Jonathan Blow's Braid starts with a simple premise: What if you could take
back your biggest mistakes and try again? As a platformer, it's an obvious
homage to Super Mario Bros., right down to the princess—the girl you lost and
have to win back. In the first level, there's just one trick: You're given a "rewind"
button, and every time you meet your death or miss a tricky jump, you can go
back in time and try again.
But fixing your mistakes isn't so simple. You'll encounter
other ways to manipulate time, from a level where you can slow the action with
the help of a divorcé's wedding ring to a map where a ghostly version of
yourself retraces every step you tried to undo. A story that seemed sentimental
at first steadily gets more complex, reaching back to childhood memories and
failed relationships.
The puzzles Blow builds around the time mechanics are so
inventive and satisfying that they feel more like a point-and-click adventure
than a platformer. But that story about the princess provides the biggest bang,
especially in its conclusion. By the time you reach the final castle, the
fragments of text that introduce the levels—inspired by Italo Calvino's Invisible
Cities—put
the whole experience in sharp relief. Your journey isn't about the girl, it's
about your understanding—and misunderstanding—of yourself. This
isn't a game about time, it's about memories, and how they can be repeated and
eventually rewritten. And understanding this isn't meant to make you feel like
a hero, so much as a liar.
Beyond
the game: The
cartoonish sprites and expressionistic backgrounds are the work of David
Hellman, who illustrated the stunning webcomic A Lesson Is Learned But the
Damage Is Irreversible.
Worth playing for: If the whole thing sounds too highbrow, just enjoy
the brilliant puzzles—and don't forget to try the speed runs.
Frustration
sets in when: Although
it's a platformer, the pace is more thoughtful than action-packed. If you're
trying to solve a problem through fancy footwork, you're probably doing it
wrong.
Final judgment: More fun than watching Italo Calvino and Shigeru Miyamoto
doing the crossword together.