Braid was one of the first indie games on Xbox Live to really gain widespread critical acclaim and opened the eyes of many players to the potential of small-scale independent game development. Soon, those who missed it the first time will get the chance to see what the fuss is about, as Braid is getting remastered in 2021 - and its coming to Switch.
With improved visuals and an audio commentary, it should prove to be the definitive version of Jonathan Blow's seminal indie hit - but you'll be able to switch to the original graphics too, if you so wish.
Braid, Anniversary Edition is expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2021.
[source braid-game.com]
Comments 82
God this was a beautiful game. I don’t feel like Double dipping it for myself.... may get it for GFs Switch however. Either way, I hope this finds some new fans on the system. Seriously one of the most beautiful games I’ve played.
Hell yeah, I'll pay $20 to have it on my Switch with the updated graphics and commentary modes. One of the best games ever created.
Boring, pretentious and tedious.
@DK-Fan Boring? Ok bro. You know what your missery life is boring.
Could never get into it to be honest. It’s alright.
@DK-Fan So you clicked why?
I've never played it, but I enjoyed the witness so I'm excited to try it!
This is probably one of - if not the - most important indie games of all time. I definitely recommend everyone to buy this and play this at some point in their lives.
Never played this before. Definitely interested now.
@DK-Fan Sadly I have to agree. It’s one of the “indie greats”, but I just cant play this game for more than 10 minutes at a time
Instant purchase for me. I loved it on PS3.
@JokerCK It's a slow, tedious, artsy fartsy clone of Super Mario Bros with soporiferous music and pretentious "IT'S ART!" style.
Yes it is a very boring overrated game.
The game is pretentious af, but it's not a bad little puzzle platformer.
Too bad the character models are so ugly.
@DK-Fan Well, you saw an article about a game you called "boring, pretentious and tedious" but you still bothered to click on it anyway. I never played the game and have no interest in it but at least think before you say next time.
Yes, please. I tried playing it on PC (one of the welcoming discounts when registering on GOG), but it stuck to keyboard controls there, which is less than desirable in a trial-and-error puzzle platformer. Definitely double-dipping in due time, it'll be right at home on Switch.
@DK-Fan there are hardly prerequisites to voicing an opinion. But there are always consequences, including other people having opinions about your opinion and the value thereof. Freedom of speech takes no prisoners.
It's an indie classic. I could never entirely buy into it, but I appreciate what it did. And it helped shape the modern indie scene, which has been incalculably positive for the medium.
The redone graphics look absolutely lovely, though it was a lovely game to begin with.
Hahah! This was my guess for what WayForward were working on a couple of weeks ago. Man...weird co-inky-dink.
@Entrr_username DK-Fan felt he should leave his opinion about the game in comments, and he has every right to do so.
@DK-Fan Right? I gave it a try too and found it to be a snooze-fest.
@Entrr_username What the heck? How about you stop trying to silence people you disagree with?
@JokerCK Missery? Oh dear.
I would say the creator is pretentious, but the game is great. I'm glad this is coming to Switch.
Braid is fun game when released in village. Go front times, back times, make copies of braiding man. Good fun times, many enjoyments.
I still be awaits for the theatre of block battling from behemoth chicken though.
Gonna file this one under "games I just kind of assumed were on the Switch already."
Never played it but I'll give it a shot
I’ve been wondering for ages why Braid isn’t on Switch. This explains it.
Now where’s Fez?!
I will try this game. Maybe enjoy.
@PrincessAzunyan I concur, last two games finished for me were indies, Dex and Gris. I even did a second run on Dex as it was so much fun (for me).
Cool, can't wait for everything else from a decade back to be announced for switch.
@Obito_Sigma This. I think Super Meat Boy and Braid opened up the indie scene to be what it is today, specially in terms of pricing. I remember when Braid release a lot of people where shocked Braid launched at $15 or so, and not just a few dollars like other indie games were.
Now the Switch just needs Fez to be complete indie wise.
@TG16_IS_BAE "I never played the game and have no interest in it" Not really disagreeing here.
More importantly, I was pointing out how they still bothered to click on an article about a game they know they didn't like.
@MatoFilipovic Yes he does, but you can leave an opinion without being an ass about it. Especially when you use terms like "artsy-fartsy clone of Super Mario Bros" and "pretentious "IT'S ART!" style".
@HobbitGamer That sounds a lot like google translate.
@DK-Fan If a guy who can manipulate time at will is boring I don't want to know what you classify as exciting
@Grot I get why people would say "pretentiousness" about Braid, because it can come up that way for some. But IMO what Braid did great is that all of the backstory and symbolism was was all optional, skip-able, subtle and open to interpretation, only there for just those who cared. EDIT: One can play the game as just a puzzle platformer and not care about any of that. Unlike say Celeste which spoon feeds you a silly story right in your face with no way to skip it, to the detriment of the game.
Braid, Super Meat Boy, Spelunky and Cave Story are the quadfecta of indie titles that basically made the genre explode in terms of popularity and the variety of devs who were inspired by them to craft unique experiences you wouldn't traditionally find out of AAA titles. Really glad this remake is happening. I haven't played it in years but the watercolored aesthetic is perfect for a game like this.
@TheFrenchiestFry That list needs Fez and Limbo
@TG16_IS_BAE No
@nab1 Limbo I would put on there but I feel like Fez came at a time when indies were beginning to cement their status as a mainstay in gaming thanks to stuff like Xbox Live Arcade and Sony's continued endorsment of such titles on the PS Store.
This may be one of the indie greats, but I was never able to get into it. It just seemed like a run of the mill platformer without much going for it. I have several better options for a 2D platformer if I'm in the mood for it, so I think I'll skip this.
Is good. Needs more mud.
I'm surprised this hasn't jumped to Switch ages ago. This was there at the start of the new indie revolution, and Switch is the new home of the Indie.
@brunojenso Not entirely true imo. I'm actually impressed as hell with Sony's indie output. In fact games like Spelunky and Fez were complete PlayStation exclusives to my knowledge
@TheFrenchiestFry Sure - Maybe not strictly true but it, alongside games like Fez and Super Meat Boy, Limbo and Binding of Issac are credited with being part of a resurgence of indie dev creatively at a time when AAA title we starting to look a little stale and people were prepared to expand their gaming horizons more than they did previously.
The enhanced Spelunky HD was actually an Xbox exclusive for some time - as was Fez I believe. I think they both took 2 years to reach Playstation. Both are incredible games. To this day I've put more gaming hours into Spelunky HD than any other game - it's such a special game that the Switch also should have had by now. But I have a Vita fortunately.
@Entrr_username Looked like a pretty game I might have played if I had a 360 then.
Maybe these comments could have been about the author? I think I remember hearing his name back then (or maybe it was the Fez guy) people said was a bit Internet salty.
But unless they were something truly bad, we shouldn't judge a game by its author, should we?
@KingMike Did you mean to reply to me?
@KingMike The Fez guy got a bit salty and worked up about some stuff - It's hard to know what he went through from other interweb folk at the time – and if his reactions were justifiable, or if he did go to far – but he shouldn't care, as he can hold his head high as a true creative of a true masterpiece. How many people can say that!
Fez blew my mind both when I first saw it in motion, AND when I actually played it. The Switch would be honoured to have that game.
Okay, I didn't expected that. It's a very good surprise
Enjoyed it on the 360. But I don't have any desire to revisit it.
And personally, I didn't find anything really pretentious about it.
I thought I would love Braid but ended up pretty bored with it. Meanwhile, the follow up game "The Witness" looked really dull to me and yet I absolutely loved it.
@brunojenso Phil Fish (the fez guy) got pissed about people making money off of let’s plays of the game and at one point said that all Japanese games suck. Thats what I heard at least
Never played it, but it was one of the first games that made me think "so a game can be made by one person". That alone makes it interesting to me...I don't know if I'm interested enough to buy it, but I may consider it.
@Entrr_username Yeah. I've seen videos of him and the guy was definitely a bag full of push-buttons at the time, but when a sensitive and volatile type like him is thrown into the limelight they are bound to say some really dumb sh*t. I though it was all a mountain out of a mole-hill really. I mean we even have a president these days that constantly comes out with dumber stuff than that, and we barely blink an eyelid at it. At least Phil had the excuse of being an angry young(ish) man. He probably chilled later down the line.
Christ, the edge in these comments. I'm bleeding. Seriously, if you like/dislike the game that's fine, but don't be a jerk about it. Y'all look like children.
I know a lot of people have said they found Braid boring, but I personally loved the time manipulation mechanic. It was very well done (much better than MS' Blinx The Time Sweeper).
That said, finding out after the fact there were secrets it was literally impossible for me to get without a full replay, and Jonathan Blow's interviews alluding to the game being some sort of weird allegory about nukes was off-putting. Would be really curious if that's part of the commentary here. Not-teenage me is interested in hearing from the source.
@Ralizah out of curiosity, what's pretentious about it? Not gonna lie, as soon as a saw a poster above you call it pretentious, and the all hail indies posts, my first thought was "i bet Ralizah loves this game" . Then i saw you say it was pretentious, too so I assume it has to be Babel levels of bad.
The developer comes across as pretentious, but his game isn't so much. There's vague, dreamy prose and a fragmented story, but I've read far worse.
One weird opinion I've been reading here is that Braid is some sort of traditional, run-of-the-mill platformer.
That's odd, because it barely qualifies as a platformer, let alone in the Mario mold. As far as puzzle platformers go, this one definitely puts the stress on the puzzle aspect.
I can't remember what he said exactly, but my favorite thing about Braid is Ebert's take down of it (he basically hated all videogames) after someone especially recommended he try it in order to understand the finer artistic qualities of videogames.
Personally, I couldn't stay interested in Braid. I think I eventually gave up when I couldn't figure out one of the puzzles. I might try again eventually, but it's been years.
played the demo on the ps3 Its about TIME I played this.
@TheFrenchiestFry Don’t forget La Mulana, that’s as much a granddaddy of indie platformers as Cave Story!
I always figured this game was overrated, but then I gave it a solid chance and loved it. It's once of those games that really sticks with you.
Overrated. So overrated.
That's pretty good news.
Alright, so I guess that means it's not too late for Spelunky to come out on Switch.
I guess a game is pretentious now if it tries to have a story about serious things like nuclear warfare. Then... You know what? I love pretentious games. Bring on the pretention.
Okay, this is great, but, I'm really, really behind on Indies. I haven't even played Celeste yet. . . .
@NEStalgia The pretentiousness of it is most apparent from the presentation of the narrative, which is non-linear and plays with standard NES-era Mario platformer tropes as part of a tortured attempt to comment intelligently on a variety of themes. There's some larger metaphor involved that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The developer is good at designing puzzle games, but one also gets the sense that he perhaps likes the smell of his own farts.
Played it on ps3, it was pretty good. I’d buy it again on switch for $3.99
@Ralizah Ouch.... Sounds like a good game design trapped in a horrible game to suffer through. I remember many punchlines about Blow insinuating he has a Molyneaux sized ego.... But at the time i knew little about the game itself, just kind of filtered it out.
I was hoping this would eventually hit the Switch; glad to hear it’s finally coming to our beloved console. I adored this game’s story, impressive gameplay mechanics, lush storybook visuals and moving soundtrack.
Can’t wait to dive into it again and I urge anyone who hasn’t had the chance to play it, to give it a go.
You owe it to yourselves to experience it in its entirety as it’s one of the best indie games I’ve played in years.
@DK-Fan Jeezus- who blasted a fart in your Cheerios? Grow up!
What if you were playing Braid and he's just like: "ACK, OW, please stop playing. Please! Stop!" You wouldn't want to solve time puzzles anymore! You'd wanna get him a chocolate milk or something!
Oh *****, love this game. Some of the puzzles were pretty hard and the story was actually good. I don’t mind buying it again for switch.
@NEStalgia @Ralizah Uh, the game is about a man searching for his lost love, only to slowly admit that he pushed her away in his quest for fulfilling the dreams of rose-tinted glasses. Not sure how that's 'pretentious', when it's an actual real-world theme. And saying that using platforming styles is pretentious just inherently means ALL platforming games are pretentious.
I mean, is Tetris for sycophants next?
@HobbitGamer @NEStalgia There's an idea. It LOOKS like Tetris, but it's actually a dreamy meditation on love, memory, and the developer's traumatic childhood. The act of clearing Tetris blocks from the board is symbolic of the protagonist sweeping away the clutter of trauma from his life and starting anew. The game can quote passages from Proust and Plath in the loading screens. 😂
The Witness was a better game overall. Far more creative puzzle design (that it teaches the player wordlessly), and you have to actually go digging deep into the game to stumble across the eyeball-rolling stuff.
@Ralizah Yes, The Witness was good, eight years later. That's like saying SMB3 has better level design and a more friendly UI than SMB.
@Ralizah @HobbitGamer .....so we're talking about Binding of Isaac now?
The main take-away I get from this whole conversation is most indie developers have serious issues........
Then again....that Tetris idea sounds like a Sony game....
@HobbitGamer Then again SMB wasn't trying to pontificate on love and war....
I'm sorry Mario, but your princess is in another castle. You hit her again, didn't you?
@NEStalgia I can't recall the last snobby Sony game I played. You seem to be quite the connoisseur, though. Any recommendations?
Anyway, I absolutely think there's space in the platforming genre for intelligent commentary and interesting themes. Iconoclasts, for example, takes place in a fascinating technocratic theocracy and does some interesting things with its plot that I won't spoil for you. But I'm not convinced Blow has anything insightful to say. The writing in Braid reads like you just stumbled across an intelligent teenager's decade-old livejournal blog after he had a fight with his girlfriend. And there's very little in-game context for any of it.
@Ralizah Sure, if you love "arty" and "pretentious" games, Sony has you covered. Please enjoy the following:
Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, Beyond: Two Souls, TLoU2, Jak 2, Flow, Flower, Heavy Rain, Infamous Second Son (I love inFamous....but a hobo hipster in a sanitized Seattle?), Dreams, Detroit: Become Human, The Last Guardian, God of War (Not God of War. God of War. Totally different from God of War.)...Bloodborne (SO. MUCH. LORE!)....
I miss when they did things like Folklore and Heavenly Sword.... But your Tetris game would fit in nicely between Flow and TLoU2. Tetris of Us: Flow - Kratos Edition. We can explore daddy issues one tetrimino at a time....with ambient psychadellic music and swirling etherial ribbons. Every time you get a full Tetris the game can scream "BOY!"
I think I have Iconoclasts around and haven't played it....was it a freebie on one of the consoles at one point? I'm curious now.
LOL, that's a scathing commentary on the writing that puts a pretty clear image in my head, though....
@NEStalgia Well, I do distinguish between "arty" and "pretentious." Arty games can be amazing, like Ueda's Shadow of the Colossus. He did a great job of integrating theme, atmosphere, gameplay, and narrative into one engaging whole. I don't recall Wander stopping to deliver purple prose soliloquies about forgiveness and the nature of time between battles with colossi.
Iconoclasts was a PS+ freebie at one point. I played it on my Vita. Structurally, it has issues, and I wasn't a massive fan, but it did some interesting things.
@Ralizah LOL. For the most part I don't distinguish between "arty" and "pretentious" - generally both put me off in the same ways. That said, I was being slightly sarcastic above, and while I do think of some of those games including Shadow as "arty"....I do also like the game. BotW is "arty" as well yet is a game I do like. But that's veeeeery rare.
Ahh, so I do have Iconoclasts on PS4 then...haven't launched it, but I have it!
From reddit: "I've posted something similar months ago. Someone said Jonathan Blow said in one of his lives in twitch that "it's going to be out when its done"."
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