Braid Anniversary Edition Review – Revisiting a Timeless Indie Classic

Introduction to Braid Anniversary Edition

If you grew up with indie titles, you’re undoubtedly keenly aware of Braid, a 2D puzzle platformer initially launched for the Xbox Live Arcade in 2008.

For those unaware, this brief time-based adventure is seen as crucial toward the growth of the indie gaming space, so it’s not surprising to see it receive an updated release a decade and a half later. The natural question that then arose was whether this familiar journey still holds up and if the newly added content enhances the brevity.

The genius of Braid’s level design revolves around how the multiple facets of time manipulation give each world its own gameplay identity without ever overstaying their respective welcomes.

Braid begins with a seemingly classic premise: searching for a kidnapped princess. Tim, the protagonist, explores several worlds, hoping to accomplish this goal. Still, layers of intrigue are strewn about as you progress, and the truth behind Tim’s relationship with the princess is not what you would typically expect. For as short as this game is, lasting a handful of hours at most, the succinct plot shines in hindsight, and it’s at the time bold direction stands out to this day. The majority of the narratives you’ll encounter are via journals between the worlds, meaning you’ll get what you put in for this aspect.

Exploring the Timeless Gameplay of Braid

Still, the gameplay takes precedence above all else. It consists of various 2D platforming stages outfitted with inventive puzzle elements, and your collectibles are puzzle pieces that essentially define the key mechanics of each respective level. As someone who hasn’t played the original Braid in roughly ten years, I was impressed by how remarkably well the level design holds up. The stages are all compact, and each world introduces a new variable that affects Tim’s time manipulation.

To elaborate, Braid is still unconventional in the sense that being hit by an enemy, walking into a hazard, or falling into a pit doesn’t result in a game over. Whenever Tim would die, the game instead ceases entirely, requiring you to rewind time with a button press. You can also perform this rewinding whenever you like outside of this scenario, and doing so is needed to solve numerous puzzles. The genius of Braid’s level design revolves around how the multiple facets of time manipulation give each world its own gameplay identity without ever overstaying their respective welcomes.

What’s New in Braid Anniversary Edition?

This extends to the new features contained in the Commentary World. This is the bulk of what may intrigue returning players since there are roughly 40 additional stages that feel made for those at home with what the base game offered. It’s best not to get into the details of this new content to keep it all a surprise. Still, I found it an appreciated breath of fresh air, even if none of it really wowed me beyond what I already played.

At the very least, none of this new content muddies what the original provided, and if you’re satisfied with the base experience, you can just not interact with any of this. In all honestly, these altered takes on original puzzles, as well as new implementations, are best experienced separately after you’ve been away from beating the main game for a while since it’s decently extensive.

Deep Dive into the Commentary World

Moreover, this can be parsed given the name, but the Commentary World contains actual commentary from the team, and it’s undoubtedly much more than what most players will listen to. Staff, including developer Jonathan Blow and artist David Hellman, converse about various facets of the game’s development, including visuals, programming, and design. The team goes into considerable detail about these topics across 15 hours, and the deeper you go, the more this commentary becomes catered toward those invested in getting into video game development or tangentially related fields.

Braid is still unconventional in the sense that being hit by an enemy, walking into a hazard, or falling into a pit doesn’t result in a game over. Whenever Tim would die, the game instead ceases entirely, requiring you to rewind time with a button press.

I’ll be blunt: a vast chunk of this commentary was simply not for me, but I respect those at the helm for not compromising on what they wanted to include here since I’m sure that those who find themselves interested in the subject matter discussed will find it worthwhile, whether they be diehard Braid fans or up-and-coming developers themselves. You can access the Commentary world from the main menu, and you have to manually trigger each instance of dialogue throughout the areas. Summatively, this is fitting anniversary material that goes the extra mile for a specific niche. You can also play the normal game with hand-selected commentary.

Visual Enhancements and Artistic Choices

One last aspect of Braid Anniversary Edition worth discussing is the new art style. With a mere button press, you can swiftly swap between the original and new presentations, which is quite convenient. This functionality lets you actively assess both interpretations of each impacted level. I actually enjoyed both art styles without having a preference for either. The newer presentation is brighter, while the original generally emphasizes the foreground more, so you can simply go for whichever take you prefer. Regardless of the choice, the new art direction is faithful and not jarring, at least for someone like me who has decade-old memories.

Conclusion: Why Braid Anniversary Edition is Worth Playing

Braid has always been a must-play indie platformer, and the Braid Anniversary Edition makes this experience even more accessible. Between the original level design remaining intact alongside plenty of new content, as well as non-intrusive flourishes like the extensive developer commentary and optional art style toggle, you really can’t go wrong with this package. While what’s here won’t necessarily engage older players who simply possess a passing curiosity, Braid Anniversary Edition is ideal for newcomers and dedicated fans of the original who wish to see this classic in a new light.