Braid

After a bit of a lull, 360 owners are being spoiled rotten with a string of excellent exclusive titles. It’s safe to say, without any form of exaggeration, that Braid is the best Xbox Live Arcade game released thus far, for many reasons.

From the moment you fire the game up, you can tell this will be something special. There is no title screen, no tutorial and no back story. You start as the dapper-looking Tim, walking across a darkly lit bridge into a room full of doors leading to the game’s rich and vibrant worlds.

So it’s unconventional, but just what the hell is it about? Tim is on a journey to find his one true love, a missing princess who — we're sorry to say — is probably "in another castle". The story of their relationship is explained in beautifully written books found in the rooms preceding each stage. This truly is an emotive title, one that really gets under your skin and leaves a lasting impression.

At this point it’s essential to point out that Braid is a platformer, not a sprawling role-playing game or epic adventure title. "How dare it have such depth?" you may ask! Some may disagree, but the wealth of character oozing from every inch of the game is what makes it so special. The killer hook, however, is that Tim can manipulate time, and this is what turns this from a simple "jump on the bad guys’ heads" platformer into a well thought out and crafty puzzler.

It’s no mere gimmick though, as each of the six worlds has a different rule on time-bending. It starts off simple, with the ability to rewind the action: handy for when you get killed or mess up a puzzle. It gets much more fiendish and inspired as it goes on, especially in world four. In this level when you walk right, the action moves forward, but when you walk left, it rewinds. It is absolutely bonkers to play at first, but when you get a firm grip of the rules you can’t help but feel how well designed the challenges are.

As you progress you really have to think outside the box, and it’s easy to get stuck for half an hour, but you feel great when you finally suss out a puzzle. These "brick-wall" moments don't get annoying as the lush, hand-painted levels, along with haunting music comprised of sweeping strings and folk guitar, draw you into the game's undeniable charm.

Simply download the demo and spend some time with the game, and you’ll see why it’s the most talked about Xbox Live Arcade game of the year.