Ending 4

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

The screen fades from the chaotic clash of light and shadow in the final chamber. The familiar puzzle blocks dissolve into dust, not rebuilding, but vanishing entirely. Tim stands alone amidst the crumbling geometry of the world he has broken. He holds the Orb, not as a prize, but as a trigger. As the text scrolls across the black void, the realization settles: every rewind was a step toward this moment. The fire is not being put out; it is being fed.

Reader's Guide

The player controls the protagonist Tim as he runs, jumps, and climbs across the game's levels. Tim jumps and stomps on enemies to defeat them, and can collect keys to unlock doors or operate levers to trigger platforms. A defining game element is the player's unlimited ability to reverse time and 'rewind' actions, even after dying. The game is divided into six worlds, which are experienced sequentially and can be entered from different rooms of Tim's house. Each world has its own time-based game mechanic. 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 nearing $6 million, which Blow used to fund his next game, The Witness.
• Braid is considered to be one of the greatest video games ever made and is seen as a keystone title in the growth of indie game development.
• Jonathan Blow self-funded the three-year project, working with webcomic artist David Hellman to develop the artwork.