The Bridge is a charming little puzzler, out now on Xbox Live Arcade. Immediately I was reminded of Braid, with it’s art style and music, as well as the layout of the way levels are accessed. To start off with, the character you control walks into his house, and each world/level is accessed via doors in different rooms. Add to that, the ability to rewind time, and you’d be forgiven for thinking this was practically a rip-off. This however, is where the similarities end. It’s a puzzler that plays on perspectives, physics and keeping your cool. The control system is quite clever, in the way that as well as controlling the character, you also have to move the surface/terrain upon which you stand.
The first few levels and worlds range from a stroll in the park, to taxing but satisfying. After a couple of hours, however the difficulty ramps up beyond what is a gentle curve, to beyond frustrating, and given the pedestrian pace of the game it can prove off putting. It’s one for those who enjoy being challenged at a mental level, and given most of the games we are treated to on consoles these days tend to be killing or various other forms of violence, it is a welcome change of style and pace.
Its monochrome, hand drawn visuals, and mellow orchestral score, add to the overall quirkiness of the title, but the steep difficulty spike will see some people get fed up after only a couple of hours. Fans of Braid and Echochrome will be in for a treat, however. It’s a good game that will no doubt get lost amongst the more bombastic releases. Xbox arthouse?
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