Ending 3

Lore & Background

The basic story elements in Braid unfold as the protagonist, Tim, attempts to rescue a princess from a monster. Text passages laid throughout the game reveal a multifaceted narrative, giving clues about Tim's contemplations and motivations. The final level, in which everything but Tim moves in reverse, depicts the princess escaping from a knight, and working together with Tim to surpass obstacles and meet at her home. Tim is suddenly locked out of the house, and, as time progresses forward, reversing Tim's actions, the events show the princess running from Tim, setting traps that he is able to evade, until she is rescued by the knight. Tim is revealed to be the 'monster' from whom the princess is running.

In Their Own Story

Tim stands before the glowing artifact, his hand trembling. The air shimmers with the residue of time blocks fading into dust. He reaches out, but the ground beneath him cracks open, revealing not treasure, but fire. As the light consumes the screen, he presses reverse, hoping to change what has already happened.

Reader's Guide

The game features traditionally defining aspects of the platform genre while also integrating various novel powers of time-manipulation. Using these abilities, the player progresses through the game by finding and assembling jigsaw puzzle pieces. Each stage contains puzzle pieces that must be collected to create jigsaw puzzles that tell the story, and to unlock the last stage. On completing the main game, a speedrun mode becomes available for select levels and the entire game. There are also eight stars hidden throughout the world of Braid that correspond to the stars in the constellation of Andromeda just outside the main character's house.

Did You Know?

• A preliminary version of Braid (without the final artwork) won the 'Innovation in Game Design' award at the 2006 Independent Games Festival.
• The game had total revenue of approximately $4-5 million, which Blow used to fund his next game, The Witness.
• A remastered version titled Braid, Anniversary Edition was released in May 2024 for multiple platforms.
• The game is considered to be one of the greatest video games ever made and a keystone title in the growth of indie game development.