Braid As Contrasted With Mario, A Deep Dive Into Mechanics

It is no secret that many elements of Braid (Johnathon Blow, 2008) are taken from Super Mario Bros. (Ninetendo, 1985). Some features it adopts are the platformer, side-scrolling style, the (ostensible) rescuing of a princess between worlds, the slow-moving Goomba-like monsters, and so on. Braid uses this familiar style to make the game appear to be a Mario replica or reaction, while constantly dropping hints that something far greater is afoot. The introduction to the game is mild, instantly seeming easier than Mario due to the rewind mechanic. Mechanistically, and retrospectively, this should already have put me on high alert that Braid was trying to communicate something, but I am still as yet unversed in procedural rhetoric. By comparing this first mechanic introduced outside of classic movement, jumping, climbing ladders etc, to Mario, it is clear that Braid is trying to achieve something different.

This could be interepreted as being a more forgiving game but playing through a little quickly shows that Braid is a puzzle game, with the platformer aspect being the way Blow decided to carry it out; puzzle games are stylistcally different from the Mario platformer because puzzle games usually reserve all the challenge for solving the puzzle, not for the actual implementation of a solution to the puzzle (although of course such games or game features do exist). Given that it’s a puzzle game and that we’re introduced to a unique rewind mechanic, it deserves a closer look, especially given the text one encounters at the start of World 2 which veers off the simplistic Mario-saving-Peach scenario. In particular: “Our World, with its rules of causality, has trained us to be miserly with forgiveness. By forgiving too readily, we can become badly hurt. But if we’ve learned from a mistake and better for it, shouldn’t we be rewarded for the learning, rather than punished for the mistake?” Clearly a theme is made out of actions, regret, and being able to go back to a halcyonic period, further supported by the unique mechanic!

So far the above is fairly obvious after having played through the game. But Braid doubles down on its mechanistic messages in subsequent worlds, each containing their own twist. World 3 contains objects and enemies that are unaffected by the rewind mechanism. This relays onto the player the idea that World 2 is an idealistic world! World 2 is not real, and in the real world one cannot rewind. One can go back on what they’ve said or done but they cannot expect everyone else to do so (as with Tim and his ‘princess’). World 3 represents a lack of control, also highlighted by the texts at the start of the World which discuss the requirement for a gap between one and one’s partner (or even their own life and environment), a gap that leaves room for new and exciting things. If one becomes too comfortable and familiar with their surroundings, one begins to stagnate. Hence Tim describes his need to be immune to the Princess’ perception of him, remaining forever slightly out of her reach so that he could always be a novelty.

World 4’s mechanism strongly reacts to that of World 3’s. In World 4, movement to the right and left translate to moving forwards and backwards in time respectively. One finds oneself trapped in a cycle of inevitability, contrasting with the idea of an unconstrained existence in World 3. Space and time are one, from which we can interpret that physical locations have memories and experiences sealed in our minds, which are unlocked and burst into view when we return to them. As we go back to a place, despite time having passed, we return to moments and ideas, not merely locations. Again, the texts echo this sentiment as Tim wanders around and reminisces about the past. A final theme of World 4 is the idea that the past has lessons. In order to complete World 4, one must use the fact that time and place are linked – move backward so a monster reverse-falls off a platform to jump on it etc – , and Tim comes to believe he can find his ‘princess’ (by now he questions her existence) by going to different places and letting their accompanied times wash over him and inform him.

World 5’s mechanism is a shadow, or a doppelgänger. The rewind mechanism now creates a version of that will go and do what you did in reverse. World 5 has a darker meaning given that many of the puzzles require you to watch your doppelgänger die in order to let you progress. The means justify the ends. World 5 reminds us of World 3, given that our actions have consequences, but this time instead of having other people judge us, we see our own shadow following us, mocking us, pleading to us. We are chased and taunted by the past and we must face and confront the past in order to stride towards the future.

Lastly World 6’s mechanism is a ring that slows time inversely proportionately to distance from its centre (up to a specified radius). The interpretations for the ring can be wide so I’ll quickly mention the name of the world is “Hesitation” to explain my own opinion. The ring represents the desperation of trying to think in tight moments. We experience our lives but there are moments when we suddenly realise how quickly things are happening, and we become suffocated for time. We desperately seek to slow time down, to give us room to think, to react, even to enjoy moments that are beginning to ebb away. However, we are also trapped by sluggish time, as is the case when in the game you drop the ring on yourself. Things begin to happen very quickly around you while you’re stuck, dumbfounded. And so you drop the ring on other people and things, slow them down, give yourself some room. But you always have to pick the ring up again. You always have to go back to the thing you’re trying to avoid (similar to World 5).