the music will flow backwards at the same speed, which is a neat little touch. Past that, you just have standard jumping and puzzle piece noises, which aren't anything special. Nevertheless, the background music is still top-notch.
SOUND SCORE: 8.5/10
STORY:
Braid's story has been highly acclaimed by critics everywhere. However, this is actually the one aspect of the game with which I find a true fault. Don't get me wrong; the story itself is very good. However, it is not told in a particularly immersing or clear fashion. It is told primarily through books placed in the beginning of each of the six worlds, which describe Tim, the protagonist of Braid, and his feelings/actions. Although the books are kind of cool in that they explain the unique mechanic of the coming world (explained below) and relate it to Tim, I can't really help but feel like more could have been done story-wise. The books don't immerse you into the story at all; even though it is apparent that a lot of time went into writing the story, the books still feel kind of tacked on to the worlds. The stories in the worlds don't follow each other in a linear format, which would be fine if they weren't so cryptic. Unfortunately, most people I've talked to who played this game also were somewhat confused by the cryptic storytelling. Because of the rather questionable storytelling format, we are not really given much reason to care about Tim or why he's doing what he's doing. But, the last level does contain an amazing plot twist and is very, very well done. That was one of the few times ever while playing a game where I actually made a noise out loud in reaction to a plot twist. One just can't help but wish that the rest of the story was told as well as the final stage. Many people claim that the story was "deeply moving", but for me the story wasn't told well enough for it to be moving at all. And, judging by the number of people I've found on forums asking for others to explain the story to them because they're "so confused", I'm not alone here.
STORY SCORE: 7.5/10
GAMEPLAY:
Utterly brilliant. Where Braid (in my opinion at least) fails in its storytelling capabilities, it absolutely succeeds in its gameplay. The game, though it uses basic platforming mechanics, is actually a puzzle game. And, what a puzzle game it is. Each world employs a different mechanic, allowing you to manipulate time in a different way. One world gives you the power to create a doppelganger while rewinding time, while another gives you a ring which slows down time for everything within a certain radius. The puzzles, though some are very hard, are EASILY the best I have ever seen. Almost every puzzle will leave you thinking to yourself "Wow, how did they even come up with that?" This is amazing level design at its finest. Even if some of the puzzles might frustrate you, they are so ingeniously designed that you won't even care. The only real drawback is the game's short length. The first time through, this game will most likely take you less than five hours to finish. And, there really isn't much reason to come back to it after figuring out the solutions to all the puzzles. Nevertheless, what gameplay there is is so brilliant that the short length is definitely a minor problem more than a major one.
GAMEPLAY SCORE: 9.5/10
CONCLUSION:
Do not be put off by the $15 price tag; this game is completely worth the price of admission. Even though I don't agree with those who praise the game's story as being the best they've ever seen (it doesn't even come CLOSE in my opinion), the incredible design of the gameplay and puzzles cannot be denied. This is the best downloadable game on Xbox 360 right now, and is my new second favorite puzzle game (next to Portal). It provides a memorable experience and, even if the experience won't last for all that long, it's definitely worth double the price tag. Anyone who likes games and has an Xbox 360 owes it to themselves to buy Braid.
FINAL SCORE (not an average): 9.0/10