Braid: Anniversary Edition "sold like dog s***", says creator Jonathan Blow

IMO Braid was a success of its time, when digital distribution started enabling Indie developers to reach mass audiences.

Yet I think the reason why the game reached so far was due the Humble Bundles.

While I think this was a competent game with interesting mechanics, there were better indies that I would love to play again (if extended).

A) I didn't know it existed.

B) Even if I did, I wouldn't have bought it. I bought the original when it came out, played a few hours, never finished it, never felt the need to go back.

Jonathan Blow has been more interested in marketing his niche programming language than his games, so maybe that’s why.

Braid was a critical darling but I think a lot of it's early success can be accounted for by it being one of the first games in Xbox Live Indie Arcade. For a little while, it was literally one of the only games available. And yeah, it's a fun puzzle platformer but more than a decade of "Is Braid the greatest indie art work ever made?!" thinkpieces have really overhyped it.

"Did you know it's about nuclear bombs? Did you know the designs are a reference to Mario!?" Like yeah, these things aren't hidden lore, they're the text of the game, but psuedo-intellectual posturing towards it is on par with Blade Runner and the Matrix for pure inanity. Plus no real marketing on the remaster, no press releases about "what an important moment in gaming this is" or anything.

Also, Braid isn't a singular game anymore. Games obviously in the Braid-lineage have pushed the genre. Animal Well most recently, but it's hardly the only game now eating at the table with Braid, Fez, etc.

I think Blow started to belive the hype a long time ago and now just expects that the mere presence of his genius on a work should immediately push it to best-seller status. And I like his games, I liked Braid and I think the Witness really is kind of genius but man he is insufferable to listen to and I really think that hurts the buzz around his work.

It got marketed mostly as a visual remaster, but it looked similar to the original at a glance. And everybody owns a couple of copies of the original.

It really wasn't very well marketed at all.

I liked the game, but I can't say I would have any interest in playing it again or trying to get into new levels after so long.

I also didn't know there was a new release until this article.

It’s also on Netflix games, even less of a reason for people to spend money on it.

I didn't even knew it had new levels.

Many people own and played the original, myself included. When the remaster was announced, I looked at it, and it looked like exactly the same game to me. I didn't see a reason to purchase the game again.

Here's the video that half a dozen gaming sites turned into an "article":

https://youtu.be/8KR5i98aCy0

I played and own the original but didn't finish it at the time. I want to play it again and might as well play the remaster as long as they didn't fudge it.

But its currently priced a bit more than I would pay for a remaster of a game I already have. When it gets a 33% discount it will be on my radar, if its 50% it will be an instant buy otherwise ... its been 15 years I'm not in any rush.

I liked Braid and played thru it when it came out, including the secret ending. Aside from graphical fidelity, in what other ways has the game been remastered?

Fun fact: Braid is a game about the creation of the nuclear bomb, and maybe some other things as well

Loved the original game back in the day, never heard of the new version, but will probably get it when it's on sale

Did you fix the unwinnable final level?

It sold like shit because THERE AINT NO POINT TO THE GAME AN SHIT YOOOOOP