Game Mechanics — Braid

8 min readDec 9, 2024

This text is an addendum to the text I published previously on the treatment of time in various types of games.

If you have read my previous text Game Mechanics — Games and Time, you might have noticed the absence of mention of the game known as Braid. This glaring omission is entirely intentional. No text about time and video games can be complete without the mention of Jonathan Blow’s legendary indie title. It is a small masterpiece of time-based puzzles that offers a catalog of time manipulation techniques. I have originally included the breakdown of all six worlds that constitute this game in my main text. However, this made already lengthy text too long for the particular medium it was intended to be published on. Therefore, I decided to separate my examination of this game into a separate text. In addition, I do believe that this game deserves additional attention in this case, although I rarely do case studies of individual titles.

Intro

Braid is one of the legendary indie titles, created almost entirely by a single person, Jonathan Blow one of the video game industry legends. It came out in 2008 and was part of a wave of indie games that included such titles as Limbo, FEZ, and Super Meat Boy. This game is built entirely around time manipulation as the central gameplay mechanic. The game itself is structured into six chapters, named Worlds and numbered 1 to 6, presented fittingly out of chronological order starting with World 2. The game is best described as a puzzle platformer in which the player needs to collect all the jigsaw pieces at every level to uncover the whole story of the underlying narrative. Collecting these jigsaw pieces is impossible without manipulating the usual time flow of the game world, and each world is based on a particular time manipulation mechanics.

World 2 — Time and Forgiveness

The time manipulation mechanics tend to be a mindfuck. Our brains are hardwired to perceive time as one-directional. Braid eases the player in by introducing first the very basic mechanic of time manipulation, simple time rewinding. In World 2, the first world that the player encounters, the player learns how to go back in time. The time can be rewind at any moment and the player can repeat any action and undo any mistake made in the level.

The game employs the standard platformer topes such as spike pits, jumping on the heads of enemies, ladders, disappearing platformers, canons that spawn enemies, keys, locked gates, etc. Many of those are deliberate nods to Super Mario Bros and other games in this genre. Furthermore, time rewinding is not strictly necessary for beating these levels. At this point in the game, it is merely a convenient tool that allows the player to quickly correct the fatal mistakes, but very little beyond that.

World 2 — Classic platformer elements: ladders, platforms, spikes etc.

World 3 — Time and Mystery

Things become more serious as the player advances to the next world. This section of the game introduces the idea of the time immunity. Certain objects in the game are shown with a distinctive green glow. Unlike everything else in the game, these objects will not be affected by time manipulation. This means that these objects will not return to their previous positions if they have been moved and the player tries to rewind the time.

An interesting corollary of this rule is related to objects that the player can collect, most notably the keys. If a key is a normal key and the player first picks it up and then rewinds time, the key will drop to its original position as the player moves back to a point in time before the key got collected. If the key is glowing green, however, it means it will not be affected by the change of the time flow. The green key will follow the player even as the player travels back in time and space. An object at the bottom of the pit too deep for the player to simply jump out can be retrieved by jumping into the pit, collecting it, and rewinding the time to a moment just before jumping into the pit. Time manipulation becomes necessary for puzzle-solving for the first time in this part of the game.

Even the traps and enemies can have this property. This has profound implications. In effect, parts of the level can move in one direction in time while the others will continue to move in the opposite direction. The result of this is that time manipulation becomes a tool that can change the relative direction of the movement of certain parts of the scene, enemies and moving platforms included. Likewise, in subsequent levels, moving elements can be immune to the stopping of time, adding yet another layer of puzzle complexity.

World 2 — Time immune key at the bottom of the pit.

World 4 — Time and Place

As in any good hero’s journey, we are now in the belly of the whale. The World 4 goes directly to the meat of the timeplay. This world introduces yet another mechanic. Time and the direction of the player’s movement are directly connected. The time flows in the normal direction as the player moves from left to right, following the usual Western convention. Time moves backward if the direction of the player’s movement reverses, i.e. if the player moves from right to left. As one might expect the time stops flowing if the protagonist remains stationary.

The worlds in Braid are built so that they inherit some basic mechanics. The green aura of time immunity is one of these elements. Thus, any object that is glowing green will continue to move in time in the forward direction regardless of the movement of the player.

World 4 — Time and direction of movement are connected.

World 5 — Time and Decision

While the previous worlds focused on the time itself or the relationship of time, space, and movement, this world is built around the notions of cause and consequence. In this world player gains a new ability, to spawn shadow clones. After a clone is spawned the player can rewind the time. Once the flow of time continues in the normal direction the clone will follow the path that the player has traversed previously. The layer is free to follow another path.

The clones become a puzzle-solving tool. The player can use the clones to operate the switches for example or to lure the enemies away.

World 5 — Shadow clone picks up the key.

World 6 — Hesitance

The World 6 adds another new gameplay element and expectedly a new flavor to the time manipulation. Once again we are dealing with the relationship of time and space. This time though, the time flows differently in the specific area, i.e. locally in the portion of space.

Immediately upon entering this world, the player is given another magic object, a golden ring. When this ring is placed on the ground it will create a bubble. The time within this bubble moves drastically more slowly than in the rest of the level. It doesn’t stop! It just slows to a crawl. Anything within this bubble will continue its motion just at a snail’s pace.

The ring is a tool that can be used to slow down only certain objects within the level, leaving the rest to move at a normal pace. In one of the earliest levels, the player can use this ring to slow down a falling gate. If not slowed down the gate would drop and prevent the player from reaching the level exit before the player can retrieve the puzzle pieces. The ring slows it down sufficiently for the player to go and fetch the needed puzzle piece.

World 6 — Time bubble slows down the gate.

World 1

As we mentioned at the start of this text, the worlds in Braid are presented out of order. The game starts with the World 2. The World 1 is the last world that the player will encounter. The gameplay in this world remains consistent in dealing with time manipuation. However, the player’s ability to directly manipulate time is revoked. Instead, time in this world flows backward on its own accord. The player needs to make it to the end of the level, in effect moving against the current of the time.

This is an effective metaphor. However, as a gameplay mechanic, this is largely symbolic and aesthetic. Movement of the enemies and platforms is again predictable, it is just the orientation of the sprites that makes it seem strange. The effect is even reinforced by playing the music backward.

The final chapter concludes the story of the game beautifully uniting the time manipulation gameplay with the narrative of the game, making it one of the most memorable platformer games out there.

Key Takeaways

Braid is a puzzle platformer that revolves around innovative time manipulation mechanics, with each world introducing a unique way to alter or interact with time, creating increasingly complex challenges.
World 2: Time and Forgiveness
Introduces time rewinding, allowing players to undo mistakes and repeat actions. Time manipulation is used as a convenience for correcting errors rather than as a mandatory puzzle-solving tool.
World 3: Time and Mystery
Introduces time-immune objects, which are unaffected by rewinding. Puzzles require using these objects strategically, such as carrying keys or managing moving platforms that do not revert with time manipulation.
World 4: Time and Place
Links time flow to player movement. Time moves forward as you move right, backward as you move left, and stops when stationary. This mechanic forces careful planning of movement to solve puzzles.
World 5: Time and Decision
Introduces shadow clones. After rewinding, a clone mimics your prior actions, allowing cooperative gameplay with yourself to solve puzzles like activating switches or luring enemies.
World 6: Hesitance
Introduces local time dilation through the golden ring, which creates a bubble where time slows down drastically. This mechanic is used to slow specific objects or areas to navigate levels effectively.
World 1 (Final World)
Features time flowing backward automatically, revoking direct control of time manipulation. The player must progress while adjusting to the reversed time flow, symbolizing deeper narrative themes of regret and inevitability.