Braid creator bears The Witness

By Tom Magrino, GameSpotPosted Aug 4, 2009 9:35 am PT

Jonathan Blow slightly parts curtain on new exploration-puzzle game, due for multiple platforms in late 2011.

Hothead Games may not have been ready to announce Braid for the PlayStation Network, but it did so anyway yesterday after a listing for the game turned up in Germany's online software rating database. Likewise, Braid creator Jonathan Blow isn't quite ready to announce plans for his next game, but he is offering a small teaser by opening up the project's Web site.

Braid had its own striking visuals.

Blow expects his next project, The Witness, to be available for multiple, unspecified platforms in late 2011. The teaser site for The Witness indicates that the game will share Braid's philosophical bent. Upon entering the site, users are greeted with the following message:

"Something amorphous and consummate
existed before Heaven and Earth.
Solitude! Vast!
Standing alone, unfaltering.
Going everywhere, yet unthreatened.
It can be considered the Mother of the World.
I don't know its name, so I designate it, 'Tao.'
Compelled to consider it, name it 'the Great.'"

Blow further notes in a post to Braid's official site that the game will be "an exploration-puzzle game on an uninhabited island." Belying the black-and-white aesthetic of the teaser site, the game will also apparently be "very visual," with Blow promising to post additional art once it is in tune with the final game.

Check out GameSpot's review of Braid for more on the acclaimed puzzle-platformer.

38 Comments

  • solidsnakedude1

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 5:20 pm PT

    2 years is too soon to announce anything. Things could change and you don't want people to get too excited for it.

  • GetDaved

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 9:23 pm PT

    I'm torn on this. On the one hand Jon Blow is making another game, and seems excited and to have some good creativity going on. On the other hand, I'm a little worried that his success with Braid gave him a bit of a big head and The Witness may suffer for it.

  • TTDog

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 5:30 am PT

    I really wish developers wouldn't announce a game 18 months before it's release... what do they hope to gain?

    It's even worse if the publisher keeps plugging the game between then and release so by the time the game arrives the over-whelming feeling is just... meh!

    There is such a thing as overkill.

  • Attoyou

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 2:55 am PT

    cool , i played Braid On the Xbox360 and i thought it was great. definitely need to download it for my ps3

  • dragonballzmanx

    Posted Aug 4, 2009 10:53 pm PT

    why the hell would they tell us about a game coming out in 2 years?! I don't think I need to know 2 years in advance to save up enough money for this game.

  • Talon0

    Posted Aug 4, 2009 2:57 pm PT

    Braid wasn't just a game, it was an all-encompassing experience that I found captivating, genuinely intelligent and completely unforgettable.

    Can't wait for the new one.

  • Ack_Im_empty

    Posted Aug 4, 2009 2:42 pm PT

    I confused "bears" with "brandishes" and thought there would be screenshots...

  • dukerav

    Posted Aug 4, 2009 2:24 pm PT

    Sounds intriguing, although a late 2011 release date? Ouch. Hopefully the long wait is worth it, and if its even half of what Braid was Im sure it will be.

  • Mr_Tweedy

    Posted Aug 4, 2009 2:06 pm PT

    I will buy it if it's on Wii.

  • eagles_band

    Posted Aug 4, 2009 1:16 pm PT

    Cool. The Witness, wonder what itsa bout

  • Fandango_Letho posted Aug 4, 2009 12:59 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Fandango_Letho

    Posted Aug 4, 2009 12:59 pm PT (hide)

    I didn't enjoy Braid. Neither its art style, music or gameplay amused me. The storyline wasn't my taste either. I would have prefered a good subway sandwich instead of the 20 minutes it gave me before I deleted it from my hard drive.

  • namelessfire

    Posted Aug 4, 2009 12:47 pm PT

    thank god. the world needs more games like braid. im sold

  • frankfurter209

    Posted Aug 4, 2009 12:41 pm PT

    "an exploration-puzzle game on an uninhabited island."

    Sounds exactly like Myst

  • jadefury27

    Posted Aug 4, 2009 12:37 pm PT

    I love the artistic touches to braid. it really has a style all it's own. I can't wait to see footage of this one.

  • Imperator2007

    Posted Aug 4, 2009 12:26 pm PT

    I can't wait to see how this next game shapes up. I'm not going to make claims that Braid is one of the best games ever. However, it was one of the most memorable gaming moments that I have had. The final revelation was mind blowing. Even the epilogue was packed with surprises that threw me for a loop. Opening the books then navigating to particular spots to open the alternate text was very revealing. Again, it might not take the cake for the best game ever like some might say, but it holds a special place in my gaming heart and is one of the best bangs for your buck. That much fun and mystery for $15? Well worth it. If the next game manages to meet or exceed the expectations of Braid, I have no doubt that it too will be one of the more memorable games I've played.

  • athenian29

    Posted Aug 4, 2009 12:15 pm PT

    Yikes. Hell hath no fury like a gamer with an opinion.

    Everybody chill out. If you want something a little more visceral, that's fine. If you like your games to make you think, that's fine. But please, can we all just draw the line at bashing and flaming anybody who doesn't toe the same line as you? In the immortal words of PC Gamer...

    "Nobody loves to hate their own hobby like gamers do."

    It's appalling how little we gamers cooperate. Fanboys, flame wars, "n00b"-ing each other to death... It shouldn't be surprising that non-gamers think so lowly of us. If you want the general public to acknowledge that games are not "Low Art," then we need to stop acting like we are the lowest common denominator that this "not-low-art" is appealing to. Maybe then Phyllis Schlafly will quit calling this stuff a negative influence *cough*yeah right*cough*.

    By your logic, anything that makes you think can be called "pretentious." Heck, you could call me pretentious right now for trying to knock some sense into you! But it's not pretentious to be the better man and bury the hatchet. So please, everybody do everybody else a favor and do just that. We've all had just about enough.

  • ascalon94 posted Aug 4, 2009 12:08 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    ascalon94

    Posted Aug 4, 2009 12:08 pm PT (hide)

    People say this was the best game in the last ten years, sorry I dont think so, all the GTA's MGS's, Halo's CoDs, etc etc maybe the best puzzle game but no sorry not the best game. Its alright but they are many many games better than it. And no, I'm not hating on it because I couldnt beat the puzzles or I'm stupid. I'm stating simple facts.

  • Waza19

    Posted Aug 4, 2009 12:08 pm PT

    i agree with you all the way bonzoso21

  • bonzoso21

    Posted Aug 4, 2009 11:49 am PT

    I've been noticing more and more frequently that the general public likes to jump on the bandwagon when those of lower to average intelligence criticize something too involved for them to follow by calling it's creators "pretentious." Hey, I like simple entertainment as much as the next guy, but I also thought Braid was a fantastic game and perfect for the downloadable market. If you're not into games that make you think, just admit it to yourself and stick to the shooters and action titles without ragging on people who are. I think it speaks volumes about our general public when the media has to explain some game's/movie's/tv show's less-than-stellar performance by calling it pretentious.

  • Rottenwood

    Posted Aug 4, 2009 11:43 am PT

    @volcomstoner180

    Last I checked, $15 for a great game was a steal.

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