Featuring dozens of new levels and hours’ worth of developer commentary alongside hand-repainted graphics, Braid: Anniversary Edition gives plenty of reasons for veterans to pick this one up for another time. Other quality-of-life improvements include smoother animations and new soundtracks that are derived from the base game’s OST.

In our review of the game that you can check out through here, we awarded Braid: Anniversary a 9/10, citing the additions to the base game that make this the definitive way to experience this beloved indie classic. The game will also be releasing for Xbox platforms on 15 May, while MacOS and Linux versions of the same will be arriving at a later date- so stay tuned for more details.

It’s still a poignant, haunting experience that challenges the traditional notions of gaming while presenting its own compelling gameplay. Braid also all the more relevant in today’s gaming world – one where video game budgets continue to balloon to absurd heights. Where some of the most relevant platformers are the dynasties and franchises – the Marios and Sonics of the world (no disrespect, of course). An industry where small and/or relatively unknown teams can still find absurd measures of breakout success.

"Braid is the story of Tim, an unassuming man who wants to find the Princess, ideally, save her from a monster and make up for a mistake he made."

Developed and published by Thekla Inc, Braid Anniversary Edition isn’t just a re-release – it offers gorgeous new visuals and backgrounds with higher-resolution art, updated sound effects and a more extensive soundtrack. There’s the option to switch between the original and updated visuals, and it really can’t be overstated how gorgeous the latter appears. Whether it’s the new foliage in environments, painted lights and shadows, improved effects for actions, improved animations or the extensive attention to detail, the graphical update is impressive all on its own. Suffice it to say that it runs incredibly well with no hiccups.

That’s not all, as new options like Speedruns (either for individual worlds or the whole game) and heaps of developer commentary are also included. It’s a lot to unpack, yet it would all be for nought if the core experience didn’t hold up.

Braid is the story of Tim, an unassuming man who wants to find the Princess, ideally, save her from a monster and make up for a mistake he made. By peering into short journal entries in each world’s “hub,” other aspects of Tim’s life are known, from his relationship with his parents to what seems like an experiment. The fact that the Princess is always noted as “being in another castle” by a cute stuffed dinosaur – who also questions whether she’s real – only adds to the mystery and intrigue.

There are initially five worlds to explore, each consisting of multiple levels where you collect puzzle pieces to form different frames. While the first level feels like a Mario clone, complete with goomba-like foes to stomp, things pick up immediately in the second as the player quickly learns of Tim’s ability to rewind time. It allows for negating deaths and redoing sections if you make mistakes, but that’s only the first world.

"Of course, if you want to see what every stage has to offer without bothering to collect the pieces of each frame, go ahead, but you won’t unlock the first and final world or the proper ending."

Subsequent worlds play around with different concepts of time, from everything – enemies, projectiles and even keys moving forwards or backwards in time and space as you do to some objects being unaffected by its flow.

So while you flip switches, jump off enemy’s heads and collect keys to unlock doors, it’s all wrapped up in clever puzzles that require ingenuity, timing and a fair number of retries. What happens when you start to think in terms of recording and rewinding your actions, especially when you create a temporary clone of yourself in the process or manipulate keys to open multiple doors? It’s a fascinating exercise that remains as clever now as it did all those years ago.

Of course, if you want to see what every stage has to offer without bothering to collect the pieces of each frame, go ahead, but you won’t unlock the first and final world or the proper ending. The responsiveness and physics of the platforming really are something to behold, especially when manipulating time.

Tim may be immune to fall damage, but can still bounce off the environment depending on the velocity, messing up some landings. He can drop down from ladders and fences but can’t leap up from them to attain greater heights. Minute as all this may seem, they’re critical to solving some trickier puzzles since you need to work around these limitations.

"You might think the developer commentary would shine more light on this, and, to be fair, it doesn’t shy away from acknowledging the more popular theories."

Otherwise, Braid lacks many of the so-called “traditional” platforming elements. There is only one boss to fight, who appears twice, though the method for taking them out differs significantly on the next go-around. Outside the frame pieces and mysterious stars, there aren’t any collectibles or extraneous dialogue during stages, making for a tighter, well-paced experience.

A good chunk of the game’s legacy also centers on the interpretation of its plot points, as it culminates in one of the best ending levels and reveals in a video game to date. The true identity of the Princess, Tim’s real life and how he views the world around him vs. its actual state, the misconception of heroism – there’s a lot to glean from it all, but Blow and his team aren’t forthcoming with the answers, even if some meanings are more blatant than others.

You might think the developer commentary would shine more light on this, and, to be fair, it doesn’t shy away from acknowledging the more popular theories. However, it’s a deep dive into the game’s development – its design, the art (both original and updated), music, programming and much more. There are options to delve into separate aspects of the entire experience – represented as separate interactive levels – or play through the whole game while the commentary outlines everything.

What motivated changing a certain level’s architecture? How did the idea for the game come about? Is the opening section meant to depict a city on fire (spoilers: it’s actually just a city during sunset)? All these questions and many more are answered throughout, while plenty remains up in the air.

"To say that Braid is an essential part of gaming history would be a given – it’s a title that should be experienced, even if some sections can be a little more frustrating than others, even when everything clicks."

If you thought there was some deeper significance to the boss and one other important character wearing armor…well, the answer may not be what you want to hear. It doesn’t change the fact that the sheer breadth of commentary, from early sketches and documents to interviews, is worth the price of admission for hardcore fans alone.

To say that Braid is an essential part of gaming history would be a given – it’s a title that should be experienced, even if some sections can be a little more frustrating than others, even when everything clicks. Even without one of the best platformers of all time and the various improvements made to its presentation, the Anniversary Edition stands out for its sheer range of extra content. It’s intriguing to hear about the process behind everything and how things came to be, not to mention Blow reflecting on the project after all these years.

In closing, Braid could be analogous to the industry itself, coming full circle and seeing the prologue seamlessly shift into an epilogue. Where the end becomes the beginning, and amid the doom and gloom, there’s some hope – or at least the potential for the same – even amid all the messy dealings. Maybe it’s unintentional, maybe not – the fact that it can still inspire such thinking to this day is undeniably impressive.

This game was reviewed on PS5.

Braid: Anniversary Edition was originally announced for modern platforms all the way back in 2020. The re-release of the game will include quite a few new features, including repainted art, new animations, and more detailed environments. The game will also include new gameplay elements, with creator Jonathan Blow having revealed back in March that it will feature 35 new levels for players to figure out.

Along with all of the visual and gameplay upgrades, Braid: Anniversary Edition will also feature more than 15 hours of developer commentary, which will include commentary on various aspects of the game like the design, art style, puzzles, and gameplay.

Braid, when it was originally released on the Xbox 360, was considered to be one of the most influential titles out there, essentially kickstarting an era of indie development and digital releases across the industry. The game has since gone on to be a commercial and critical success.

The original plan was for no new levels, which progressed to adding “like four or five, without ruining the original game.” Of course, a bunch of design then “accidentally” happened, and here we are. The levels feature new puzzles, though how many now remains to be seen.

Braid: Anniversary Edition offers gorgeous updated visuals, with improved animations and revamped backgrounds full of detail, alongside revised versions of the soundtrack and reworked sound effects. Fans can also look forward to over 15 hours of developer commentary discussing the design, art style and more.

Players can also switch back and forth between the new and old visuals at any time. Stay tuned for more details ahead of its release next month.

Braid, Anniversary Edition

has 35 new levels.

Originally I thought there would be no new levels.
Then I was like, "hey I figured out a way to add like 4 or 5, without ruining the original game."
Then I accidentally a bunch of design.

— Jonathan Blow (@Jonathan_Blow) March 22, 2024

Jonathan Blow’s Braid is one of the most influential indie games ever and helped popularize the genre, especially on consoles. It’s now making a return with Braid Anniversary Edition which will be coming to Xbox Series X, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. Check out the trailer below.

Braid Anniversary Edition features significantly improved visuals like repainted art, additional animations and effects, and more landmarks for environments. The sound and music has also been upgraded though it’s still pretty much the same soundtrack. Developer Thekla is being considerate to ensure that new visual elements don’t ruin the spirit of the original, those who just want the charm of the original can to switch back to it at the push of a button.

There will also be a hefty amount of developer commentary. In fact, Blow is looking to have the “craziest, most in-depth commentary ever” for a game. Braid Anniversary Edition is coming in 2021 for current and next-gen platforms. Stay tuned for more details in the coming year.