This is the fourth part of my series of Braid hints. It’s not a walkthrough, because simply giving the puzzles’ answers would ruin the game. But I got so frustrated at the game that I gave in to temptation and looked online to find answers to a puzzle in both world 2 and world 3, so I’m now providing the spoiler-free hints I wish I’d had access to.
The official walkthrough says…
Some of the puzzles will be hard. But when you manage to solve those hard puzzles, you will feel very good about it. The game will feel very rewarding. Don’t rob yourself of that feeling by reading a walkthrough!
I urge you to only read the hints on levels where you’re completely stuck. Once you read a spoiler, you can never un-read it.
World 5:Time and Decision
World 5 introduces your shadow self. After you rewind, a shadow copy of yourself will re-perform whatever actions you have.
The Pit
1. (very easy)
No hint.
So Distant
1.(easy)
Your shadow self can’t pick up this puzzle piece, but it can help you to get it.
2.(easy)
Look! There are two tasks, and there are two of you. Have one do each.
(No Name) – It’s not clear whether the game developers intentionally left this level unnamed, but there is in fact no name.
1. (hard)
The pit is too far to jump, but it’s so close… How about a relay?
2. (medium)
Have your shadow self create a diversion.
Crossing the Gap
1. (easy)
Notice that a new monster comes out of the cannon when the first one dies.
2. (medium)
You should probably be pulling that lever earlier than you think.
3. (very hard)
I figured this one out purely by accident while screwing around and trying different things. Just as you can jump on the monster’s head, it can jump on your shadow’s head.
Window of Opportunity
1. (hard)
The real you needs to pull that lever to get the platform to move – your shadow self can’t do it. Getting to the lever and pulling it is easy. Getting back out is what’s hard. Let your shadow self help you. You just need to time things right.
2. (very hard)
It took me forever to figure this one out. Hard to give a hint without giving it away, but just keep in mind that in order for your shadow self to pull a lever, he’s got to be in the right vertical position.
Lair
1. For the most part, this is just like the earlier Lair level. The main difference is the fairly easy puzzle at the end. The lever and door are at opposite ends, so you and your shadow self will need to go in opposite directions. Keep in mind that just because you can’t see something happening, it doesn’t mean that it’s not happening…
Fragile Companion
1. (very hard)
This one is so simple, but so damned hard. This is the only level in world 5 that I looked up online. Yes, I cheated. Here’s a hint: you don’t need to use the monster. The second one is almost a spoiler, so read with care: start rewinding mid-jump.
There’s another, somewhat harder solution to Fragile Companion: the key is non-causal, so you can carry it back in time as you rewind.
Thus, you can walk up to the first gate without the key, go kill the monster and get it, rewind to before you approached the gate, and now your shadow self will have it when it walks up. Then you can do the other.
The solution you described is easier to do, though, and points out something I hadn’t actually noticed (that the shadow self keeps his momentum and can land in a place you never did). Nifty! I wonder how many other puzzles have multiple solutions
I happened on the rewind early trick also, only you start rewinding just before the key breaks and falls down, right as you touch the door and it starts opening. You have like a split second.
Damn you, 5.4.3. T^T
Amen, anon. Amen.
I totally agree with anon. Damn that one was tricky. I would never have figured that one out on my own.
Agreed about the 5.4.3. I was fine with World 5 ’til I got to that one.
Thank you many times for these hints. It is actually my 2nd play through and I couldn’t remember how to solve Crossing the Gap III. I managed to remember or re-figure-out everything else. My first time through, I was so tempted to find a walkthrough, but stumbled upon the official one and its advice to wait and solve it myself, and was glad I did. So your hints are perfect for those who are truly stuck.
Thank you so much for making this…I was at an impasse, but I was determined not to spoil myself. Your blog posts were perfect.
World 5, fragile companion, completely stuck for over an hour – i finally gave up and looked up for a tip for the first time in this game like you so thanks for your time with the hints, they helped
[SPOILER ALERT — full solution here] Wow, another solution to Fragile Companion! I solved it sort of the way Kevin Puetz did — jumped down and walked to the door without the key, rewound time, and got the key; then my shadow went back to the door with his copy. I think I did the key-collecting in a way that required more split-second timing than what he described, maybe unnecessarily. In any case, I’m going to try the rewind-in-midair thing — it’s hard to imagine why the shadow self would go all the way to the door at the end of that jump if I’ve never been to the door before, but I don’t have the game open in front of me right now