Summary

  • Braid: Anniversary Edition disappoints in sales, despite high critical praise and revamped features.
  • Creator Jonathan Blow admits to the game's poor sales, which has impacted other projects.
  • Some fans have praised the remaster, while others found that it did not change enough to warrant a replay.

Braid creator Jonathan Blow says that the game's anniversary edition has unfortunately not been a huge success. The original Braid came out on multiple platforms in 2008 and received high praise across the board. Its current Xbox 360 Metacritic score sits at a nonnegligible 93 aggregate rating, with players praising the game’s beautiful presentation, unique storytelling, challenging puzzles, and soundtrack. Many developers in the years since have lauded Braid and cited it as a key influence for their own games.

So when Braid: Anniversary Edition was announced at the end of 2023, it seemed a given that the updated version of such a memorable game would be well received. Released on last and current-gen platforms, the anniversary edition features over 15 hours of developer commentary, along with several new levels and revamped visuals and audio. And being priced at only $19.99 seemed an ideal price point to entice a new generation of gamers to check out the award-winning indie classic that many have called a masterpiece.

A split image of different locations in Braid, Anniversary Edition
Braid: Anniversary Edition - Developer Commentary, Explained

Those looking to learn more about Braid and how the game was made can do so via the Developer Commentary feature. Here's how it works.

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Launched on May 14, 2024, Braid: Anniversary Edition again received high praise; on OpenCritic, the revamped version has an average 89 review rating from critics. Despite all the positives, however, creator Jonathan Blow admitted a month after release that the game had “sold horribly.” YouTube channel Blow Fan created a compilation of clips from the developer’s Twitch channel, tracking his opinion of the anniversary edition’s sales performance after release. Blow went from cautiously optimistic to openly disappointed. More than two months after launch, in response to a viewer’s inquiry if sales were okay, Blow responded frankly, “No, they are bad.”

Braid: Anniversary Edition's Sales Numbers Aren't Great

It’s unclear why precisely sales of Braid: Anniversary Edition are not going well. There didn’t seem to be much marketing after the initial announcement, and it may simply be that some people forgot it was coming. Many fans who did remember to grab the overhauled version of Braid have expressed appreciation for the remaster, though others have said that the changes aren’t significant enough to warrant a replay and the anniversary edition might only appeal to newcomers. Currently, the game has only 637 reviews on Steam, though it boasts a Very Positive user rating.

The knock-on effect of the poor sales performance of Braid: Anniversary Edition is that some of Blow's other projects have been affected. The developer has contributed to a number of unique games over the years, including Flow, Phase, and 2016’s highly rated puzzle game The Witness. An experienced programmer, Blow has also been developing a new programming language called Jai. During a Twitch stream, he stated that no one is working full-time on the Jai compiler because, due to Braid’s poor sales, there are no funds to pay anybody. Hopefully, numbers will begin to pick up for the anniversary edition, which will enable Blow to comfortably continue developing innovative games.

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Braid, Anniversary Edition Tag Page Cover Art
8 /10

Braid, Anniversary Edition
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Top Critic Avg: 89 /100 Critics Rec: 100%
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Released
May 14, 2024
ESRB
T For Teen Due To Language
Developer(s)
Thekla Inc.
Publisher(s)
Thekla Inc.
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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Bend time to solve subtle platform puzzles in this update of the indie classic "Braid," featuring refreshed artwork and seriously in-depth creator commentary. Travel from a city house through a series of interconnected worlds where time behaves strangely, searching for an elusive Princess. Along the way you'll explore memories and regrets that still haunt you. This Anniversary Edition remaster of the award-winning platformer contains fully repainted high-resolution graphics, new sound effects and extensive audio commentary.

MANIPULATE TIME TO MOVE FORWARD
Rewind, pause and use the strange properties of time in each world to run and jump through beautifully painted environments. Avoid hazards, unlock doors and collect jigsaw puzzle pieces to assemble. If you get hung up on a particular puzzle, feel free to move on and return later.

A FRESH COAT OF PAINT
This is the game you remember, with all the original challenges and the same haunting, evocative score — but repainted pixel by pixel so that each carefully rendered world comes to life in high resolution. New visual details, animated brushstroke effects and revamped sounds add to the immersive experience.

Genre(s)
Platformer
PS Plus Availability
N/A