The Bridge (PC) (2013)

Overview: The Bridge is a puzzle game that is absolutely mind-bending! Think outside the box as you rotate the world you occupy in order to complete each level and progress through the game.

Watch out for deadly balls which are just waiting to crush you.

20141206:
I've been avoiding this game for a while now: not because its bad, I just haven't been in the mood for a difficult puzzle game. Technically I wasn't even in the mood for two simple puzzle games I ran into recently (LYNE and KAMI), but I didn't know they were puzzle games until I started playing them.

With that being said, I finally decided to give this game a go and my first impression of it is extremely positive.

Sometimes, you should hang out in a vortex.

Throughout this game, I kept thinking of puzzle platformer Braid (2009). In fact, it was so similar that I slowly convinced myself that it had to have been made by the same people who made Braid.

The first striking similarity is in the character design and artwork. The second striking similarity is that each stage contains six levels that are accessed by doors. As it turns out, while the game has strong similarities to Braid, these similarities are simply a result of The Bridge being Braid-inspired and there is no connection via any writers or developers.

This puzzle makes use of inversion. Go in one end and pop out the other.
Your color also reverses: from black to white and vice versa.

Before wrapping up, it should be noted that the game's puzzle mechanics are distinct from those found in Braid (except for a rewind mechanism for when you mess up, but you can also do that in Toki Tori (2010)). As such, if you liked Braid, then you should definitely give The Bridge a try. Of course, Braid is a much better game than The Bridge.

Steam Game Time: 83 minutes (total game time)

Even accessing the levels requires a bit of puzzling.

20220831 (AM Hours):
Apparently I only ever played this game once before. In any case, today I started with puzzle IV-I. It took me some time to bring myself up to speed on the game's mechanics. Despite this necessary ramp-up, I find the puzzles to be boring. However, the game's art is amazing (M.C. Escher-style art). Also, what's up with the long loading times?
Steam Game Time: 106 minutes (total game time) / 23 minutes (session game time)

20220831:
I finished Chapter IV and Mirrored Chapter I.

One of the stranger pictures.

Various Notes to Self (may contain spoilers):
- Objects obey different gravitational directions. Keeping track of which objects obey which direction helps in solving the levels
- In some levels, stepping in a portal freezes gravity for certain objects and not for others. Which allows for a re-alignment of gravitational directions.
- Collect a key by touching it.
- There's a button to stop the warp.
- This is partly an action puzzle game in that moving the player character may be required to solve the puzzle.
- I got a hidden wisp in IV-V (?).