Braid game analysis

1. GAME ANALYSIS
GAME – BRAID
By:
Manas Murali
Manas Murali
Game analysis
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2. Table of Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 4
I. Formal elements .................................................................................................................................. 4
 Player .......................................................................................................................................... 4
o Number ................................................................................................................................... 4
o Role ......................................................................................................................................... 4
 Objectives (Capture and Rescue) ................................................................................................ 4
o Primary objective .................................................................................................................... 4
o Secondary objective ................................................................................................................ 5
 Procedure .................................................................................................................................... 5
o Actions .................................................................................................................................... 5
o System procedures.................................................................................................................. 5
 Rules ............................................................................................................................................ 5
o Objects and concepts .............................................................................................................. 5
 Restricting actions ................................................................................................................... 6
o Determining effects ................................................................................................................ 6
 Resources .................................................................................................................................... 7
o Usability .................................................................................................................................. 7
o Management ........................................................................................................................... 7
 Conflicts....................................................................................................................................... 8
o Enemies ................................................................................................................................... 8
o Level obstacles ........................................................................................................................ 9
 Outcome - ................................................................................................................................... 9
II. Dramatic elements ............................................................................................................................ 10
 Challenges ................................................................................................................................. 10
 Evolution of the enemies .......................................................................................................... 10
 Player ........................................................................................................................................ 11
 Premise ..................................................................................................................................... 11
 Story .......................................................................................................................................... 11
 Character................................................................................................................................... 11
o Tim ........................................................................................................................................ 11
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3. o Princess ................................................................................................................................. 11
o Evil monster .......................................................................................................................... 12
 Dramatic arc .............................................................................................................................. 12
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4. Introduction
It is a platform- puzzle game designed by Jonathan Blow. In this game the player controls a character
name Tim and have to solve different puzzle to complete the game and save the princess, who was
abducted by an evil monster.
Figure 1 Braid – The game
I. Formal elements
 Player
o Number – It is single player game only.
o Role – The main character is man name Tim. He is the main protagonist who wants
to rescue the princess from an evil monster.
 Objectives (Capture and Rescue)
o Primary objective – The main objective of the protagonist (Tim), is to solve puzzles
of each and every level of six different worlds and also to avoid all sorts of obstacles
and conflicts which are present in the level. To clear each world, Tim has to collect
pieces of puzzle, which are available in each level, and solves it to clear the world.
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5. o Secondary objective – The player can also go for to search for all the hidden stars
in the game. There are eight in total.
 Procedure
o Actions
 Tim can “jump” in the levels.
 Can move around in four different directions
 Activate leavers and doors in the game.
 Can climb ladders and striped walls
 The player can give a header from the bottom of the creeps which cost the
character to knock him out. It can be useful in world five, where the
character’s shadow can perform the header to the shadow creeps.
o System procedures
 The player handles the most important element in the game, which is
“Time”.
 The player can rewind or forward the whole gameplay of the session, full
from starting to end of the game.
 There are different games mechanics present differently in some of the
world. Like in world five, the player can produce Tim’s shadow till certain
time by rewinding time. In World 6, the player can slow the flow of time in a
certain space.
 The player can adjust certain options like music’s and sound effects volume.
 The player can also save the game in a slot in the save option.
 Rules
o Objects and concepts
 The player can manipulate time but it can only be done till certain points.
For example, Tim moves from point A to B, and then from B he went to C, he
rewinds the time from C to B and takes another path B to D. if the player
rewinds now, he will rewind in this sequence – D to B to A not C to B to A.
 The character can use his shadow to do the exact same thing, which he did
before the rewind, till a certain time.
 The character can use keys to unlock doors and can also use leavers to
activate assets.
 The ending of the game is determined by the number of stars one has
collected.
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6. Figure 2 Tim using shadow
 Restricting actions
 The character can’t die in this game which is most suited for this game.
 The character cannot carry more than one key at a time.
 It cannot use the keys twice which are in green, which are immune to time
change.
 The character is unable to produce multiple shadows in all the levels in the
fifth world.
 The character is unable to create multiple circles which slow the time in that
particular area in world six.
o Determining effects
 If the character gets any physical contact with any type of enemies or traps,
he will be out till the player brings him back through time manipulation.
 The character can increase its jump-height by jumping over multiple creeps.
 If the character uses it’s time slowing circle, any dynamic objects gets slow,
including the character himself. The rate of slowness increases if the object
comes closer to the circle.
 If the character stands on the time immune platform, then he too is immune
to time.
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7.  The character movements speed on clouds is dependent on which direction
is the cloud heading.
Figure 3 Tim using the circle with slows time
 Resources
o Usability
 The character can use keys and leavers in the levels.
 Time also a resource in this game in which there is no limit to it.
o Management
 The player must think before applying different variety of usable item in the
level. Where the item is used? At what time we have to use? At what order?
 It’s all depended on the player. For example, if the player tries to open the
time-immune door with the time-immune key, then he can use the key only
once. But if the player uses the normal key to open the time-immune key,
he can use the same key twice.
 Managing time also plays a vital role in the game.
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8.  Conflicts
o Enemies
 It’s a common land unit against the protagonist Tim, who is round in shape
and looks like a walking brain with a face and a pair of legs. Any physical
contact with this type of enemy is bad for Tim but Tim can jump over this
unit and gain extra bounce to reach higher places.
 This unit is almost same as the picture plant found in the game Super Mario
Bros. It also arises from the green pipe over certain period of time.
 There are lot of rabbits one can find in some levels with different size and
colour. Sometimes they attack in group or alone by jumping towards Tim.
They stay hidden underground and pops out from a flower to attack Tim.
They can also be killed like Goomba.
 All these land creeps differs in ability and in speed over different levels. For
example, in world six, the plant pops out faster from its pipe with a short
interval.
 The main boss is present in two of the world and is the final conflict of that
world. It has a large bull dog face with a cape, armour and spiky helm.
Figure 4 Lair's Boss
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9. o Level obstacles –
 There are lot of ground spikes which are often present in levels which can be
both, vertically and horizontally, present in platform inside the map.
 There are variety of cannons which emits out fireballs, clouds and also land
creeps. These cannons also have its own pre-set speed of its emission for
each cannon differently in the same level.
 Sometimes time immune obstacles can be troublesome too. The game has
been design such a way that the task looks easy to solve but after observing
the placement or timing of the time immune obstacles, can be a problem.
 Just like the enemies, all the traps are different in ability and speed over
different levels.
 Outcome -
The outcome of this game is depended on how many stars have player collected. If
the player is without any star, in the end it reveals that Tim is the monster whom
princess is running away from and she locked herself in her room. Or if the player
does collects all the stars, Tim reaches out for the princess and then suddenly she
explodes. Later on, Tim sees the constellation of stars of the princess outside his
home.
It is zero sum game where there is no point or experience to collect; there is just
world of puzzles to solve. The player will win if all the puzzles are complete.
Figure 5 Princess with the monster
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10. II. Dramatic elements
 Challenges
o The player has to solve different physics puzzles in which the game mechanics differ
from world to world.
o The toughness of the puzzle increase from level to level.
o The player has to precise his timing and orders to solve certain tricky puzzles.
o Quick actions are also plays a vital role from the player’s part.
o Each world is different, so the player has to think differently for each world.
Figure 6 Tim in action
 Evolution of the enemies
o The enemy unit differs in the different world. They are time immune creeps, even the
environment obstacles take the time immune state so that it gets tougher for the player
to solve.
o The levels are arranged in such a manner that the level of intensity is from low to high.
The player will recognize the easy mechanics to tougher mechanics with the game flow,
so that the player will know what to do where.
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11.  Player
o It is a fun and interesting game for players who likes puzzles and has lots of patience to
solve puzzles.
o Also for the player who likes unique and different game plays with a short back-story.
 Premise
The main character Tim, can’t remember what he had done to the princess which made her so
mad. He has to find out the truth by rescuing her from an evil monster. He has to collect all the
pieces of puzzle of each world, as they are a part of his memory, to solve the mystery.
 Story
The story plays a small role in this whole game. In this game Tim did some bad thing to the
princess which made her run away from you and later on he was taken from an evil monster.
Tim sets out rescue her from the evil monster. The ending is determined from the number of
secret stars collected by the player. As explained above in outcome, if the player payers have no
stars then the princess locks herself in the room and if the character has all the stars, she
explodes.
 Character
o Tim – The main protagonist of the game who sets out for a journey to rescue the
princess. This is a playable character in which the player controls all his movements
Figure 7 Tim
o Princess – One of the main character for whom Tim is searching for. Appears at the last
level.
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12. o Evil monster – Also appears in the last level, he is the antagonist who kidnapped the
princess.
Figure 8 Knight and Princess
 Dramatic arc
o The feeling of the game is amazing from the start. The game world with its pleasing
music fits the game perfectly.
o The tension rises from level to level as the level contains more tricky paths to clear.
certain level.
o The over feeling of the game is good but there are some part where the player can get
stuck for a long time which can be really frustrating. For example, in world 5, the
character has to header a creep so that later on he can use his shadow to do that header
and the character can jump on that creep to reach higher grounds.
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Game analysis
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