After years of development, the Anniversary Edition of indie darlingBraidis right on the horizon. The subversive puzzle-platformer has been set for a major remaster since 2020, and the series of delays affecting this renewed rendition ofBraidlook to finally be coming to a close.
Braidhas long been laudedfor its unique take on platformers, puzzles, and contemporary video game narratives, as well as being a trailblazer for the modern indie scene. Alongside games likeSpelunky,Shovel Knight, andSuper Meat Boy,Braidhelped set the stage for the incredible growth of indie games and the platformer renaissance—opening the door for games likeCelesteandCuphead. It was only natural, then, thatBraidwould get a remaster for the current day. A major overhaul of the 2008 title was announced in 2020 and originally slated for 2021.
Everything Announced For Braid: Anniversary Edition
Braid: Anniversary Editionwas pushed all the wayback to 2024. It was targeting an April 30 release window, but now the remastered game will arrive in the hands of players on May 14. This isn’t surprising when looking at what this edition promises; the vestiges of a smaller budget and scale are being entirely washed out. While creator Jonathan Blow still has an indie team behind him, just about everything in the game is getting a touch-up to meet modern expectations. New graphics, sound, and even content are included in whatBraid: Anniversary Editionhas to offer.
Graphical And Audio Overhauls
The originalBraidwas madein a landscape that’s unrecognizable when compared to today’s gaming technology, with its 720p graphics rendered blurry at higher resolutions. WithBraid: Anniversary Edition, David Hellman—whose artwork for the game took up most of the original’s budget—has repainted the title with stunning levels of additional detail. The remaster’s release date trailer purports that there are over 9 pixels in the new edition for each pixel in the originalBraid. Not only that, but many locales have received a total rework in terms of visuals, making individual areas more unique and more detailed.
In addition, the game’s sound design and OST are also getting a makeover. According to Jonathan Blow onBraid’s site, the original game’s sound effects were mostly bought “for 99 cents each from a random sound-effects web site”. New effects will be coming alongside touched-up music, courtesy of Martin Stig Andersen and Hans Christian Kock. Just asBraidhas its famed time-shifting mechanics, players will be able to shift between new and old visuals/sound with the push of a button.
New Content
One of the reasonsBraidwas pushed back to 2024is how big the remaster project has gotten, with new content additions coming to the game. 13 new levels and 16 new puzzle pieces will be making their way into the title. The former number will include alternate versions of existing levels, which will showcase concepts for levels that were ditched in the final game.
Extensive Commentary
On the subject of cut concepts, material that was cut from the original game will be among what is discussed in the game’s commentary track. As well as visual and content updates toBraid, the remaster will include 15 hours of commentary. This commentary is cut from 50 hours of total conversation and interview audio, designed to be “the craziest, most-in-depth commentary ever put in a video game”. It will include in-depth discussions of game design concepts, art, programming, the history of indie games and more. Some puzzles will have entire 20-minute-long sections of commentary to discuss the ins-and-outs of how they were designed. The commentary will also include on-screen markups and visuals to visually illustrate particular ideas.
Braid
WHERE TO PLAY
Braid is a puzzle-platformer, drawn in a painterly style, where you can manipulate the flow of time in strange and unusual ways. From a house in the city, journey to a series of worlds and solve puzzles to rescue an abducted princess. In each world, you have a different power to affect the way time behaves, and it is time’s strangeness that creates the puzzles. The time behaviors include: the ability to rewind, objects that are immune to being rewound, time that is tied to space, parallel realities, time dilation, and perhaps more.Braid treats your time and attention as precious; there is no filler in this game. Every puzzle shows you something new and interesting about the game world.
