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You got Retro in my Next Gen! Well you got Next Gen in my Retro!!
Stop stop, you’re both right! I want to talk a moment about a current gen game that brings the classic retro style that we all know and love. This one is about….Braid.
Braid is a side scrolling game created as an indi project by a developer named Jonathan Blow. JB took the initiative on himself and solely funded the Braid project with the idea of creating a classic style game with high artistic value. Using $200,000 of his own money, he did just that.
In Aug of 2008, Braid was released on the Xbox Live Arcade platform. Since then it has taken off on all platforms now. It’s even been featured on the Humble Indie Bundle a few times.
But what is it?
Braid tells the story of a young man working to rescue his girlfriend from a horrible monster. To do this he uses various skills and tools to master the art of time and space. He can rewind time to fix mistakes and move objects to solve puzzles. Each world he visits presents new challenges that he may or may not need tools from a different world to solve. To your average player, this may seem like a copy of many other classic games like Prince of Persia, or even the various Mario games. (Yes, your princess IS in another castle)
What sets Braid apart from these other games is really in the artistic presentation. The artwork is very stylized and beautiful. Even more so than the visuals, the music was outstanding. I almost found myself using Braid as a way to relax because the music was so soothing. I am not even kidding about that. If you doubt me, listen to yourself. (link to Magnatune, embeds below)
Personally, I enjoyed the hell out of Braid. I bought it on XBLA and couldn’t stop playing it. I picked up the Humble Bundle and now I play it on my PC. I highly suggest it to any gamer who appreciates the art of the game as well as the art of the world.
You can find a demo version of Braid at http://www.playgreenhouse.com/
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