Braid interpretations (beware - spoilers)

Post by **indecks** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 9:53 am

So I'd like to start a Braid thoughts thread, for those that have finished the game. I haven't gotten the stars, but only because I can't see myself waiting 2 hours just to get one of them, so I did a little reading and found out just what they represent/refer to.

Anyone else convinced that 'The Princess' was the ability to harness the power of the atom?

Post by **indecks** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 4:39 pm

No one else completed this game yet?

Post by **RadarScope1** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 8:33 pm

I'm really close man. I'll be back when I finish, hopefully tonight!!

Post by **Gamerforlife** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 9:52 pm

I've beaten it, the story makes no sense to me but I've posted this in another thread:

http://www.rllmukforum.com/index.php?sh ... 0136%C2%A0

Post by **raztat** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 10:37 pm

ive beaten it to but havent read up on what the stars do. Got a link to what you read?

Post by **indecks** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 10:48 pm

Well there isn't much meaning that I found. What I mean is if you go for the stars, when you get the 8th and final one, there is a sound effect that plays out. Tim actually catches the Princess and you hear a detonator, followed by an explosion. So the Princess was the knowledge/control of the atom.

The game was great fun, and I love when writers/artists/musicians/storytellers put things into their art that beg to be searched and found.

Post by **ZenLogikos** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 11:21 pm

I love the game, but I've kind of stopped thinking about the meaning. I'm on the fringe of understanding, and I prefer to stay that way. Literal interpretations about atom bombs and the like disinterest me. Approaching the story with the same mind set as the whimsical graphics and music maintains the charm of the game.

And I'm usually the type to break things down to analyze them...

Post by **Gamerforlife** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 7:46 pm

Usually, I hate open to interpretation stories, as I always think to myself, "Wow, I can just make up a bunch of vague, meaningless shit that makes no sense, tell people it's open to interpretation, and suddenly I'm considered a genius". As a former anime fan, I hated series like Serial Experiment Lain and Neon Genesis Evangelion. I usually find stories like this to be rather pretentious

Braid has so many charming elements and interesting puzzles though, that I can forgive its method of storytelling. A lot of people love the game's story, so what do I know?

Post by **RadarScope1** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 8:02 pm

Ok, so I've finished it. Now, I want to tell you that I usually like the "open to interpretation" type of stories. I love it in movies and books. When everybody else on message boards is bitching about "pretentious" games, I'm usually one of the guys who thinks it's cool. I like LIKE that kind of stuff.

So I finish Braid and ... WTF?

I tried getting some of the extra text in the epilouge, but it seems I could only get some of it. I thought I would look online for a solution to get the text but ... what's the point? This has gone absolutely nowhere. There IS a line with this shit. I heard Blow's favorite movie is Mullholland Drive. I think that should tell you something. There's a difference between "open" endings and "no fucking story at all."

Sorry, but this just feels like a rip off. The game itself -- the puzzle platformer part -- was sweet. The narrative should have been skipped altogether.

Post by **ZenLogikos** » Sat Aug 23, 2008 12:48 am

Wow, this is weird. We seem to be all over the place on this one. I usually like "open for interpretation" entertainment, and perhaps that's part of why I like Braid, but then Radar mentioned Blow likes "Mulholland Drive"... I fucking hate that movie and that cocksucker, Lynch. Pardon my French...

BTW, I love Evangelion, and I definitely understand where most people are coming from with their opinions of it, but honestly, it's not that open to interpretation. I don't want to get off on a tangent, but Eva's story is more straightforward than most realize, after you learn about it's dual focus, ie. the psychology of Anno(NGE's creator) plus the show's own mythology.