Braid

About

"Braid is a single-player fantasy puzzle-platformer game with beautiful graphics, stunning music, and forgiving yet challenging gameplay. Manipulate time in unique ways to rescue an abducted princess across a series of worlds. Every puzzle reveals something new in this filler-free game, now with Steam Cloud support."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 5,395 reviews

story662 positive mentions

grinding38 negative mentions

Braid features innovative time manipulation mechanics that create unique and challenging puzzles.
The game's art style is beautiful and reminiscent of hand-painted artwork, enhancing the overall experience.
The narrative, while abstract, offers depth and invites players to interpret its themes of regret and relationships.

Many puzzles can feel overly obscure or frustrating, leading to reliance on guides for solutions.
The story is presented in a vague and convoluted manner, which may leave players confused about its meaning.
The game can be short, and some players may find the speedrun achievement unnecessarily challenging.

story
1,821 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
58%
5%
The story in "Braid" is often described as intriguing yet confusing, with many players finding it abstract and open to interpretation. While some appreciate its depth and the emotional themes of love and regret, others criticize it for being overly pretentious or difficult to follow. Overall, the narrative is interwoven with the gameplay mechanics, creating a unique experience that encourages players to piece together the story themselves, often leading to a rewarding twist at the end.
- “Braid is a masterful blend of storytelling and innovative gameplay, setting a high bar in the puzzle-platformer genre.”
- “Braid challenges players not just intellectually with its cleverly designed puzzles, but emotionally, weaving a complex story that explores themes of memory, regret, and the nature of reality.”
- “Make your best to beat the puzzles, as only then you can unravel the deeply touching metaphorical story, which elevates this game to a whole different level.”
- “You receive confusing tidbits of a story that you're expected to just put together yourself.”
- “Creative puzzles, but the story didn't attract me enough to continue playing.”
- “The story is really confusing, the designer doesn't even know what it means, but that's okay.”
gameplay
1,811 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
60%
1%
The gameplay of Braid is widely praised for its innovative time-manipulation mechanics, which are intricately woven into the puzzle design, creating a unique and thought-provoking experience. Players appreciate the gradual introduction of new mechanics in each world, which keeps the gameplay fresh and challenging, although some find the puzzles can be frustratingly obscure due to a lack of clear explanations. Overall, the combination of clever mechanics, beautiful art, and a haunting soundtrack contributes to Braid's status as a standout title in the puzzle-platformer genre.
- “Braid is a masterful blend of storytelling and innovative gameplay, setting a high bar in the puzzle-platformer genre.”
- “Its unique time-manipulation mechanics are not just a gimmick but are deeply integrated into both the gameplay and the narrative, offering a fresh and thought-provoking experience.”
- “The gameplay is incredibly intelligent.”
- “The gameplay is also so damn slow!”
- “It's not fun to spend half the time pressing the rewind button, not just to cancel errors, but also as the normal gameplay.”
- “The mechanics are completely broken as you can't even wavedash for good spacing.”
music
1,007 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
33%
2%
The music in Braid is widely praised for its beautiful, haunting quality that complements the game's artistic visuals and intricate puzzles. Many players appreciate how the soundtrack enhances the emotional depth of the story, although some note that the time-rewinding mechanic can distort the music, making it less enjoyable at times. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's immersive experience.
- “The music and story are incredible, and the gameplay is outstanding.”
- “The game's beautifully hand-painted visuals and hauntingly atmospheric soundtrack create a dreamlike world that is both enchanting and melancholic.”
- “The music is fantastic and unpredictable, going from adventurous and thematic orchestras to dark and mysterious pieces.”
- “The music is bland, the puzzles can be repetitive, the story is boring, the game is confusing, and it's just not that fun.”
- “The problems surrounding the audio are also made worse when you’re having to hear the music either slowed down or reversed a lot of the time due to the core mechanics of the game being about time manipulation, which is honestly unbearable.”
- “The music similarly just does nothing for me, it feels out of place in a lot of cases and actually further contributes to this feeling of cheapness, feeling at times akin to a shovelware mobile game.”
graphics
774 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
34%
1%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and beautiful art style, often described as painterly and reminiscent of watercolor paintings. Many reviewers highlight the stunning visuals and atmospheric soundtrack, which enhance the overall experience, while some express mixed feelings about certain character designs. Overall, the game's aesthetic is considered a significant strength, contributing to its charm and emotional depth.
- “Visually, the game has a unique and beautiful art style with detailed and bright landscapes to navigate through.”
- “The game's beautifully hand-painted visuals and hauntingly atmospheric soundtrack create a dreamlike world that is both enchanting and melancholic.”
- “Braid is a masterpiece; this game proves that video games are art by having spectacular visuals and music combined with the best use of gameplay mechanics I've ever seen.”
- “The art style is ugly.”
- “The graphics are 'artsy' in such a way if it would be painted on a canvas, but on the screen it feels dull and smudgy.”
- “My main complaint is the crap art style the game went with.”
atmosphere
91 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
73%
24%
3%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning hand-painted visuals and haunting soundtrack, creating a dreamlike and melancholic world that captivates players. Many reviews highlight the rich, immersive quality of the environment, enhanced by the art style and music, which together evoke a range of emotions from enchantment to eeriness. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the overall experience, despite some critiques regarding the clarity of the story.
- “The game's beautifully hand-painted visuals and hauntingly atmospheric soundtrack create a dreamlike world that is both enchanting and melancholic.”
- “The atmosphere is exceedingly rich and dreamlike: incredible, almost fluid visuals in a style of a beautiful multilayered watercolor painting, gentle smooth music, and pleasant sound design.”
- “The music is suitable for the atmosphere, and it's mellow enough to prevent it from becoming repetitive.”
- “A game that builds on atmosphere presents its world through PowerPoint presentations that a 7-year-old could make.”
- “Sound is decent but too basic; it fails to create an atmosphere.”
- “It plays nice, has interesting game mechanics never seen elsewhere, and a very, very dark atmosphere once you understand it... for me, this represents everything that I expect from a game.”
emotional
83 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99%
1%
The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised, with many players describing it as a deeply touching and heartfelt experience that evokes a range of feelings, from joy to sadness. The narrative intertwines complex themes of memory, regret, and love, often leading players to tears as they engage with its metaphorical story and innovative mechanics. Overall, the game is recognized for its ability to blend emotional depth with challenging gameplay, creating a memorable and impactful experience.
- “Braid challenges players not just intellectually with its cleverly designed puzzles, but emotionally, weaving a complex story that explores themes of memory, regret, and the nature of reality.”
- “The subtle blending of tight, fun platforming mechanics with deep, emotionally engaging philosophical ideas makes this game an absolute masterpiece.”
- “It's a beautiful, emotional game from all angles.”
replayability
59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
61%
17%
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag, with many reviewers noting that while it offers a beautiful aesthetic and engaging gameplay, its nature as a puzzle game limits replay value significantly. Most players agree that once the puzzles are solved, there is little incentive to replay, although some mention the appeal of speedrunning and uncovering hidden content as potential motivators for revisiting the game. Despite its short length and limited replayability, many still find it a worthwhile experience for its artistic and intellectual merits.
- “The brilliant aesthetics, gameplay, and sound design make it extremely replayable.”
- “Unique game mechanics, challenging puzzles, collectibles, and hidden endings provide replay value, along with a beautiful art style.”
- “Beyond being fun, replayable, intellectually stimulating, and visually beautiful, Braid is a work of art.”
- “Bad news is, I see no replay value at all, because the puzzle solutions are known and the plain execution is not fun at all.”
- “The whole game only took me about 5 hours to complete and there is no replay value, as once you know how to do the puzzles there is no point to do them again.”
- “Essentially no replay value, but one playthrough is enough to get your money's worth of this beautiful and highly entertaining puzzle platform game.”
grinding
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
5%
93%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly due to repetitive puzzles and awkward timing mechanics. While some appreciate the intricate puzzle design and time manipulation elements, many feel that the execution often leads to a frustrating experience that detracts from enjoyment. The lack of guidance and the need for trial and error further contribute to the perception of grinding as a significant drawback.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The levels are tediously repetitive in many aspects.”
- “I was onboard for the first 20 minutes, then it went from tedious to frustrating to making me feel like an absolute idiot.”
- “The constant barrage of enemies means the player can't focus on the puzzles, while many puzzles become uncompletable if the player does something wrong, resulting in the player having to restart the level, which makes the trial and error process needed to solve puzzles tedious.”
humor
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is often described as quirky and clever, with players appreciating the comedic elements woven into the gameplay and story, particularly through time manipulation mechanics. Many reviews highlight the amusing contrasts between the game's serious themes and its lighthearted moments, creating a unique blend of humor and depth. Overall, players find the game to be both funny and thought-provoking, making it an enjoyable experience.
- “The story is humorous and touching at the same time.”
- “The time mechanics are awesome, and the puzzles are both funny and mind-blowing to solve.”
- “It's funny, yet there's a subtle ominous tone about it.”
optimization
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while it runs smoothly on some systems, users report performance issues, particularly on high-refresh-rate displays. The 60fps cap is noted, and players have discovered various optimization methods that can enhance gameplay. Some users have found the game well-optimized on specific platforms, like macOS, but others experience significant performance challenges.
- “Performance is good, though it has a 60fps framerate cap.”
- “However, there are so many potential ways of optimization that you'll find yourself accidentally speedrunning the game just by finding new methods to beating older levels.”
- “At the touch of a button you can rewind your performance of a stage to whatever point you like and then begin again from that point.”
- “This game is not really well-optimized.”
- “On my PC, it's having some performance issues.”
- “If you have performance issues on 144Hz or more displays, use windowed mode.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with players reporting numerous bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay and make completing levels feel more like solving puzzles than enjoying a smooth experience. While the unique features of each world are intriguing, the overwhelming presence of technical issues detracts significantly from the overall enjoyment.
- “This game had way too many bugs to play; it's a good idea, but multiple things were just not possible due to the extreme amount of bugs and glitches.”
- “Honestly, this is so buggy that finishing each level is like a puzzle because you have to figure out some clever way past all the game-breaking bugs.”
- “Figuring out puzzles in this game reminds me more of exploiting glitches in a poorly programmed platformer.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
Character development in the game is perceived as superficial, with designs and story elements borrowed from Mario but lacking depth and cohesion. While the artwork and mechanics are praised for their freshness, the overall narrative fails to deliver a meaningful aesthetic or message, leaving players wanting more substantial character growth.
- “From its oil paint kind of artwork to its Mario-esque character design to the crazy time manipulation mechanics, it felt fresh and new.”
- “Similarly, while the character designs and surface-level story are lifted from Mario and then just changed, it all feels very superficial. It doesn’t really tie into a particular aesthetic or message; it’s just there and feels like a feeble attempt to try incorporating another layer of something into this all without sufficiently developing it.”
- “The character development is lacking depth and fails to create a meaningful connection with the players. It feels like the characters are just placeholders rather than fully realized individuals.”
- “Despite the interesting mechanics, the characters themselves feel one-dimensional and underdeveloped, making it hard to invest in their journeys.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized for its pretentiousness, with users feeling that it looks down on mainstream gaming while failing to offer a compelling alternative. This attitude contributes to a negative perception of the game's overall value and appeal.