Braid is a puzzle-platformer for the Xbox Arcade in which you play Tim. The world is split up into 6 worlds in which you use Time as the main catalyst to advance and collect puzzle pieces. The basic premise of the story is fairly standard at first. Tim is looking for the princess, and with the completion of each world, is told the princess is in another castle.
On the surface that is all this game is. Hopping, Skipping and Jumping. Standard gameplay mechanics until you begin realizing your actions as the player. You're killing endless amounts of these golems to achieve success. To regain a puzzle piece piecing together a lost memory. Once you've collected the pieces and assembled the puzzle, the memory is complete. Yes, you have been here and these were your actions.
The next puzzle complete and the next puzzle complete. You descend into madness searching for your lost princess. Where is she?! You are obsessed. No one will stand in my way. She is my princess and how dare you hide her from me. Your senseless evil monsters will not win. You can't win. I am the true hero.
Thus it continues. The senseless murder continues until it is complete. You cannot find her in the present. Your future is void without her. The past is the key. You've been using Time all along to find her. It's time to go back to where it began. That single night.
Backwards on that day with death following you. When we worked together with the one goal of being reunited. It was then when I finally reached your window and peered at you asleep that you screamed and ran. I tried to catch up.. I tried to catch you. And you tried to kill me. You ran away. But I will find you. Nothing will come in my way.
There had to be something missing in all my memories. Very hidden hints of something larger. Those pesky stars in which I cheated to find. With nearly all of them, I cannot only relive the event of that day, but change it slightly to obtain her. And that is what I did. And now all that is around me is on fire. A smile crept onto my face. But I had to ask myself, 'Is this what I thought happiness would be'?
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Tim is a psycho. The world that you control his actions appears like a cutesy little video game in Tim's eyes. But what are his actions in real life. How many doors have you broken into? How many grizzly townfolk have you trampled? How many kingdoms have you crumbled? Does the princess even exist?