7. Braid
Number NoneBraid is a game that successfully stretches the boundaries of what a platformer can do. Combining elements of a classical platformers with those of puzzle games, Braid follows the main protagonist, Tim, as he tries to rescue a princess from a horrible and evil monster. Braid has many conventions that deconstruct traditional gameplay and force the player to actually think about the game design. One of the most interesting aspects of the game is how it deals with time. The player is able to manipulate and rewind time, even after the character dies. Additionally, each world has its own time-based mechanic. For example, in one level, time moves forward when the player moves to the right, and moves backwards when the player moves left. Braid is often considered to be one of the games that really put indie games on the map, and is said to be a critique on the contrived game design that has become fairly prominent in mainstream games.