A blog about chairs and nothing else.
I’m a chair whore. I love chairs. Especially modern one with clean lines and classic, mid-century ones made of bent plywood or other unique materials. And now there’s a blog entirely dedicated to chairs, chairs, and more chairs. And nothing else.
I’m not much of a gamer, but when this title started bouncing around the office yesterday, my curiosity was piqued. Braid, a newly launched game for xbox, spent two years in development. From first glance, you can see that there’s something a little different about this game. And also something a little familiar…
The unique watercolor style and intricately designed soundtrack make it clear that this isn’t your average EA game. In place of the usual bright colors and careful 3D renderings are a series of levels that truly look like they’ve been painted from the get-go.
The story is a carefully constructed tale that mixes just enough familiarity with just enough of something new to keep the user intrigued. Clearly taking inspiration from the classic Mario Bros. series, Braid follows Tim on his journey to rescue the Princess (of course). Beyond that, and some commonalities of physical features (like pipes with chompers popping out), the similarities to anything you’ve seen before end there.
The title, Braid, plays off the story described at the outset of the game as well as the twisting and turning of time that a player encounters. See, there’s the catch. You don’t “die” in Braid. You can turn back time and replay any point of the game. You can also make a change to the game, then rewind it and utilize that change to your advantage moving forward. Confused? Have a watch, maybe this will clarify:
The attention to detail throughout Braid is nothing short of impressive. The creators clearly state that their intention was to leave no moment wasted throughout the game. Every moment of play is meant to move both the story and the experience forward. Read more about it at the Braid site, or dig into the reviews and the development process at the Braid Blog.
