A little game called Braid by Jonathan Blow was released on Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday. The game, a simple flatformer that integrates the concept of time to create wonderful gameplay experiences, received ridiculously high scores from a slew of websites that you'd think this is the next Final Fantasy. Of course, although a PC version is said to follow sometime this year, the fact that it's a XBLA-only game at the moment means I'm not going to be playing it any time soon.

As a result, instead of rambling away with next-to-none first-hand experience of the game, I'm just going to quote some of the other review sites, which will likely produce a review just as interesting.

"Taking risks isn't the norm in the games industry. Most publishers play it safe. But there's one section of the industry where creating games outside the norm isn't as risky, because the development isn't nearly as expensive. Xbox Live Arcade is slowly becoming home to new experiences. One of the most unique games coming this summer to XBLA is Braid." - IGN

"From top to bottom, the design philosophies behind Braid are brilliant. The game has one main gameplay mechanic -- time manipulation -- which is full of nuance and depth, while all others in the game are completely straightforward. Braid looks and plays just like your average Mario game; you hope around on platforms, you bounce on enemies (of which there are only two types) to kill them, and if you run straight into those enemies, you die. It's a simple, obvious framework we're all familiar with." - Destructoid

"Braid allows you to reverse time but, unlike in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, this power is not limited. That you can rewind to the first step you make removes the tension from dying – and so Blow has rethought platformer conventions, shifting the challenge to another area and using your precognition of events to solve environmental puzzles." - Edge

Like Portal, Braid's short length can be disregarded in the face of its unique approach to storytelling and expansive ideas; it needn't be played through multiple times, but those looking for cognitive stimulation must experience it at least once. Excellent but intellectually limited as a puzzle-platformer, Braid is made truly divine with emotional depth and a bittersweet humanity -- a monumentally relevant game that speaks highly of its creators and their potential audience's tolerance for new ideas. To say nothing of an absolutely brilliant, emotionally devastating "ending" that proves that time isn't really that malleable after all. - 1UP

"It is impossible to ignore Braid's price point. At 1,200 Microsoft points ($15), it is one of the most expensive games for the Xbox Live Arcade service. But do not let a few extra dollars deter you from an exemplary experience that can rival many full-price, retail games. Braid is worth every penny. The captivating ending sequence, which makes use of your rewind ability in a jaw-dropping new way, provides the exclamation point on this remarkable game, but the adventure is consistently engaging throughout the entire ride. The clever puzzles alone are enough to make this an adventure worth taking. Braid's deep and mesmerizing tale is evergreen: it is outside of and beyond time. It will never get old." - Gamespot (Which gave the game a 95/100, imagine how much money Jon Blow had to pay GS to get that score!)

Oh, and for all of you who are too lazy to finish the game by yourself, here's a handy walkthrough from the man himself.