Game Review: Braid on the Heart - Xbox Live Arcade
Braid is a puzzle-platform video game developed by independent developer and subsequently released for the Xbox Live Arcade online service. The game originally launched in August 2021 with the original Xbox Live Arcade version for the Xbox 360. A few months later, it was then released for the PlayStation 3 and after that, a release on the Nintendo Wii was planned. The game is quite well received by critics and players alike, as it successfully combines puzzle and platform gaming into a single package.
The heroine of Braid is called Braid, an orphan whose quest is to find her father and deliver his missing heart piece. To do this, she embarks on trekking through a multitude of medieval villages, each one requiring Braid to advance to the next stage. Along the way, she comes across many allies and enemies, and must learn to fight using both arms and a grappling hook.
Although the game starts out quite happily for Braid, the graphics start to feel dated after a point. It's also noticeable that gameplay can become quite repetitive - moving from one platform to another, checking a few things and clicking a few times to progress to the next. It's a bit disorienting at first, but quickly gets used to. The game is not really challenging, but the lack of difficulty doesn't mean that Braid lacks any real diversity; the game contains enough levels and characters to provide many options and keep you busy for quite some time.
