Braid, Anniversary Editionfeatures all the levels and Easter Eggs found in the original game. While there are a few nods to old-school classics likeElevator Action, there are moreMarioreferences than anything else. This comes in the form of needing to save a princess, jumping on enemies that walk in a specific direction until they bump into a wall, and even using iconic quotes.
WhileBraidand the originalMariogames have a lot in common, the two are fundamentally different games.Mariois about completing levels with your limited pool of lives, whileBraidis a puzzle game with time manipulation that makes it impossible to fail.
7Princess Peach
In The Form Of Tim’s Love Interest
The Princess is mentioned throughout the story of Braid, and the personified representation of her appears in the final level. She is depicted with blue eyes and long dark brown hair.Braidis an artistic game with so much depth and subtextthat players will constantly doubt their pre-established thoughts on what things mean — especially in the final level, where the players need to rewind everything they have done to see the story play out in reverse, giving the story an entirely new meaning.
6Goombas
In The Form Of The Main Enemy Encountered
The first enemy players encounter in the originalSuper Mario Bros.game is a Goomba. Players jump on their heads and they get squashed. InBraid, the main enemies that walk across the screen are referred to as “Trolls” in the developer commentary — and will be a constant factorfrom the first world of the game.
These enemies' whole purpose is to be jumped on for a multitude of reasons. They can be used to reach higher platforms, pick up keys, and even be used to jump on things themselves to solve puzzles.
5Your Princess Is In Another Castle
In The Form Of World One’s Ending Dialog
One of the most iconic lines in all theMariogames is the line said by the Toads at the end of each of the first game’s numerous worlds. Mario makes his way to the end of each world to reach a castle, only to discover that Princess Peach is not there. This leads to him setting off for the next world until he finds her.
I’m Sorry Mario, But Your Princess Is In Another Castle.
Unlike Super Mario Bros.Braidonlyhas 6 Worldscompared to the 8 worlds ofSuper Mario Bros. — but both games use the same naming convention for their worlds.
4Donkey Kong
In The Form Of A Part Of World 4-2’s Level Design
The Mariofranchise has a large number of games, but Mario first appeared in the gameDonkey Kong. In this game, Mario has to climb up a tall structure to reach the top and save a woman kidnapped by the titular ape. Donkey Kong would throw barrels that would make their way down the level and act as hazards.
InBraid, there is a Gorilla statue in World 4-2 based on the Donkey Kong character. The platforms are sloped diagonally and connected by ladders — just like the level design used in the originalDonkey Kong. The statue is also holding a cannon that shoots out Trolls, in reference to the barrels used in the original game.
3Mario’s Original Name
In The Form Of World 4-2’s Name
As previously stated, Mario’s first appearance was inDonkey Kong, where he was not yet named Mario — nor was he a plumber. He was known simply as Jumpman at the time, and he was a carpenter. It wasn’t untilDonkey Kong Jr, the sequel toDonkey Kong,that his name would be changed to Mario.
However, his overalls would remain red untilSuper Mario Bros.This is also where Luigi would make his debut, where both brothers would wear blue overalls with different colored pallets for their shirts, hats, and shoes.Level 4-2 ofBraidpays homage to Mario’s original name — and even has a statue of Donkey Kong in it.
2Pipes With Piranha Plants
In The Form Of A Hazard
AnyMario fan will know of the Piranha Plantenemies encountered in the Mario franchise. These enemies pop out from pipes to inflict damage on Mario, but a similar kind of enemy is present in the Braid games. You will find several green pipes on levels that will have a green lobster-like claw pop out.
These lobster claws draw inspiration from Piranha Plants and act as a means of timing movement between certain parts of levels. There are even parts where you will need to slow down time in order to manipulate when they will pop out.
1In Another Castle
In The Form Of World 6-7’s Name
The game will start players off with World 2-1, and players will need to complete all the available worlds before gaining access to the attic where World 1 is located. The last world in the game before gaining access to the attic is World 6, and the name of the final level in this world is “In Another Castle.”
This name choice can lead players to think that the princess is in the level. However, all instances of telling the player that the princess is “in another castle” are in lowercase, meaning they are not referring to this level in particular.
