Guides
Manipulate time to complete puzzles in this 2D platform game made by indie developer Jonathan Blow and published by Number None Inc.
Overview
Braid is a side-scrolling platformer that was released on the Xbox Live Arcade on August 6, 2008. Braid was developed by independent software developer Jonathan Blow. Players must manipulate time to solve complex puzzles.Story
Your Princess is in another castle
The story is told exclusively through text, and is displayed as Tim approaches various pedestal-placed books in the clouds-levels' prologue screen. Each book contains vague, possibly metaphorical information about the protagonist's life. The story is reflective of the gameplay, in that Tim can rewind time to fix his faults, but chose not to/was unable to during what was apparently the biggest mistake of his life. The developers are aiming to reach out to players and evoke an emotional response, and the subtle sadness throughout reflects that concept.
Gameplay
The primary principle of Braid is that players are to learn from their mistakes, rather than be penalized for them. That said, any time a player in the game dies, they can simply press the Rewind button to go back to the point before they died, and try again. With this concept, the challenge of the game is not in staying alive, but rather learning how time works in that specific world and mastering it to collect puzzle pieces to move on. There is a lobby area in-game for players to choose the world they wish to play. Players can also use the puzzle pieces collected in the various levels to form a picture near each world's finale. These puzzles can be used to manipulate the world as well, such as luring a baddie to low ground with a make-shift bridge formed from a jig-saw puzzle in order to earn the last piece in an unreachable spot at the end of World 2.
Braid
Sometimes, Tim will need to duplicate himself by Rewinding. As Braid is constantly changing the rules, you'll need to be clever enough to figure out the patterns at which Tim's "Shadow" moves and acts - if you hold still before rewinding time, the clone will while you hold the Rewind button. This becomes tricky as players are forced to manipulate multiple levers on various planes of height, and reality. Conquering a specific boss requires dropping Shadow-chandeliers, as the enemy requires a half-dozen or so hits to kill, while players are offered but two
Tim must manipulate time to solve puzzles
By completing levels entirely - gathering all the puzzle pieces - players can make their way to the attic, the first level, and presumably Tim's origin of regret. Fully completing a jig-saw puzzle unlocks a fifth of a colored ladder that leads to the top of Tim's house, which consists of multiple rooms and five playable worlds (aside from the sixth and last, which is actually World 1). Unlocking the puzzle pieces requires players to simply pick them up, but certain objectives must be met in specific situations, such as manipulating time to your advantage to jump higher/repeatedly and eliminating all enemies on screen to unlock a caged piece. Some of the puzzles will require you to stop and think critically about them, which may prove to be very frustrating at times.
Development
Independent developer Jonathon Blow said in an interview with Gamasutra that difficulties with Microsoft hindered his development process on Braid. In the interview, he stated "[Microsoft] removed some of the requirements for XBLA games, but there are still a lot of requirements, and I believe that, at least for a single-player game like my game, the vast majority of these requirements are unnecessary."Art was a huge focal point of Braid's development, and artist David Hellman created a series of blog entries on the Braid Blog to give readers an insight as to where the game came from conceptually.
Influence and Homage
The game is influenced by, and pays homage to the Super Mario Brothers games most of all. There are many similarities, from the pattern of the enemies, to the way you kill them, and even the line "The Princess is in another castle." However it doesn't just do this as simple homage, it is also a succinct metaphor for Tim's journey. The use of that one phrase signifies Tim's search, and he can't find what he is looking for.At certain points in World 4, Tim is to climb a series of ladders to grab a key. In a nod to Donkey Kong, the enemy-firing cannons have an ugly gorilla design on their side, representing Nintendo's classic Kong. One such stage is named Jumpman, which was Mario's original name in Donkey Kong. But even though Braid appears to be a platformer, it is more of a puzzle game, and its pure gameplay influences come from other platform puzzle games.
Braid makes references to the construction of the atom bomb and its impact to human conflict afterwards. The burning city on the title screen is a big clue of this backstory.
Soundtrack
Braid's soundtrack consists of licensed music from artists signed to Magnatune. Artists include Jami Sieber, Shira Kammen and Cheryl Ann Fulton. Links to the songs from the game can be found
here.
| Game Name | Braid |
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| Developer(s) | |
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| Themes |
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| Original US Release |
Aug. 6, 2008
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| Original US Release |
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Trivia
what is the name of the lead designer of braid
- Tim Schafer
- Jonathan Blow
- Goichi Suda
- Ray Muzyka
- Jeff Gerstmann
User Reviews
| Platform | User Reviews | Avg. Score |
|---|---|---|
| All Reviews | 59 reviews |
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| Xbox Live Marketplace | 58 reviews |
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| PC | 1 review |
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| Add your own user review | ||
Associated News
The World's Greatest Game ReviewWhat happens when you cross the world's most vacuous rapper with the world's mostest indiest video game? A NEW PARADIGM, that's what.
Videos
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Braid Review Ryan explains how Braid found a way into his heart. |
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