Delightful and haunting Braid-clone Time-Waster

The Company of Myself is one of those games that you don't want to conclude. When it does end -- if you have what it takes to get there -- it leaves you feeling sad. Kinda empty. Like there's a gap in your soul that's exactly Company of Myself-shaped and there's nothing to fill it with.

The game is very simply played, platform-style. You progress through each level to the green door, passing obstacles as you go. The first few levels have dialogue where you are seemingly talking to yourself, reminding yourself how to play -- it's weird, but it works. It works really well.

But there's a twist. A twist of genius!
You can go back in time, just like Braid. If there's a lever that needs switching, but happens to be in an unassailable pit -- jump in, flip it, then hit space to go back to the start. Your shadow then goes to pull the lever -- neat!


Never has so much been so hauntingly communicated via stick figures and simplistic two-dimensional art. The music certainly helps, along with the dialogue -- interesting, deep dialogue that actually draws you into the world. You don't even know why you need to escape, or if you are in fact escaping... but something's going on, that much is for sure.

A little more about the music: in The Company of Myself the music is awesome AND even awesomer: I think it's an original composition! It feels like a mix of Final Fantasy 7 and some kind of post-apocalyptic horror. Bells, piano and harpsichord -- even a little electric guitar. It's relaxing yet... driving. Pushing you forward. Towards... the end.


You should give The Company of Myself a go. It's free of course -- and I bet you've never played anything like it before. Unless you've played Braid of course, but to be compared to Braid is high praise indeed.

[via Casual Gameplay -- and grab the Braid demo too]

Tags: braid, flash, puzzle, timewasters