Braid

 Number None, Inc. brings us a beautiful indie game called Braid. Released on April 10, 2009, it showcases beautiful painting work, a deep, rich story as well as great puzzle scenarios. It is definitely one of the best indie games on my list.

The goal of this game is to collect all the puzzle pieces and advance through the worlds, ultimately attempting to rescue his princess. This is done as you control the character Tim through a series of puzzles and worlds from a platforming perspective.

Braid sparks the question: What if you could reverse the mistakes you’ve made? This game has a very cool mechanic: The ability for your character Tim to reverse time. Undoing mistakes can be as simple as getting your revenge on one of the monsters, or as complicated as solving intense puzzles with the new mechanics that keep getting unraveled to keep the game fresh and interesting.

What I love about these top indie games, especially this one is that it makes you use your head. Nowadays games have become so simple to appeal to the lazy-witted individuals that are roaming our planet every day, so it is nice to finally find a game where you have to stop and look at the situation. That being said, some levels can get increasingly complex, and it can get tiresome taking so long to figure out what is going on, everywhere. (Although you cannot get stuck on a level, because you can continue without collecting the puzzle pieces allowing you to come back later)

The top indie game Braid clearly makes several references to Mario Bros. Enemies are destroyed by jumping on them, monsters snap at you, as they slither in and out of vertical green pipes, and you will even get the message “Sorry, the princess is in another castle”. This nostalgia is nice, as it was a long time since a real 2-D Mario platformer was released.

This game’s greatest asset in my mind is its story. Deep, with many different ways to interpret the meaning, this game’s plot is amazing and once you beat the game you will be sitting there, saying “Wow”. Between chapters are a row of books, that are all vague as to what is going on, making the game mysterious and urging you to continue playing to figure out what’s going on.

The graphics have a “hand-painted” look to them, created by artist David Hellman, and are very beautiful, making this game a pleasure to the eye. The sound is beautiful and fits the game perfectly. It has an eerie but still sweet tune to it when it is played backward as you travel through time. This top indie game is extremely good, and I would recommend this game to anyone.

Conclusion: Braid’s clever mechanics, great graphics, and amazing story make this puzzle game a must-buy.

Braid:

9/10