It was a moment of extreme satisfaction; the cap to a short, yet mentally taxing journey. An accomplishment that one tends to gloat over, raising a fist while proclaiming: “Fuck yes, I won the day.” Despite my trials, I persevered, and emerged stronger as a result.
For some, Braid is an artistic gem, offering gorgeous, stylized visuals and an equally impressive score. I certainly won’t provide a counterargument. However, to me, the challenges make the experience.
Braid, at its core, is a pretty simple platformer. Stomping on enemies and climbing ladders aren’t exactly novel gameplay mechanics. It’s the temporal aberrations – different for each level – that add complexity. Thanks to these anomalies, collecting every puzzle piece is no easy task.
Things began easy enough. Level 2 was a breeze, and offered little resistance. Level 3, however, was a wake-up call. The fourth world – specifically Hunt! – proved even more challenging. Vexed by frustration, I questioned my own abilities. I was rapt in the spatial challenges, obsessing over every possible solution. Some puzzle pieces seemed unattainable – at least initially. One by one though, the obstacles began to fall, and the puzzles slowly took form.
The satisfaction was supreme. With each piece, my confidence increased. In the past, I turned to GameFAQs and YouTube to alleviate my frustration. Not with Braid. I was determined to solve the game, using merely my intellect as a guide. Through trial and error, I did so, notching another triumph on my gamer belt. This victory though, was sweeter than most. I never gave up, even when saddled with extreme irritation. I could have taken the easy way out on multiple occasions, but I never did. For that, I’m truly proud.
Reflecting on the experience, I’m glad that I took the journey. The thrill of victory was worth the price of admission.
Author’s note: After additional thought, I decided to amend my final statement. Previously, I expressed doubt regarding the $15 price.
Image credit to IGN
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I keep hearing the question about whether Braid is worth $15.
It costs $16.95 and $19.63 on PS Store and XBLM respectively here in Canada. I’ve bought it on both. Apparently it’s worth CDN $36.58
So apparently a game that made you proud of yourself, gave you “satisfaction supreme”, and wielded a victory “sweeter then most” might not have been worth 15 bucks? Enjoyed the article up to that point, then I stopped giving a ****. Think of all the times you may have wasted 15 bucks on bad food or expensive drinks or overpriced movie tickets with bad hotdogs and popcorn or dates with girls that weren’t worth it or didnt put out or even more money on full priced games that turned out to be a hollow disappointment.
Then you look at a game like braid that really gave you a challange and something to talk about and suddenly 15 bucks turns into gold you cant part with? Shut up, it was worth it. I bought it twice as well, and went through also completely without using a guide which was more challenging and rewarding then any game I played that year. In fact, it WAS my GOTY 2008, and that was damn well worth 15 bucks.
Me smells?? Sarcasm perhaps?
BEST GAME EEEVVVVAAAAARRRRZZZZ!!!!11!1!!!
Ooops, sorry, nerdgasm. I also just got it on PSN after destroying it on XBLA last year. Easily worth the price of admission. Just don’t look up any answers. You can figure them out and it feels DAMN good to do it.
Easily my favorite arcade title, to date.
Took me 2 days. It was good, but nothing amazingly special in terms of difficulty.
I’m with you 100% on this one, Havok. I’ll sometimes peruse GameFAQs for games I don’t even own, just to see what they’re all about, but when I was playing Braid I avoided it and a lot of forums just on the odd chance I’d run across a solution to an outstanding problem.
The satisfaction of getting all of those pieces and beating this game was definitely worth the $15. It was also a game my girlfriend and I could team up on, which was rewarding in its own right.
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