APP OF THE DAY - Braid (Mac)

Time travelling goodness

If there is one app you download today to test out on your brand new OSX Lion powered machine make it Braid. The indie developed game is currently priced in at ?2.99 in the app store, making it one of the most affordable and best gaming experiences currently on Mac.?

Braid tells the tale of a time travelling hero called Tim who is trying his best to save a princess from an evil monster. You progress through the game by collecting jigsaw pieces and putting them together in miniature puzzle games found in each stage.

While it may seem simple on the face of it, Tim's time manipulating powers make for a highly inventive and challenging platformer, well worth a look for those in the mood for a retro gaming fix.

Braid?

Format

Mac, Windows, Xbox 360, PS3, Linux

Price

?2.99

Where

Mac app store

?

Once you have Braid downloaded and up and running the first thing that will strike you is the games art direction. Some like the way the game looks, other more graphical?aficionados?may not be so impressed. Either way it definitely looks different.?

From there you can go straight into gameplay, which is a mix of platforming and puzzle solving. Enemies can be used to gain height bonuses when jumping by stomping on a series of them in quick succesion. Initially getting the timing right is extremely tough, but once you nail it things get very rewarding.

You then need to collect jigsaw pieces to build up a picture and complete stages. Each puzzle is different, with them getting progressively more mind-bending as the game goes on. Believe us when we say that towards the end things get insanely complex.?

Special mention has to go to the games music, which adds a bizarelly relaxing feel to what is actually quite a?strenuous?game. The soft piano tends to counteract the stress caused by feeling your way through a difficult time related puzzle.?

Braid is not a massively demanding game, which is why we recommend giving it a go with a new MacBook Air (although Sandy Bridge means they can manage a lot more). The moving backgrounds and cartoon look definitely helps add atmosphere to things but also looks great on Apple's bright and contrasty displays.

For those yet to give it a try, Braid is an adventure that comes highly recommended and one which at ?2.99 seems ridiculous to miss out on.?

Tags: App of the day Mac App Store Apple mac games Gaming

 

APP OF THE DAY - Braid (Mac) originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:49:28 +0100

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