Braid Creator’s Next Game Was Hiding in Plain Sight at PAX

2008’s Braid has been hailed as both proof that games are art, and a game so pretentious that it’s actually incomprehensible. Whatever your opinion of it may be, it shook up the Xbox Live Arcade upon its release and helped pave the way for the current state of digital indie distribution. Plus, it was chock full of challenging, brain bending puzzles and unique mechanics.

Braid creator Jonathan Blow’s next game, The Witness, is set for release late in 2011, and so far the game’s development has been unmarred by the fanfare that should accompany the followup to a game like Braid. It turns out that’s mostly been on purpose, so far, if the game’s secretive showing at PAX is anything to go by.

The Witness was fully playable as part of a joint exhibit also occupied by Chris Hecker’s Spy Party and Andy Schatz’s Monaco. Unlike the other two games, though, The Witness‘s station was unmarked and unmanned.

Blow writes on the game’s blog, via CVG: “I had several reasons for wanting to show the game this way. Firstly: At a show full of companies trying to capture your attention and sell you things, I wanted to do something that is subtle, and a surprise – if you notice it, and decide to investigate, you find something unexpected.

“Also, I wanted people to be able to play the game for as long as they want, not feeling pressured to stop playing because of a huge line of antsy people waiting behind them.”

Blow also expresses a desire to see if the game can, even at this still early stage, hold up “purely on its own merits rather than by hype or pedigree.” Not the best way to generate hype, but given Braid‘s legacy and the year or so until The Witness‘s release, it’s understandable that that wasn’t Blow’s first concern.

What’s the game like? It’s “an exploration-puzzle game” that draws instant comparisons with Myst for its island setting and what Kotaku‘s Stephen Totilo, who noticed the game at PAX, describes as the “sensation that this is a game about discovery.”

Head over there for a gameplay video and more impressions. We’re definitely looking forward to seeing more of this intriguing game.