If you have played Braid, then you know what this is. It's Braid! And if you're like me, enough time has passed to make it an enjoyable experience.

If you haven't played Braid, it's a great puzzle platformer with time control mechanics. It's a game that makes you feel like a genius when you finally figure it out, but it also requires you to occasionally set it aside if you're stuck because your brain can get fixated on a wrong line of thought and you just need time away before you can come at it fresh and then... aha! You get it!

I rarely finish games. I super rarely finish games twice. I've now finished this game twice. To be clear, it's not replayable. It's just that after 16 years (wow, that's a long time) I managed to forget enough about the puzzles.

Braid originally came out when I was in elementary school; I remember coming home from school and just existing in the painted worlds for a bit, sometimes even solving a puzzle. Playing Anniversary now feels like stepping into a half-remembered dream. I play piano, and for over 15 years now Lullaby Set has been a piece I come back to, usually spontaneously.

I know Braid Anniversary didn't sell as well as the team was hoping for, so just wanted to say that I wish them the best. Braid has shaped my understanding of this medium, and art in general, in ways I'll continue to discover.

PROS: Braid, Anniversary Edition is an updated version of the original seminal indie title. Back when it was initially released, this was one of the core titles that proved indie games could stand toe to toe with high end releases. The positives this title had still hold true here. The visuals pop in an amazing way, with the water color look still beautiful, & even have the option to swap back to the original visuals. The soundtrack jumps from peaceful & calming to haunting on a slow curve that fits each stage. The controls feel just as tight, & the rewind feature is still used to a chef's kiss of a degree, utilizing it creatively to solve a variety of puzzles. The story is still the same, a back burner plot told through various books found at the start of stages that leaves itself vague & open for the player. What's added in this version is a series of commentary from various people who worked on the game, & a new series of stages hiding a final puzzle. The commentary does answer a few questions as well as providing insight into certain decisions, while the puzzles are often a challenge itself just to reach.

CONS: In reality, none of the problems that popped up in the original title were fixed, though due to the nature of them, it's less of a scar on the title & more of a scratch. A few puzzles still have that odd feeling of not having a solution shown through gameplay, but Fickle Companion is still the most obtuse in it's design. The stars stand out as the worst aspect of the game, arguably providing nothing but bragging rights. There's no indication that they're even there, & though a few have interesting puzzles to reach them, a few go beyond difficulty into the territory of annoyance for annoyance's sake. In my original review, I'd discussed that the ending was incredibly vague, though enough time has passed since it's initial release that this might not effect the player's experience much anymore. Finally, there's the same problem all puzzle games have in that the solutions to a puzzle never change, though the platformer element does help reduce that problem a bit.

ACHIEVEMENTS: Funnily enough, this list matches the original release with the addition of only one achievement. One needs to beat every world & solve every puzzle to clean out the majority of the list, including the new puzzle hidden in the director's commentary stages. Like last time, the hardest is the Speed Run achievement, requiring a complete playthrough done in 45 minutes. Once one learns the puzzle solutions, practice will eventually clear out this one as well thanks to the individual levels experience no change through each playthrough.

FINAL: Braid, Anniversary Edition still holds up as an amazing title, not just an indie title. Though the added content might not be enough to pull old players back, the almost timeless feel of the art & gameplay stands strong, pun fully intended. This is easily a must buy in my opinion, but for those who might be a little unsure, waiting for a sale would be the best option.