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Braid Thrives on Live
By Kris Graft
August 13, 2008
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"It looks like I will be able to make the next game, without needing to get a job that would interfere with that."
Jonathan Blow, the indie designer who is slowly but surely gaining more recognition for the critically-acclaimed Xbox Live title Braid, is breathing a sigh of relief.
He wrote in his blog on Wednesday, "I don’t have official sales numbers for the full week, but I would guess about 55,000 people have bought the game so far."
The ingenious platformer released on August 6, and sells on Xbox Live Marketplace for $15.
He added, "Sales are now slower than they were on launch day, but not too much: the sales didn’t just die after the first few days, as they do with some games.
"As a result, it looks like I will be able to make the next game, without needing to get a job that would interfere with that. (The estimated sales so far of 55,000 are not enough for this, but extrapolating into the future, the situation looks safe)."
Blow also offered several data points for Braid:
- 63,000 entries on main leaderboards
- 18,000 have completed the game
- 528 have completed the full game speed run
- 5,000 entries on Leap of Faith speed run leaderboard
Blow said he "hopes" sales for the game don't take a massive dive when the well-reviewed Bionic Commando: Rearmed arrives on Xbox Live Marketplace (as well as PSN and PC) later this week.
A thankful Blow stated, "The wave of highly-positive reviews took me by surprise, but the unexpectedly good sales show that this isn’t just a game for critics: a lot of people out there are playing Braid and getting good things from it."
The game has been receiving phenomenal reviews from gaming outlets, earning a 93 percent review average on Metacritic.
Future publication Official Xbox Magazine said, "Braid is absolutely a game you shouldn’t miss, granting the title a 9/10.
Edge called the game "Beautiful, brilliantly demanding and one of the finest original titles available on Xbox Live Arcade," giving the game the same score.
In a separate blog entry, Blow also said he's working with Microsoft to address two bugs found in Braid in the past days.
I've downloaded the trial, read the reviews, and I'll be playing the trial very shortly.
The reviews suggest that this is a AAA game - these are the only standard that warrants such a price tag, and I'd be more than willing to spend if the title lives up to the buzz that it's creating.
Congratulations. Roll on the 360 revamp.
Time manipulation is not a new concept in games. Blinx: The Time Sweeper was an Xbox title that used time manipulation. I think time manipulation puzzle games have a very tight niche. I think if you are the type of gamer who likes time manipulation puzzle games, then you are going to “LOVE” this game, for all others though, this game will leave you with a broken television, as you will have thrown your controller into it. This is not “twitch” game play by any means and will require one to be of sound mind to play. I personally, personally mind you, hated the game. It took no time before I was screaming at the television and reaching for the Excedrin bottle. I love the graphics and musical depth of the game, but that is where my love ends. The game play mechanics simply drove me insane. For an XBLA title, this is a triple A title, and I would love to see this type of depth in future XBLA titles. I tried very hard to like this game, but the need for hair-plugs to replace the ones I pulled out while playing, simply told me this was not my cup of tea. I recommend EVERYONE download this game though and give it a try. If you are like me, however; and find this type of game maddening, then I recommend you YouTube it as people already have a complete walk-through posted.
THANKS
This is fantastic news, and precisely the kind of story that Xbox Live Marketplace should be providing. Braid would have been buried at retail, where unfortunately is seems that the 3D world is king. Now not only have we had the chance to experience one of the most innovative 2D platformers for years, but we can also look forward to Blow's next game with calm anticipation.
On the matter of price, it certainly concerned me when I saw the 1200 point tag; it almost feels like Microsoft dipping their toes in the water and seeing if they get bitten. Quality will surely endure in the end, however, and if average games are released and priced the same as Braid, one must hope that they will face the inevitable consequence of poor sales.
Braid has overcome the slight unrest over its price through sheer word of mouth, so I feel it is only fitting to say that this is about as charming, intelligent and inventive a game as you will find. Buy it and you'll soon forget about the extra 400 points.......
Let me just say that I am very pleased to see both critical and commercial acclaim/success for this most excellent title. I finished the game last night and only needed help from my kids (they are 5 and 7) on two of the very final puzzle pieces (OK, so they looked up the solutions on Youtube).
Mr. Blow has raised the bar for independent developers, which I can only see as a good thing for the industry.
On another topic, does anyone else (who played all the way through) think that he also got the extra benefit of de facto psychotherapy by making the game?
I don't think that will happen, I mean Bionic Commando: Rearmed is coming out at just $10 on live and it definitely has a much bigger budget than Braid so its safe to assume that future titles by established publishers will remain at the same price. On the other hand I will be prepared to pay $15 for games made by independent developers cause I will know that those games really need every penny to recoup their development costs, I'm not saying that I will buy all independent games, only the good ones.
As interesting as this game looks, I'll have to wait until the price goes down. I try to spend my pennies wisely. While $15 certainly wont break me as a one time purchase, a large sales rate will certainly cause an innevitable higher price for more and more of these downloadable games; and that, my friends, would eventually break my bank.
I give props to Blow for making a game I want to buy; but I'll cast my vote of confidence only if the price comes down.