I read Penny Arcade pretty regularly. This week they mentioned something called Braid, using phrases like “something that really matters,” and “even within its circumscription their minds are shattered and remade,” and “genuinely huge concepts that hum with stradavarian fullness.”

Like, whoa.

So we bought the game.

It cost $25 to buy enough “Microsoft points” (oy. whatever.) to download it from Xbox Live Arcade, but Marty used the rest on something else he liked, so Braid cost us just about $15. And I’ll tell you something. This is one of the most fantastic games I’ve ever played. I can’t stop playing this game, and I’m not the same since I started.

It’s incredibly simple. It’s a mind game, about moving forward and backward through time and solving increasingly more challenging puzzles. It reminds us a lot of the dinky Flash version of Portal (that we loved so desperately and obsessed ourselves with conquering). But Braid has the basic problem-solving structure of Portal, the brilliant (and sometimes borrowed) humor of the original Mario games, the simplicity of a Flash side-scroller, the depth and beauty of a tragic romance, and the musical-visual high art genius of a mad Aphrodesian heaven.

For it is the artwork and the soundtrack that just blow my mind to pieces.

I loved Yoshi’s Island for the game art, but Braid is Yoshi’s Island for grown-ups. Braid has real brain puzzles and illustrations with the sophistication of oil paints—not vectors or crayons. The mystery and aching of its storytelling alters you in some impossible, unidentifiable fashion. This game, it plucks at your heartstrings; you move through pages of a book, pieces of a puzzle, you feel deeply emotional but don’t know why, the music really moves you, the lush landscapes—vast green meadows with sun-streaked clouds and city skylines billowing sunset flame—reach inside you. Change you.

God, why don’t they make more games like this?

I’m dying to know if a version will be released for Mac. I want to throw money at the creators of this wonderful work. Braid’s website is here; a list of songs in the soundtrack is here, and you can see screenshots here. But there’s nothing, absolutely nothing like playing the game and experiencing all these things moving together, in synchronicity. It’s breathtaking.

Guys, buy this freaking game.

I’ve been using Lumosity games to exercise my brain this week. Has anyone else taken a look at this? I love it so far! It feels incredibly useful to my work day. All the testimonials that talk about increased focus and productivity are right on the money, as far as I’m concerned.

From the information they provide on the site:

The Lumosity brain fitness program is the result of synthesizing and building upon the cumulative work of neuroscience, psychology and cognitive science researchers worldwide. Their research forms the basis for creating the most effective exercises in each cognitive domain:

Memory
Memory exercises target the types of memory that are important in everyday life such as working memory, spatial memory, and remembering names and faces.

Attention
Concentrating on relevant information while ignoring irrelevant information is improved by exercising visual attention, selective attention, and shifting focus.

Processing Speed
Quickly perceiving, interpreting, and responding to new information underlies proficiency in many areas.

Cognitive Control
Control of other cognitive processes is necessary for thinking and acting according to internal goals.

And if you’re curious… here are my scores so far:

Speed Match (Processing Speed) 2760
Raindrops (Processing Speed) 487 – basic math! curses!
Birdwatching (Attention) 4504 – improving
Spatial Speed Match (Processing Speed) 2750 – improving

I haven’t quite figured out what it all means yet. The difference in my brain functioning is so obvious I don’t really care just yet. I hope they continue to develop, and I’m not even half-way through what they’ve got now!