How Jonathan Blow Designs a Puzzle

For Jonathan Blow, a puzzle is never just a puzzle - it's a communication from the designer to the player about the game's universe. In this episode, I share the philosophy and design process of the brains behind Braid and The Witness.

More on Blow's philosophy:

IndieCade: "Jonathan Blow & Marc Ten Bosch - Designing to Reveal the Nature of the Universe"

IndieCade: "Jonathan Blow, Marc Ten Bosch & Droqen - Empuzzlement"

Shivmoo: "Game City Jonathan Blow Braid Talk"

A MAZE: "Berlin 2014 - Masterclass with Jonathan Blow"

Gamasutra: "Jonathan Blow: The Path to Braid"

Gamasutra: "The Witness: Modeling epiphany"

GrabItMagazine: "How To Design Deep Games with Jonathan Blow"

GameSpot: "Break Room Interviews: Jonathan Blow"

GDC Vault: "Jonathan Blow - Truth in Game Design"

Games shown in this episode (in order of appearance):

Braid (Number None, 2008)
The Witness (Thekla, Inc, 2016)
Oracle Billiards (Jonathan Blow, Unreleased)
Galstaff (Jonathan Blow, Unreleased)

Music used in this episode:

Greenhouse (The Swapper, Carlo Castellano)
Adventure (Fez, Disasterpeace)
Flower Girl (Gravity Ghost, Ben Prunty)
Terraforming (Gravity Ghost, Ben Prunty)
I just like to sleep under the stars (Gravity Ghost, Ben Prunty)

Other credits:

Simon Carless: "IGS 2007: Jon Blow - 'Indie Prototyping, Braid, & Making Innovative Games'"

JustJack: "Oracle Billiards Game"

tvdays: "1980 RUBIKS CUBE IDEAL TOYS"

[NakeyJakey]

I still haven't gotten around to playing through The Witness, but this video really makes me want to get on that. Your content is fantastic, keep it up!

[tamekitty_]

This video reminded me of something Alan Turing says in Computing Machinery and Intelligence:
"The view that machines cannot give rise to surprises is due, I believe, to a fallacy to which philosophers and mathematicians are particularly subject. This is the assumption that as soon as a fact is presented to a mind all consequences of that fact spring into the mind simultaneously with it. It is a very useful assumption under many circumstances, but one too easily forgets that it is false."

We often fool ourselves when we think that we fully understand a concept and its implications. What Blow seems to be doing here is letting the player see that they didn't fully understand the implications and consequences of a seemingly simple gameplay mechanic.

Great video. Wonderful stuff here.

[Sir_Duckyweather]

I remember a couple of times in Braid where I simply could NOT figure out a puzzle I was stuck on. But something unique happened in this game that I've never experienced in another. Every time I got stuck, I took a break and fired up the game the next day. Then, almost immediately, I would solve the puzzle with ease. It's like the answer was there the whole time, I just needed to refresh my perspective to see it.

[maathatter]

Your level of professionalism in the process of making these videos are simply inspiring and incredible. Keep up the good work!

[FerousFolly]

A friend and I sat down and played through the witness in a few play sessions over a couple of days. One of my favourite puzzle games of all time.
I totally get what you mean when you compare the phrases "I understand" and "I figured it out".
The vast and complex mechanics of the witness allow for so much satisfaction when you master a new mechanic. You just don't get that feeling in other games.

[Levi-ugfb]

I think this video and Blow himself do a miraculous job at illustrating a beautiful creative process, and also the only time someone has perfectly described why I've always thought this game was so cool. The idea of "I Understand" was so fulfilling at several points and felt eye opening for the next puzzle only to be taken aback by a new and challenging perspective to grasp. I lost motivation to beat the game awhile back but I think I'm gonna give it another go :)

[azurmarlinW]

Jonathan Blow should make games teaching physics, maths, chemistry and biology.

His practice of making harder puzzles that exhibit edge-cases after the easier ones just to make sure the player really understood the solution and didn't just come up with a similar solution that just works in this one case is great.

I wish more curricula and tests would take this approach.

[fifth_elephant]

I make levels for my favourite games and I often find that I throw any preconceived designs out the window at some point, this is especially true when that idea sucks when I put it into action. Usually the monsters and mechanics of a game will dictate what I create and how a level looks, and it's always good to continually play and refine your levels to iterate at every step to maximise the fun.
I know a lot of people who make things in this way. To the point where your game or level feels like it is creating itself and you are the instrument that the universe is using in order to bring the creation into existence. I know how insane that sounds but some levels I have made have been done in large parts in an almost trance-like state and I barely remember the creation process at all.

[mothersbasement]

excellent video. I need to make an episode analyzing this game's level design at some point

[CGshurita]

One of the best channels out there about game design. Great work!

[snomangaming]

It's so crazy to me because I didn't enjoy most of my time with The Witness, and yet I kept playing it for 28 hours. Something kept me coming back for more, and I think it had to do with what I knew of Jonathan Blow from Braid. I knew there was more to it than originally met the eye. And while I can still say I'm disappointed with the turnout as far as story elements or any plot goes, I can absolutely appreciate the depth of the puzzles. I am totally willing to admit that they were just too smart for me haha! I'm glad you explored Braid quite a bit here tho, it was nice to see the similarities, because at first glace they seemed totally different. Great work as always Mark :) And nice choice of music for the beginning ;)

[Marlo_Branco]

The Witness is still one of my favorite game ever.
This game blew me away. An gaming experience that deeply impacted me .
Thank you Jonathan Blow

[Taaaamas]

Coming back to this video nearly a decade later after finally finishing The Witness
I'd dropped it multiple times over many years, but decided to go back and 100% it without any looking up (somehow, successful in that!)
It's genuinely one of the most fascinating games/experiences I've had, and especially great that so much it taught without a single word needing to be spoken. Just the progressions in puzzles revealing rules that have been there the whole time. I wish more people would give it a go, but it is also probably the hardest game I've ever played, lol.

[Marcunio]

I was just thinking earlier, wouldn't it be great if there was something like Every Frame a Painting for games. Then I remembered this show exists. Good stuff!

[ahmz]

Braid and The Witness are 2 of my favourite puzzle games, ever, no surprise they're made by the same person.

[aceman]

I love seeing your videos pop up in my subscriber box! The extra effort you put in to each video really shows in the final product, you do a wonderful job presenting your concept, articulating how it functions and concluding it in a way that feels clear and satisfying, with very tasteful editing throughout. I hope you are able to continue this channel for a long time. I may not be a game designer but I'm absolutely fascinated with any form of design (I'm a graphic designer) and since I have been addicted to games since I was 4 I love having ideas like this presented for me to ruminate on, and search for in my favorite games.

Thank you Mark, you do a wonderful job!

[HeavyEyed]

Great breakdown on Blow's process, I always wondered how he sculpted his games the way he does and now it makes Braid and even more so - The Witness, make much more sense in the way they function. Although I'm not a huge fan of the witness, I can appreciate what it does and how it teaches the player its rules through environments and hidden clues.

[Rubberman]

I haven't played The Witness yet, but I played Braid a long time ago (it was actually Braid's 15th anniversary recently). I remember liking the game itself, but something about the way Jonathan Blow went about talking about the game online, specifically about how players are meant to interpret the game, kind of rubbed me the wrong way.

[Myst]

Agree! Jonathan Blow's puzzles are really something special.

[tomasdesouza]

The Witness is one of the best games I ever played.
1:58 "Blow himself" LOL