Photos courtesy of "Indie Game: The Movie."Telling the multifaceted narrative of protagonist Tim and his love for a princess, "Braid" takes the concept of time and harnesses it to complicate the past and further mystify the future. The misconception of time creates a multitude of complex challenges and puzzles but also confuses players about Tim’s true motivations, memory and future goals.
Throughout the game, players are able to control time, reverse their failures and get themselves out of sticky situations. While easy at first, the more levels players beat, the more difficult the challenges become. Certain objects become immune to Tim’s ability to reverse time and others are much too sensitive to it. Ultimately, every puzzle piece becomes the reward for flawlessly perfect timing - something often frustratingly difficult to achieve.
With nothing but fragmented passages of Tim’s past (and potentially his future) to go off of, the plot of the game is originally, and intentionally, pretty hard to follow. Creator Jonathan Blow made the diction of the passages create a fairytale-like tone, conveying that Tim must be a hero of some sort, even though his past is riddled with mistakes. As players successfully pass from world to world (of which there are six), they collect puzzle pieces in order to remember past memories that will hopefully lead them to the lost princess.
The art of "Braid" further carries out the fairytale atmosphere viewers interact with while playing the game. It also demonstrates the depth of work that it took to create the game, taking over a year to complete the final designs alone. Webcomic artist David Hellman illustrated and animated all the characters and blurry backgrounds, making them move forwards and backwards depending on the progression or regression of time. This creates a beautiful, dynamic setting that never stalls. From a rotating sun, reminiscent of Van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” to lustrous meadows and hilltops, Hellman effectively creates a world straight out of a fairytale.
Plus, Tim as well as the characters he interacts with are all animated. Most indie games fail to take the time to focus on their 
characters, instead paying more attention to the game’s plot and challenges. Hellman made "Braid" the exception. Tim breathes, fidgets and winces when he’s hurt. He’s constantly in motion, just like the rest of his surroundings. This art form sets "Braid" apart from its competition, making it visually striking and further enhancing the complicated story.
Mainly filled with acoustic string instruments (like harps and violins), wind instruments and a subtle percussion beat, "Braid’s" soundtrack was written and produced by Jami Sieber, Shira Kammen and Cheryl Ann Fulton. While not originally intended for the game, Blow chose eight titles that were “organic and complex” in order to further amplify the atmosphere of the game. The music also influenced Hellman’s final designs for the characters, foreground and background.
As a complete package, "Braid" proves that video games are the new, digital medium for storytelling. Straying away from the cliche, action-packed games seen in the mainstream video game industry, "Braid" opens up a new genre and illustrates the true potential within the gaming realm.
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