BACKGROUND
Number None, Inc. created the platform and puzzle video game Braid. The game was first made available for the Xbox 360’s Xbox Live Arcade service in August 2008. Microsoft Windows (April 2009), OS X (May 2009), PlayStation 3 (November 2009), and Linux ports were created and released (December 2010).
GAME’S PLOT
The fundamental plot unfolds as Tim, the protagonist, strives to save a princess from a monster. Text sections scattered throughout the game offer a multilayered story, revealing Tim’s thoughts and intentions. The game incorporates typical parts of the platform genre as well as other time manipulation abilities. The player advances by finding and assembling jigsaw puzzle pieces while using these powers. Jonathan Blow created the game as a personal critique of current game development trends. He paid for the three-year project alone. David Hellman, a webcomic artist, created the artwork, which went through multiple revisions until it met Blow’s specifications.
FEEDBACK
At the 2006 Independent Games Festival, a preliminary version of Braid sans the final artwork won the “Innovation in Game Design” prize; the final version got further accolades. The game garnered overwhelmingly great reviews from critics, and it eventually became the most critically acclaimed title on Xbox Live. However, some reviews criticized the game’s pricing about its length. Since its release in 2008, Braid has been seen as a watershed moment in the evolution of indie game development, and Jonathan Blow and its creation were recorded in the film Indie Game: The Movie.
