Casey and Jon continue their discussion of the origins of Braid: its final mechanics, the ending, structural pattern breaks, and the "biggest mistake" in the game!

Why are there puzzle pieces in the game? Where did the idea of the slow-down ring come from? How did Paula Abdul inspire the game?

Braid, Anniversary Edition has launched! You can pick it up on Steam, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, or play it via Netflix on mobile devices—maybe the one you're using now!

Host: Jonathan Blow

Guest: Casey Muratori

Producer: Jason Brisson

Editor: Will Torbett

Intro Song: "Downstream" by Shira Kammen (based on "O son do ar" by Bieito Romero and "Borrela d'Aragon" by Eric Montbel)

This week's guest interviewer is Marc ten Bosch, an independent developer known for Miegakure, a 4D puzzle-platforming game. Jon and Marc have presented together at IndieCade and NYU Game Center and are working together on Thekla's next puzzle game. Here, the two discuss the puzzle design philosophy of Braid: minimalism, pattern breaks, literary influences, and more. Next: the ramifications of the game's rewind mechanic—both as a way to correct difficulty in execution but also providing advanced puzzle-solving techniques.

Braid, Anniversary Edition is out now! Buy it on platforms of your choice: Steam, PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series, iOS (for Netflix subscribers), Android (for Netflix subscribers).

Host: Jonathan Blow

Guest: Marc ten Bosch

Producer: Jason Brisson

Editor: Will Torbett

Intro Song: "Downstream" by Shira Kammen (based on "O son do ar" by Bieito Romero and "Borrela d'Aragon" by Eric Montbel)

Jon and Casey continue their discussion about the early design of Braid: specifically how Jon arrived at the design identity of Braid, and how developer design perspectives affect the player experience.

Braid, Anniversary Edition has launched! You can pick it up on Steam, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, or play it via Netflix on mobile devices—maybe the one you're using now!

Host: Jonathan Blow

Guest: Casey Muratori

Producer: Jason Brisson

Editor: Will Torbett

Intro Song: "Downstream" by Shira Kammen (based on "O son do ar" by Bieito Romero and "Borrela d'Aragon" by Eric Montbel)