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The Last Express – “A Journey through Space and Time in the Orient Express”

The stage is the Orient Express in 1914 (just before the 1st World War outbreak), a clear reference to the iconic background made famous worldwide by Agatha Christie’s crime novel masterpiece, “Murder on the Orient Express”. This unapologetic homage takes center stage as one of the game’s driving forces, a classic whodunit play where the player takes on the role of the investigator. And though this is one of the most common themes in adventure games, leading into predictable alleys of narrative development and linear gameplay, “Last Express” manages to avoid most cliches with a superbly written plot, penned by Jordan Mechner himself (who also directs the game). Like its contemporary, “Broken Sword”, the initial events are but a fuse that sets into motion larger events. However, unlike “Broken Sword”, “Last Express” avoids a fictional background, and uses historical events as a backdrop for the action. By intertwining factual occurrences with fictional characters, the game manages to come out as more realistic set piece, and it feeds on it to propose pertinent moral, political and existential dilemmas that enrich the game’s narrative.

But the way in which the action unfolds also presents a unique approach to interaction and exploration. The idea here, was to replace a mostly event driven time flow (present in most videogames) and replace it for a real-time dynamic. Imagine, if you will, you’re on a train, people swerving around, talking to each other, going about their routines, living their lives, whether you care or not to observe – your presence closer to that of a spectator than that of a “player”. You can interact by choosing which conversations to listen in, what cabins to explore, which characters you try and engage conversation with, etc. This notion that events do occur, whether or not you’re present as they unfold is not only immersive, as it boasts a real life quality mostly alien to videogames. In this regard, “Last Express” behaves more like a post-modern play, where the spectator is on stage with the actors, voyeuristically observing the dramatic unfolding, but able to intervene, to some extent, by addressing actors/characters, triggering dialogues and slightly affecting narrative.

Perhaps the only letdown in “Last Express”, is that it sometimes behaves like a normal game, more so, a classic adventure game. In specific plot points you’re obliged to meet some criteria in order to move the action forward, and if you fail to comply, you’ll get a premature ending. This becomes unnerving because certain puzzle like activities aren’t always obvious, and some border the nonsensical. Visually cluttered screens sometimes have near invisible clues (with no visual cues to help you find it), scenarios have areas which are magically opened during some events (with more or less logic), some unpredictable events happen only at certain times, forcing you to explore the train constantly in order to observe them, and some puzzles are the object of strange reasoning (or lack thereof). The game is much more enjoyable and interesting when it allows the free exploration of the train throughout time, than when it wants you to do task A or complete puzzle B, just for the sake of the plot moving along.

There are also action sequences coupled with quick time events, where you’re pushed into pressing the mouse with specific timing and placement in order to survive. Though these do spice up the exploration bits of the game, creating rising moments of tension, their simple design (press this or die) is flawed and doesn’t always result in an enjoyable experience. Thankfully, when you end the game prematurely, you can still rewind the action to a suitable place in time that allows you to alter your destiny (in similar fashion to the later “Sands of Time”). This technique is ingenious and works well, and also allowed the designers to block any possibility of a save feature. This means the end of the save/load routine, which considerably improves player’s immersion, without compromising enjoyment when he fails.

To further enhance the sense of a breathing, living world, the game presents beautiful art nouveau decoration in the interiors of the train and some stunning character animation (this is no doubt, in great part thanks to the use of rotoscoping, a technique that helps design 2d images out of live action pictures). The way characters are modeled is simply astounding, with small details like eye-movement, clothes and hair fluttering as characters walk, all portrayed with unprecedented accuracy. The art style used for the coloration of characters, gives it a nice finish, effectively transforming the wonderful 2D animations into minimalist moving paintings. nfortunately, these techniques involved a lot work and money (as it was needed to shoot live action first and then color everything up), which made it impossible to produce crisp twenty three frame animations. As a consequence, the animations resemble a slide shows, running at about one or two frames per second. Even so, the game was still budgeted at around 6 million dollars, which is really, really high for a 1997 game. It’s not that it needed more frames, but the high-quality of the imagery almost begs a fully fledged animation – it just wasn’t possible at the time.

The soundtrack is as carefully wrought as the visuals are. The train produces exactly the sounds you expect it to as it travels: the blowing of the locomotives horn’s, the rhythmic sound of steel hitting the tracks, the wind fiercely blowing outside, all recorded and reproduced with meticulous care. Voice recordings are also downright perfect, as each character’s lines are spoken with the acting quality you’ve come to expect from a feature film. The score by Elia Cmiral, composed out of synthesizer melodies, enhances some of the emotional moods in the game, providing an eerie accompaniment to the mystery unfolding and enticing action in the game’s quick time events, as well as providing some well placed auditive cues that inform the player of a specific clue or object that is needed to inspect. The climax of the soundtrack comes in the form of a marvelous piano/violin concerto – “Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major” by César Franck, which is fully enacted in the game.

“The Last Express” is an artistic gem to behold and a narrative experience like no other in videogames. Jordan Mechner (the seminal creator of “Prince of Persia”) not only produced a convincing piece of art and story, as he did so by harvesting some of the most interesting qualities of videogames: the exploration and immersion in realistic virtual environments. Sadly, at times it becomes hard to distinguish “The Last Express” from classic adventure games, but the revolutionary nature of the game’s concepts clearly compensate the fact. It is also a shame that the game wasn’t appreciated by audiences when it came out, selling few copies despite its critical acclaim, thus becoming one of the greatest commercial failures of gaming history. Because of that sad fact, Jordan Mechner would only get to work again 6 years later in “Prince of Persia, The Sands of Time”. Still, despite of the failure, it remains as one of those rare videogames where cumbersome ludic dogmas are backstaged by a heartfelt desire to translate narrative through the use of interactive space, image, sound, and above all… time. And that is exactly what “The Last Express” is, an absolute masterpiece that will be remembered throughout time.

Overall: 5/5

 

2008
09/25
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Shin Megami Tensei Persona 3 – “Time and Time again”

Atlus’ acclaimed “Megami Tensei” (Rebirth of the Goddess) series remains, in the vast panorama of JRPG’s, as an aesthetic UFO. There’s as much personality and uniqueness in the series as there is a sense of despise face the genre’s conventions, as if its creators deliberately take pleasure in renouncing everything that lies at the very core of the genre. Individuality is usually a praiseworthy feat, especially in a genre so convoluted with clones and sequels, but the “Megami Tensei” series’ unique identity isn’t always a synonym of an intellectually superior work – most of the times it seems as hollow as the mainstream JRPG currents it so longs to distance itself from. The “Persona” sub-series have been the most accessible out of the vast library of the franchise. In a sense, they are Atlus’ attempt at a wider, more mainstream audience, in opposition to the traditional hardcore niche market the series usually pursues; this fact is made apparent in all of its features, starting with its scenario. Whereas in “Nocturne” and “Digital Devil Saga” the settings were of a post-apocalyptic nature, riddled with hard to interpret, abstract, mystic and arcane symbolism as well as philosophic themes, “Persona 3” (like its prequels) chooses a normal day Japanese high school. This change in setting eases the transition from our everyday world to the dark land of the series. Of course, it isn’t a mere high school; it’s a school that lies at the center of a long battle between humans and demons (here named Shadows). The creepy atmosphere and dark mysticism that pervades the series creeps up gently as the game unfolds, and a twisted horror themed background is revealed.

You play a student in high school, not just any student of course, one that, for some reason, is aware of the strange shadow-demons that emerge every day after midnight. During this “dark hour”, normal humans are imprisoned in eerie coffins, unaware of what’s happening, and the shadows attack. People who’re aware of the “Dark Hour” (like the main character) are able to summon personas, shadows that fight at their masters beckoning. What follows is pure JRPG canon: he meets a troupe of high school teens who share the Persona ability, and together they vow to fight the shadows, while at the same time try and discover their origins. The twist is that during the day, you must attend classes and after school activities just like any other student. The game thus splits into two different styles: during the day, mimicking Japanese adventure games (with a dating sim twist), you attend lectures, meet friends, engage in a wide selection of activities with them, and prepare for battle; during the night, in classic JRPG style, you’ll plow and plunder through a series of random generated dungeons, grinding levels, carrying out quests and occasionally acquiring information about the dark secrets that the plot holds. Besides that, in “Megami Tensei” style, you’ll have to manage your personas, by leveling them, acquiring new ones through fights, and fusing the ones you catch in hope of attaining further new forms – all very Pokemon, except with monsters and mythic creatures in the place of lovable animals. The connection between the two worlds of day and night, lies in the game’s social system. During daytime you’re encouraged to be with your friends and acquaintances and as you pass further time with them, you increase your “Social Link”. Each link is governed by a tarot card, and each type of persona as well; by increasing each “Social Link”, you empower the level of the personas you create (through fusion) that share the correspondent tarot card category. This connection ctreates an ingenious way of relating both play styles, fitting perfectly with the narrative and aptly serving the game’s setting.

Do not be frightened by the apparent emptiness of the game’s concept – “Persona” is no “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” for JRPG teens. It provides a lighter toned, less enigmatic and less pretentious narrative than most “Megami Tensei” titles, but it constantly avoids the high school cheesiness of TV teen shows. The daytime narrative is composed out of simple, short episodes that narrate the slow development of your relationships, as you’re invited to listen to your friend’s desires, hopes and ambitions, but also their fears and problems. Each of these characters is carefully characterized, providing individual traits that make them either endearing or repulsive and, most importantly, each symbolizing a particular philosophical lesson, and as common in Japanese art, some sort of life morale for you to uncover. The overall plot, which lies in the uncovering of the Shadows’ nature, also carries the same principle: at skin deep level it behaves as a mere horror-driven tale with high school kids, but at its deepest, provides a powerful subtext concerning Life and Time.

Time is, in fact, the main theme of the game, and that impregnates all of the gameplay. Managing your relationships, attending to school and studying for exams, confronting monsters during the night to gain levels – all of these take time, which is severely limited. Choosing on how to address these activities is a big part of the “Persona” experience: managing your busy schedule, making sure you devote enough time to your friends, study and character leveling. Sadly, “Time” is also the greatest downfall of “Persona 3”. As in the other titles of the franchise, the game takes combat elements really seriously, in a very orthodox kind of way; meaning, you’re required to grind constantly to match the levels required for each main-quest mission. Grinding is one of the great afflictions of RPG’s, as their inherently repetitive nature (a consequence from turn based battle systems) makes itself too notorious during experience acquisition downtime. Thankfully, the designers offer a lot of incentives for the grindfests, including story sequences every two or three hours for the narrative driven player. Even so, the game moves sluggishly, and the fact that the it seems absurdly long by today’s standards (70+ hours) doesn’t help one bit.

At least, battling in “Persona” is as enjoyable, tactical and challenging as you’ve come to expect from the series, even if it stubbornly clings to a traditional turn based system (don’t mind me, I love turn based battle, but we can all agree it’s getting old… fast). As in “Nocturne”, attacking with the right element is the key to success, as it determines the harnessing of “extra turns” for your party… of course, the reverse is also possible. That means you can destroy your enemy in little more than one turn, just by attacking with the element it’s weak to, harnessing extra turns and repeating the cycle over and over again, without giving the opposing side any chance for a response. Naturally, this comes at the cost of the enemy being able to do the same, wiping out your party in one stroke without a chance for you to fight back. The unrelenting difficulty is worsened by the lack of save points (especially during the main-quest) and the absence of a continue option. Though this strikes me as backwards thinking, I must admit that the hardcore philosophy is a living part of the thrill that comes out of the combat system, and for the most part it pays up, by transforming combat in an edgy experience, as you’re forced to consider extra carefully which Personas to use, taking into account their strengths and weaknesses, and planning ahead each battle turn by turn, nervously hoping to avoid the ever looming death sequence.

The virtuosity that the series exudes has always been most apparent in its aesthetic elements. Here as well, the series takes a less obscure path, by fusing the dark aesthetic the series is known for (Kazuma Kaneko) with some flashy pop art elements (Shinegori Soejima). This is not to say the game is any less stylized than previous iterations, as the game continues to be a visually arresting work of art: realistic depictions of modern day japan, with lush lighting schemes and some impressionist details, minimalist menus and hand drawn animations, with strong geometric patterns composed out of vibrant colors [see image above], and a cast of characters brimming with personality help make up the visuals. There’s also space for some devious aesthetic details in demon and scenario design, of which “Tartarus”, an Escher meets H.R. Giger demon tower is an extraordinary example.

The soundtrack (Shoji Meguro) also deviates from series canon, leaving the snazzy prog-rock ensemble of previous games for a modern J-pop feel, with a wide arrange of tracks covering all the latest trends. From urban themed hip-hop, featuring low-toned voices and repetitive drum beats (courtesy of MC Lotus Juice), to other trendy elements, as jazz saxophones, synthesizer beats and funk guitars, that provide appropriate melodic background, every contemporary pop avenue is represented. In the forefront, the sweet, flirty voice of Yumi Kawamura sings the simple, yet catchy, harmonic patterns that could drive any radio hit, with sugar candied lyrics completing this delicious pop miscellany. In the midst of this pop fusion madness, there’s also space for a more traditional track, a wonderful piano ballad with operatic nuances, accompanied by the eerie and melancholic voice of Tomoko Komiya. As pleasing as the soundtrack is, it falls on the repetitive side – we must remember that repetition is, in fact, one of the key basics of any good pop melody, and as charming as they may sound in a car-radio once in a while, they tend to wear out pretty rapidly when you’re forced to listen to each song time and time again. Other aesthetic annoyances come from the constant rehashing of monster design and sound effects from previous “Shin Megami Tensei” games that severely break up the aesthetic consistency of the work.

“Persona 3” is a successful rpg/adventure hybrid that tries and open up a niche series to a whole new audience. The lighter toned aesthetic and narrative are sure to help ease in the entrance to mainstream players, but the heavy focus on combat and grinding still keep the narrative oriented JRPG players (such as myself) at bay. It’s a beautiful, charming RPG, unique in its means, but it still somehow manages to fail in both its ambitions, for it’s neither as deep or virtuous as its predecessors, nor as enjoyable as modern JRPG’s, since it’s too long and time-consuming for the age of frantic time management. But Time is it’s main theme, so maybe it’s part of the irony of the game that you, as the player, must also manage your time in real life in order to properly enjoy this game. If only one could stop time…

score: 3/5

2008
09/22
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S.T.A.L.K.E.R. – “A Closed World”

“Open world”, “Sand Box”, “Free Roaming” – all of these expressions have become powerful and common buzz words in the industry ever since “GTA III” (re)created the notion of open ended gameplay for the masses (in truth, the concept had been implemented long before, both in online and offline rpg’s). I am a skeptic of these so called “open worlds”, as I find there’s nothing truly open about them. There’s no freedom in choosing your path in a game-world, if it does not respond in any meaningful way to that choice (in that regard, a branching path RPG is much more “open”). MMORPGS and GTAs (and their clones) are all videogames where actions are of an inconsequential nature, where narrative is broken down into small blocks that have little connection between (generating conflict and lack of consistency), and where the only real choice you have is “to do” or “not to do” and “when” to do it (you can choose to take on a quest and when to do it, but that’s about all the choice you have). There’s as much interactivity there as in a book. What you should be prompted for in these games is “what to do”, and thus allowing the player different forms of expressing themselves in the game area. Unfortunately, the idea of MMORPGS on “what to do” is reduced to a simple-minded “use magic A” or “stealth kill B” to assault a nameless NPC. Talk about choice. This is not to say that open worlds aren’t a type of game that’s full of potential, but to fulfill it requires *consequence* and *choice* to truly be part of the equation.

“S.T.A.L.K.E.R. – Shadow of Chernobyl” is a rare and bold attempt for a Eastern Europe studio, GSC – Game Publishing, to take on the industry. The game is an adaptation of a classic russian Sci-Fi piece, named “Roadside Picnic”, and, to some extent, of its loose cinema adaptation, “Stalker” (by Andrei Tarkovsky). For a first timer to choose such a complex game structure as an open world seems odd, to say the least, and that choice eventually proves to be its greatest downfall. You’re thrust into this game world with only a dingy FMV cutscene and an even shabbier NPC monologue, something about you being alive when you shouldn’t be, and, who’d have guessed, losing your memory in the process. Talk about first great impressions. The first striking feature of the game is how characters are downright expressionless, move in a mechanical, robotic way, and dialogues appear on screen in large doses of text that cover up NPC faces. This presentation fault, that mars irreversibly the player’s immersion and plot engagement, could be easily dismissed as this being a case of a mostly independent game, but it is in direct contradiction with the visually impressive quality of the game engine. But we’ll get to that.

Introduction finished, and the player is set on an errand quest, the kind of thing you’ve come to expect from the sort of open ended rpg. Though the menus and inventory system (that takes into account space as well as weight) seem consistent with a traditional western rpg, the first person view seems to take the game in a different direction. This is clearly “Oblivion” territory, though with gun in hand. Even when talking to other characters or fulfilling meaningless side-quests, the nature of this expansive setting isn’t made all that clear, and the insane amount of text filler each character will throw at you would make any player wish that such an intriguing world would be fleshed out properly. There’s a hefty amount of back-story, which isn’t striking at all considering the origins of the plot, but it’s just that it is translated in an uninteresting way – poorly written (or translated) text spoken by equally uninteresting and inexpressive characters. Also like in “Oblivion”, there are a number of factions which you can join with during the course of the narrative, though unlike the latest “Elder Scrolls”, this appears to have some sort of effect in the ending. Yet the sense of narrative abcense is overwhelming. That being said, “STALKER’s” greatest quality only makes itself clear, when you start treading your way throughout the world.

Set in the Zone, somewhere in the area that surrounded Chernobyl, “STALKER’s” post-apocalyptic environment is presented as both beautiful and desolate. Wide open areas, stemming with tall, withered trees and bushes, bathed by the cold light of the sun, covered in clouds and fog, providing an eerie background for the action. The ruins of the almighty Soviet Empire span across the terrain, their hymn to post industrial revolution civilization lying in shambles: abandoned factories and warehouses, rust and dust covered, with broken glasses where once stood windows, massive holes where once stood walls, dismantled machinery where once strived the hustle and bustle of mass production. Roads crossing as far as the eye can see, holes and bumps emerging every couple of meters, stripped down cars completing the picture of emptiness and devastation. The weather further enhances these feelings, with gloomy clouds followed by storms of lighting and wind establishing an almost supernatural landscape. And then, there are the anomalies, spaces where the laws of physics are altered, electricity and gravity mixed up in strange ways to an unsettling effect. Last but not least, the deformed animals and hedious mutants that populate the area, who seem straight out of a B-horror movie, and with an appetite for food (that’s you). All of these elements build up to render one of the most oppressive settings ever to grace a videogame, a game world that screams realism and imposes fear, all thanks to its great visual engine and a superb soundtrack, of realistic sound effects and creepy electronic melodies. And the open world dynamics feed on this background, providing an immersive experience like no other. Sadly, the astonishing artistic direction, that at times seems to live of Andrei Tarkovsy’s dark minimalism, only makes the game’s narrative devices seem more archaic and anti-climatic in exploring this intriguing world.

The actual gameplay doesn’t help either, as FPS just doesn’t translate well into rpg trappings. The hectic and tactical nature of action sets and the unrelenting, realistic weapon physics seem derived out of “Counter Strike”, but “STALKER” isn’t exactly LAN-party territory, with its small rounds of frantic fire and action pwnage – everything just seems out of place in a game that revolves around long periods of exploration. That the game is unrelenting and tough as nails just doesn’t help, even if at times, the survivalistic nature of the gameplay helps the environment feel appropriately dangerous.

The beautiful, expansive environments and the thought provoking sci-fi story background, could’ve easily help create one of the greatest open-world games to date. Unfortunately, some of the company’s poor design choices, like opting for a tactical combat system and relinquishing narrative to a second plane, end up hurting the experience in a really bad way. And these seem like key elements in providing a living breeding world, as narrative provides the background needed for the player to sink in and properly understand the game world, and gameplay provides the space of interaction in which he can create a connection with, and in the process fully immerse in the virtual landscape. As is, “STALKER” is a failed attempt of a potentially powerful concept, an “open world” that at first glance seems wide and full of possibilities, but is in fact, limited and hollow, a “closed world” like so many others out there.

[Once in a while I will do “Impression” articles, a sort of inconclusive review regarding games I didn’t bother finishing. Because of that, no grade will be attributed to these games.]

2008
09/10
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Dark Sector – “The Darkness awaits in the Obscure Black Shadow of the Sinister and Gloomy Night”

Why is it, that when something good comes along, everybody rushes to rehash it over and over again? Strange… I wonder why that happens. Anyways, here is “Dark Sector”, aka clone 245 of the (in)famous “Gears of War”, itself being the in vitro synthetic life-form born out of “Resident Evil 4” and “Kill Switch” – you gotta love the wonders of game design genetics. Now, about “Dark Sector”, what can be said that isn’t already present in its cloned DNA? …………………………………………………………………………………….. (the wind blowing outside) Nothing, that’s right! You would’ve thought that the guys over Digital Extremes would have some ideas on how to improve, or at least slightly perfect its genetic father, but… NOPE. No ideas here. Oh, I forgot, there’s some wicked little shuriken thingy called a Glaive, but I could’ve sworn seeing it someplace else. It makes the game much better, having wicked powers, like a shield and a power attack, and invisibility and stuff, it’s just so freakin amazing! And the guns? Don’t get me started on those! AK’s, 9mm’s, Shotguns, it’s all in here. Seriously! And y’know, you can even upgrade them and buy new ones at a black market vendor… (deja vu hits , let it go…… gone, hmm, wonder what that’s all about?). It’s all about epic warfare, killing wave after wave of nasty enemies, wave after wave, after wave, after wave, after wave, (yawn) hmm… where was I, oh right, wave after wave, after wave (just copy-paste this 1235 times in the text and save me the work, ok?). It’s just amazing how many enemies they placed in a double layered DVD, I mean if it were a bluray, one could understand, but in a DVD, that’s a huge achievement, dude. And it has freakin huge bosses too, like a chopter and some big ass monster that’s twelve feet tall. Where else have you seen the sheer class of these enemies? Hmm? That’s it, nowhere! “Gears of War” just doesn’t cut it in number and size of enemies, that’s how badass this “Dark” thingy game is! And they copied “Gears” so thoroughly, just as noble, honest thieves would, including every little detail; faulty gameplay included. I mean, talk about commitment, I would’ve sworn the developers could understand how annoying getting stuck to a wall while being shot at is, but maybe they’re just masochists. Who knows? A lot of freaks prowl game companies these days (I’ve even heard of one crazy japanese guy that has 90 minute cutscenes in a game, and can still get perfect scores, hihihi, but shhhhhh, highly classified, very hush hush, don’t tell anyone about this, no one noticed it yet).

Talk about that Hide-o what’s his name, they even wrote this crazy plot in his homage, about some scientists that build a perfect virus that goes like, out of control and shit, turning people into crazy cyborg zombies, or ninjas, or some stuff like that, I guess it depends on the bloke, and then the CIA wants it, and you’re a spy guy for them, but you’re infected and shit, but that gives you strange powers, and so you have to use them to stop the nutty USSR scientist that feels bad about some mysterious dark event in the past they never disclose, and so wants to destroy the world with the virus, and then there’s some hot, black chick, that’s also pissed about the mysterious dark event in the past they never disclose, but you’re in love with her, big romance, that kind of stuff, but then it all comes down to a big fight for humanity and shit, sacrifices are made… I mean, talk about oscar winning scripts, man. Totally awesome.

Alas, I digress, you can check the story for yourself. The thing that you absolutely need to know about “Dark Sector” is how beautiful it looks. It’s just so… what’s the word? … Dark, that’s it. Really dark. Let’s put it this way, it makes “The Darkness” and “Gears of War” look like gaudy paintings – that’s how dark, gritty and drab the game looks like. I mean, colors? Who needs those? Throw them all away it’s what I tell ya (they hurt the ozone lair, man – join the cause, clean up the planet of those nasty colors). The soundtrack? Freakintastic, I’ve never heard anything like it, its brooding strings and heavy bass lines are simply revolutionary! Well, if you forget every horror movie soundtrack to this day, that is.

There’s just so much good stuff here… If I had one game to take to a desert island it would be this one. It’s that good. Do yourself a favor buy this, Now!

Overall: 5/5

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Sorry for the rant, but some games just make you wanna forget you actually played them. Obviously, the true grade is as follows:

Overall: 0/5

2008
08/27
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Braid

“Each moment has its sickle, emulous
Of Time’s enormous scythe, whose ample sweep
Strikes empires from the root.”

Edward Young

The princess is gone… taken away into a castle in a far away land. Tim needs her, longs for her… he cannot fathom life without her. Thus, he embarks on a journey to find her, delving into this mystical land, drafted out of memories and dreams, hand painted with the colors of a man’s life, desperately in search of his lost princess, through time and space. To try and describe “Braid” any further would be a mistake, no, a bitter insult to its author and his work. Yes, because unlike many in the industry, and pardon the cliché, Jonathan Blow, the designer, actually created a work of art that brims with ambiguity and meaning. As Dieubussy once told me – to accurately describe it, one must be a poet, something which I clearly am not (my English prose being as bad as it is, you can imagine my poetry). “Braid” feels like Art, plays like Art, and bloody hell IS Art. And it attains that statute in a way far more evolved than most videogames that attempt the same feat (as the recent “Bioshock”, for example), as for once, gameplay is also a meaningful part of the game’s conceptual themes, motifs and story.

Curiously enough, though it remains an artsy fare, on an interaction level, the game admittedly draws inspiration on other videogames, most notably “Super Mario Bros.”, from where it derives the basic mechanics of platforming, and to some extent, the game’s structure (split into “worlds”), level design (each scene is shaped as 2d sidescrolling panel, much like in Mario) and even some of its quirks (the obvious one being the placement of a castle at the end of each world, where every single time, a dinosaur informs you that the princess isn’t there after all). But there’s a twist, and therein lies “Braid’s” uniqueness. As in “Sands of Time” or “Blinx”, you can spin time backwards, but in “Braid”, each game world makes the time disrupting behave in a different way. For instance, in World 4, after rewinding, Tim leaves a shadow that carries out his actions from the previous time line, thus allowing him to be, literally, in two places at the same time. These powerful new time mechanics are the core of the gameplay, much more so than the platforming roots the game shows at first glance. And fortunately, level design feeds on this factor for intellectual purposes, and instead of turning “Braid” into a “Super Mario Bros.” with time mechanics (which isn’t too far off from “Sands of Time”), it turns “Braid” into the new Time-Bending “Portal”. Yes, that’s right, expect the game’s focus to be centered around tortuous mind bending puzzles that will make your head ache every single time. But even “Portal” can pale in comparison, as “Braid” goes much further in its intellectual stimuli, its puzzles being challenging to the point of making you think all the time about their solution. For example, one of the later puzzles had a solution I only envisioned while reading a book, hours after playing, because in the back of my mind, I was still trying to fit its logic into perspective. But don’t fret; though hard, these puzzles transpire elegance, their logic so perfect and sublime, that you’ll feel an enormous sense of compensation when you actually crack them. And very rarely will you feel frustrated, because the solution is always there, staring at you in the face, and when you finally do find it, you’ll understand that the puzzle wasn’t a cheap trick the developer pulled of his hat; it had a clever solution that relied on a rationally coherent deduction, which will make you think “How did I miss that?!” It’s extremely hard to find such care given to level design, and you’ll never stop admiring the designer’s creativity and sheer genius in the concoction of these brilliant pieces of intellectual madness.

Not only do these work as valid and thought-provoking pieces of gameplay, but these puzzles are also interesting allegories that translate the inner journey of its main character. Blow has placed a number of iconic images and simple phrases that resonate with the gameplay mechanics and levels, adding them another layer of interpretation that transcends their face-value, expressing abstract and symbolic meanings, otherwise inaccessible to the player. This use of gameplay as a meaningful metaphor for the authors’ statements is becoming increasingly common in indie games and Jonathan Blow has himself referenced the works of Jason Rohrer and Rod Humble in his presentations. They’re obvious influences; that he now incorporates their spirit into a commercial game is not only welcome, as it is provocative… almost visionary. Not that I feel this is the first time it is done, quite on the contrary, for since the genesis of games that creators have imposed meaning to the player’s actions, most of which aren’t as obvious as would otherwise seem, but, as Blow also states, the new paradigm in videogaming rarely accepts this notion, opting instead for deriving meaning from non-interactive elements, such as cinematic cutscenes, leaving interactions as straightforward mappings of simple, real-life actions (shoot, punch, jump, etc). Blow believes that breaking away this dogmatic philosophy is essential for games to move forward towards their “Golden Age” and he’s doing his part, and in my opinion, he deserves applause for it.

To flesh out the allegorical nuances present in the gameplay, each world has a number of books the player can read. These provide a more solid, less abstract narrative medium, that fits perfectly with the hazy imagery. Though I can agree that the writing is not as “poetic” or “evocative” as it could be (as Michael Abbott from “BrainyGamer” states), lacking a lyrical poise that would further enhance the dreamlike nature of the game’s setting, it seems the author’s choice was to give it a more realistic tone, which would better connect with the real world, instead of the dreamy one. Such a choice is important, no, decisive in the understanding of the story. Jonathan Blow has said that his favorite movie is Lynch’s “Mulholland Dr.” (also one of my personal favorites), and in a way, there’s a very Lynchian feel to his narrative… at least in my interpretation of the tale. Because, though it is firmed on reality (the game is located in an otherworldly place, but Tim’s writings clearly refer to “our” world), it stands open to interpretation, requiring the player to weave the missing fabric in these fragmented, dreamy textures, and no one thread can quite explain everything or make all pieces come neatly into place in this metaphysical puzzle; which coincidentally, is one of David Lynch’s more recognizable features. This is also a subjective tale, a story told from the perspective of one character, a rare feat, which adds depth to its characterization and the inherent metaphors. One of the high points of the game lies in one of the later puzzles, where it is required of you to hide Tim as you read his memories, and as you do so, the text suddenly changes, and new perspective on the same events merges in the text – brilliant. The depth of Jonathan Blow’s imaginary world is awe inspiring, and he translates it without resorting to cutscenes (there’s just one pseudo-cutscene near the end), lengthy dialogues or an absurd amount of text. He merely uses a few sparse elements: small pieces of written text, some hand painted images, and, last but not least, the game’s environments, their interactive elements, their art and music – for this is the true language of videogames.

And not only is Jonathan Blow aware of this more powerful semiotic language, that takes into account all of videogame’s disciplines to translate a vision, as he does this with an added sense of beauty. The game’s art, by David Hellman (author of the webcomic “A lesson is learned but the Damage is Irreversible“), has a picturesque, hand painted quality, of expressionist influence, that further enhances the dreamlike qualities of “Braid’s” universe. Each landscape is crafted out of numerous layers of delicate images, fused together in a constant motion, giving the illusion of time, perspective and depth of field to what is an otherwise bidimensional background. These resonate perfectly with the score (which you can explore here), a balanced and astonishingly coherent selection of string compositions by Jami Sieber, Shira Kammen, Swan and Cheryl Ann Fulton. The game opens up with in a dark street, dimly lit in yellowish tones [title image], “Maenam”, by Jami Sieber caressing your hears, the perfect overture: a slow, steady crescendo of cellos in a mellow tone, coming into full force with a sad harmony that delivers Tim’s anguish perfectly – you can almost hear the cellos sing that he longs for the Princess to be with him. Following it, as you delve in the first game world, a place of bright colors and lush flora [see above], you’re greeted with “Downstream”, by Shira Kammen, a light bucolic fantasy piece for violin, of mild Celtic inspiration, that can almost make you soar high as in a dream due to its upbeat tempo and gentle, happy melody. And these are just the first few minutes of the game, the remaining also continue this perfect blend of musical harmony and visual style, effectively connecting on an emotional level with the player. Not only is “Braid” thoughtful and inspiring, it’s also touching on an sentimental level, a perfect piece of art in its purest, more emotional state.

What more can one say about “Braid”? It’s intelligent, inspiring, beautiful and touching. I simply lack the adjectives that could make the game justice (I wonder if they exist, really…). Is it perfect? Nothing is: minor flaws abide. But do they matter in the grand scheme of the game? No, not by a mile. I still think there’s a lot of work to be done in order to further develop videogame’s true language, and specially, the way in which interactions can become meaningful metaphors; “Braid” is simply one step forward in the long road that lies ahead. Surely, this is the best game to come out since “Shadow of the Colossus”. That I even dare and place in the same sentence, both this simple, downloadable game and one of Ueda’s glorious masterpieces (that I believe uphold Jonathan’s Blows core philosophy, and to some extent, even further it) is in itself a statement on how big an achievement “Braid” really is. The future of gaming lies here.

Overall: 5/5

2008
08/21
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