In August 2020, it was announced that the 2008 indie classic Bread would receive a modern remaster in the form of an Anniversary Edition. Originally slated for release in 2021, the project has been quietly languishing for years, but developer Thekla Inc. has revealed that it’s finally arriving on April 30.
Brad was first released for the Xbox 360 Live Arcade on August 6, 2008, and stars Tim, a boy searching for a princess captured by a monster. The 2D platformer focuses on time manipulation mechanics that players use to solve puzzles and find/collect jigsaw pieces. The strong mechanics combined with its thoughtful writing made Brad a critical hit, with many hailing it as a masterpiece. Brad has since been credited as the seminal title that brought widespread interest and awareness to the indie gaming scene.
This remastered update features improved visuals in the form of original bread artist David Hellman’s repainted graphics, animated brush strokes, and smoother animations with additional frames. You can also switch between the updated visuals and the original presentation. The audio features improved sound and new mixes and variations of the soundtrack by Martin Stig-Andersen (Control, Inside) and Hans Christian Kock.
Braid: Anniversary Edition also includes over 15 hours of commentary on the game’s creation and legacy from creator Jonathan Blow and other creator/historians, including David Hellman, Mark Ten Bosch (Megacore), Brian Moriarty (Trinity, Loom, Elon and the Chipmunks: The Squeaky), Casey Muratori (1935, Handmade Hero, Computer, Enhance!), Chris Moore (Faculty in Residence at Santa Fe Institute), Frank Cefaldi (Video Game History Foundation), Martin Stig Andersen, Hans Christian Kock, and Jacob Schmid.
“The goal is to make this the craziest, most in-depth commentary on a video game ever,” Blu said in a press release. “You can follow specific commentary threads locally, Worm. Through holes that move from level to level to see the evolution of specific concepts. Commentary has a lot of markup so we can circle things on the screen, point arrows at whatever visual detail we’re talking about, show diagrams, play recordings of gameplay. can bake to show what happens if you try to do it at a certain level, and many other abilities.”
Braid: Anniversary Edition will be available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Netflix.