Okay, so thats Braid done and dusted for me, but boy what a trip. I really enjoyed the standard game as I did simply play the demo and immediately scramble to purchase.
The background watercolour artwork is astoundingly beautiful, and when it scrolls in parallax it is a real work of art. I've always liked seeing watercolours manipulated like that since seeing a special Pixar exhibition movie of 'zooming into paintings'. It makes for a really visceral effect, so I'd say thats what grabbed me initially. I loved all the different mechanics the game introduced in each world and the game felt lovely and charming.
It wasn't until I set out on the optional quest to collect the 8 hidden stars that the game blossomed from "great game" to "incredible perfection". I felt like I was 9 years old again, eagerly searching for the Chaos Emeralds on the incredibly difficult 8-bit Sonic 2 on Game Gear. The sheer purity of the games mechanics is laid to bare in struggling to grab a star (with one exception, the 'Ugh I need to restart from scratch because I've completed that' star). The sense of discovery when you finally work out how to completely bend the level and its inhabitants to your whim and elevate you to that sought after star.. its breathtaking. Each time you sit back after each one wide-eyed in disbelief that the game was programmed to such perfection, that everything follows its role no matter what.
It reminded me why 2d games can feel so pure because they can be tightly coded like this. In 3d theres so many variables and surfaces to police that you'd never be able to create something like Braid.
Braid is a great game, but I strongly suggest hunting out those stars! You don't get an ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED (a missed opportunity I think, this is the definition of a challenge) or a different ending, but actually solving each one is really something special.
