Archive for December, 2010

Braid’s International Boxart

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

Jonathan Blow’s inventive puzzle-platformer / passive-aggressive sexist tripe / thought-provoking treatise on the creation of the atomic bomb / weepy LiveJournal post Braid is back in the news again, thanks to its inclusion in this year’s Humble Indie Bundle charity drive.

Braid, along with Machinarium, Osmos, and some other games that you’ll never play because they’re not on Steam, can be yours for whatever price you think is fair. Be aware, however, that your digital purchase does not include any cover art. In Braid’s case, this is a real shame.

Japan got the best end of the deal. It’s official art that hints at the game’s central mechanic, and it manages to be intriguing without being too literal. Psh. Whatever, Japan.

Europe’s box art, on the other hand, is top-to-bottom hilarious. It’s hard to pick the single funniest part. Maybe it’s the jovial exclamation mark! Maybe it’s the way it claims to have received an unprecedented 9.5 out of 10 stars (count them) from Gamespot, yet gets a standard numerical grade from Eurogamer.

Or maybe it’s because the character art just makes me think of this:

Oh, and then there’s the Russian cover art.

Seriously, though, if you can afford it, please donate to charity during this holiday season, either through the Humble Indie Bundle or elsewhere.

Do it.