It may feel like Mario at first, but this platformer-puzzle hybrid quickly reveals a style all its own.
Braid revolves around Tim, the game's protagonist, and his search for a mystical princess. Tim does everything Mario does: jumps on the heads of his enemies to knock them off the screen, avoids Piranha Plants, and dodges cannon-fire. But it doesn't take long for Braid to separate itself, as Tim also has the ability to control time.
And it's this ability that makes the game stand apart, because instead of it being a twitchy platformer, it becomes a puzzle game that forces you to use almost pure logic. Sure it has moments where you need to rely on speed and reflexes, but you will concentrate most of your efforts on trying to figure out how to manipulate time to reach the end of each level.
The controls are surprisingly simple, and this simplicity is part of the game's beauty. You move with the left analog stick, press the A button to jump, and press the B button to reverse time. While this doesn't sound like much, the game is constantly kept fresh by changing your time-manipulation abilities from world to world. You also have just one or two special abilities to work at any given time, so the puzzles never end up over-complicated. Again, this allows you to focus on the puzzles, and not on the controls.
Beyond the gameplay, all of the other aspects are in order as well. The graphics and art style are absolutely gorgeous and fit the game perfectly. Everything in the background moves with flowing watercolors that give the whole game a very serene feeling. The music is both classical and Celtic. And while it doesn't stand out, that's the whole idea. It's only meant to enhance the experience.
What may throw some gamers is the storyline, which is all delivered in text format by reading books throughout the game. While in many games, a storyline this obscure would be out of place, it fits in particularly well with this title. In other words, the storyline exists, but it's behind a veil that you have lift and figure out on your own. Just like everything else with this game, it won't be spoon-fed to you.
Anyone looking for an enjoyable game should download this title. It's one of the best downloadable games available on the Xbox Live Arcade, if not the best.