Throughout the world of Braid are 7 extremely well-hidden stars, with an eighth one in the final level. Collecting the first seven stars will unlock an alternate ending to the final level, giving you access to the final star. The stars are so difficult to obtain that one star requires the player to wait on a screen for two hours just to get it, and another cannot be acquired if the World 3 puzzle has already been completed.

When Braid first released, its creator Jonathan Blow was not happy about the reception the game received, despite much of it being overwhelmingly positive, as he felt players didn't catch on to its deeper themes and messages, and only cared about its aesthetic and puzzles. This view of his game's success has made him a contentious figure, with particular infamy being drawn from his appearance in the 2012 documentary film Indie Game: The Movie, which has a scene of him silently contemplating in a dark room, while audio from a video of rapper Soulja Boy having fun with the game while completely ignoring its plot plays in the background.