Despite the high price, I picked up Braid last night; the only game in the "Summer of Arcade" that I planned on skipping. I'm not sure why I bought it, it could have been because I saw some nice footage of it online, because it was getting good reviews, or because I had almost exactly enough Microsoft Points to pick it up (and that NEVER happens). After a few hours of play I became stuck on a level, and searched online for a strategy guide or walkthrough. Lo and behold, their official website had a walkthrough, and the first page contained an explanation of how to play the first level. After clicking to page two, the following text appeared:

... once you get into the actual puzzles, solve them for yourself and do not use a walkthrough!

All the puzzles in Braid are reasonable.

They don't require you to do anything random; they don't require guessing. They don't require trial and error. The solutions tend to be simple and natural. They flow directly from the rules of gameplay in each world.

If you are having problems solving a puzzle, don't give up!

Some of the puzzles will be hard. But when you manage to solve those hard puzzles, you will feel very good about it. The game will feel very rewarding. Don't rob yourself of that feeling by reading a walkthrough!

Please do not use a walkthrough.

Braid does not have a linear story the way most games do, so Getting To The End is not necessarily what you would expect. The idea of "beating the game" does not apply so much, here. Braid is about the journey, not the destination. If you use a walkthrough to bypass some of the puzzles, you will be robbing yourself of that journey.

Don't give up.

All the puzzles can be solved. Some of them might take an hour or two, but you will get it. If you try. And you will feel cool and smart. If you read a walkthrough (or get spoilers from a forum), you can never un-read it. You can never un-spoiler yourself! So don't spoiler yourself.

Thank you for your time.

Why would the developer put up this message? A few reasons…

The gameplay is based entirely around finding solutions to puzzles, and going online to read how to do them definitely will ruin the experience. The developer also has to deal with the fact that Microsoft made him charge more money for his game than he wanted to, so if people speed through it using online FAQs there’s a good chance there will be backlash because of the game’s length.

I decided, after reading this, to go back and try it on my own. I did, and I beat the level I was stuck on, and I ended up feeling, as he said I would, “cool and smart.”

Oh, and pick up Braid, it’s freaking awesome.

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