Story
The backstory of Braid is a twist on the familiar platformer plot of a hero on a quest to rescue a princess from an unseen monster that has stolen her away. The game's hero is Tim. Bound to the princess, he is determined to find her, but a reoccurring theme of regret and an apparent need for reconciliation of mistakes made hint that things between them are not necessarily what they seem and that as in any relationship there are aspects of the bond between them that are hidden beneath the surface. The details of Tim's relationship to the princess are revealed in the gameplay text at the opening portal to each level and the puzzles solved throughout the game.

Time-based Gameplay
Although gameplay in Braid is organized along the lines of a standard platformer, with the player running jumping and climbing to avoid obstacles and enemies, the most important gameplay mechanic is the ability to reverse time at any moment, even after you have died. This makes gameplay simple in that you never have to replay a turn, just rewind the action, but also challenging in that in many instances the player must use these abilities to progress through certain parts of the game. Action takes place across several levels, organized into sections within rooms, each with a different time-based wrinkle in gameplay. These sections also contain a jigsaw puzzles integral to the story, the pieces of which are scattered throughout the level it is found in. Completion of puzzles opens up a final stage in each level, but the player can also proceed in the game and come back to puzzles as they choose.

Make time for platforming with Braid. View larger.

Key Game Features

• Forgiving yet Challenging Gameplay - Braid is a 2D platforming game where you can never die and never lose. Despite this, Braid is challenging”but the challenge is about solving puzzles, rather than forcing you to replay tricky jumps.
• Rich Puzzle Environment - Travel through a series of worlds searching for puzzle pieces, then solving puzzles by manipulating time: rewinding, creating parallel universes, setting up pockets of dilated time. The gameplay feels fresh and new; the puzzles are meant to inspire new ways of thinking.
• Aesthetic Design - A painterly art style and lush, organic soundtrack complement the unique gameplay.
• Nonlinear Story - A nonlinear fiction links the various worlds and provides real-world metaphors for your time manipulations; in turn, your time manipulations are projections of the real-world themes into playful "what-if" universes where consequences can be explored.
• Nonlinear Gameplay - The game doesn't force you to solve puzzles in order to proceed. If you can't figure something out, just play onward and return to that puzzle later.