Deja Fu

Good games are rare things all on their own. For example, of the hundreds of titles available for the XBox 360, I own maybe twenty or so and have played less than a hundred (Gamefly rules!).

So when a truly great game comes along, it’s definitely memorable. The thing is that those games usually come from a studio where a collaborative effort (sometimes guided by an auteur) is the main creative force. Budgets are usually in the millions. The man hour count alone would stagger most people’s imaginations.

Then a game like Braid appears and the entire world is turned upside down.

Braid is a puzzle/2-D platformer and the creation of indie developer Jonathan Blow, which takes these tried and true staples of the arcade game and, with the added mechanic of time reversal, a compelling, well-written story (that resonates emotionally, not just intellectually), beautiful art and a haunting soundtrack, transcends the genre to become something close to art, rather than just entertainment.

As I’ve seen in other reviews, to talk about Braid’s content or mechanics too closely is to spoil enjoyment of the game itself. It really should be experienced with as little known about it as possible. The game does use time as a mechanic, that can be said, and it does so in a way that evokes comparisons to Alan Lightman’s Einstein’s Dreams. If you know the book, you’ll know to what I am referring.

The game itself is short, about six hours seems to be the average, and some of the puzzles can be frustrating until you figure out the key, but there’s nothing here to prevent anyone from completing the game. It all works and once you figure out a puzzle, you’re left feeling triumphant and clever, which should always be the case.

At the moment it’s only available on the XBox 360 via XBLA, but I’ve read a PC version will be released early in 2009.

One way or another, you should make a point to play this game. Experiences like this are rare and should be enjoyed and there are much, much worse ways to spend $15.

-K