To put this in context, I recently purchased The Humble Indie Bundle - a bundle of independent-developer video games where part of the profit goes to charity. For $9.00, I got eight brand new games (one of which I already owned, so actually seven), and two of those games bear some striking similarities to each other.
I'd recommend it both for the games and for the really cool art
Source: http://blog.humblebundle.com/post/24135140832/introducing-humble-indie-bundle-v
Source: http://blog.humblebundle.com/post/24135140832/introducing-humble-indie-bundle-v
Braid and LIMBO, besides both being indie games, star a singular male protagonist with realistic jumping prowess, as opposed to the traditional thrice-thy-height jumps of most platforming protagonists. They are also puzzle-solving games, and while Braid's puzzles focus chiefly on the creative use of time-traveling in various different manners, LIMBO's puzzles utilize nothing but your hands and the environment.
And while both games have very intricate puzzles, I found myself more interested in solving the ones offered up by LIMBO than I did by Braid.
Actually the least scary individual in LIMBO
Source: http://anotherdepressionvictim.blogspot.com/2012/02/still-in-limbo.html
Source: http://anotherdepressionvictim.blogspot.com/2012/02/still-in-limbo.html
What LIMBO offers that Braid lacks can be summed up in one word - Immersion. LIMBO places you in a dark, shadowy world with no textual context, and never gives you a hint about anything going on in the world. Each puzzle pushes you forward into a different part of the world, and your reward for completing each puzzle is seeing the next part of the world, which is never the same as the part you just left.
Braid, on the other hand, gives you several books to read before the start of each level - literally, though each book is only a short peek into the "story" that the game offers, it is so far-removed from the events of the game that it is practically unrelated at all. None of the levels seem terribly unique, or even much different than previous levels, so the only reward for completing each puzzle are various puzzle pieces, which you are meant to put together in order to solve more puzzles and supposedly unlock the end of the game.
But I'm not interested in the end of the game, because I'm not interested in the rest of the game.
Braid, on the other hand, gives you several books to read before the start of each level - literally, though each book is only a short peek into the "story" that the game offers, it is so far-removed from the events of the game that it is practically unrelated at all. None of the levels seem terribly unique, or even much different than previous levels, so the only reward for completing each puzzle are various puzzle pieces, which you are meant to put together in order to solve more puzzles and supposedly unlock the end of the game.
But I'm not interested in the end of the game, because I'm not interested in the rest of the game.
I must give credit to their marketing team though. First three image results for a search of "Braid" on google
Source: http://store.steampowered.com/app/26800/
Braid doesn't draw me into the world, and that is why I will probably never revisit any of the time-focused puzzles. I plan to finish LIMBO though. I just got to the part where the factory is flooding with water, and I have to see what lies beyond that.
