It’s time for another Retro Ad Replay article! This is the series where we head backward in time to reminisce and celebrate the anniversary of some of the most significant moments in gaming. If you find yourself wanting more content like this, be sure to visit Mandatory.com.
In this August 6 edition of Retro Ad Replay, we’re heading back 13 years in time to when Braid first launched on Xbox 360. That’s August 6, 2008. Developed by Number None, this indie title was best known for its gameplay, which involved the manipulation of time to correct mistakes and undo death.
GameRevolution awarded Braid a 9/10 in our review, praising the “ingenious design,” it being “both game and art,” the “well-crafted puzzles,” “gorgeous scenery,” and being “only $15.”
At first blush, BRAID seems like an exceptionally beautiful SUPER MARIO BROTHERS KNOCK-OFF. You have an unassuming protagonist: Tim runs left and right, jumps (occasionally on enemies to defeat them), and generally tries to get from one end of the level to the other. Yet there are numerous twists. Case in point, the first level is called “World 2”. You’re collecting puzzle pieces that make up paintings. There are books before each world that describe Tim’s past, the whole level acting as a metaphor. And, as it turns out, the primary mechanic is not to jump, but to rewind time.
What BRAID is, instead of a revolution in VIDEOGAMES AS ART, is a striking example of something that I don’t think anyone else has thought of to this degree. BRAID is a collage. It is written narrative; it is interactive storytelling; it is impressionistic painting; it is mechanical metaphor and it is a jigsaw plot. Like a traditional collage, BRAID is not wholly interested in being just a piece of gaming entertainment or an expression of art – it is both. Its elements, when juxtaposed against the each other, take on an entirely different and unexpected meanings. It is a non-linear story, yet also a sequential collage.
Check out the Braid trailer (via playgreenhouse) below:
