8. Braid
The damsel in distress trope is a mainstay in popular fiction, and its especially popular among gamers. So beloved is this plot device, that sexist nerds viciously attacked Feminist Frequencys Anita Sarkeesian for merely criticising it. And dont give me that crap about her not being a real gamer either. Her analysis was valid regardless, and the damsel in distress trope is a problematic tradition that needs to be phased out, or at the very least, tinkered with. Thats why Braid is such refreshing little game. It subverts the damsel in distress device by making us believe that its plotline is just a melancholy Mario clone with some time manipulation thrown in. Our hero, Tim, has made a mistake, and he needs to find his princess, whos been captured by a monster. Pretty standard so far. But as you play, its revealed that Tim has made more than one mistake. Actually, he was a pretty terrible boyfriend, and you wonder if you even want to see him get the girl in the end During the final stage, Tim follows the princess who has just escaped from the monster. She helps him along the way, unsetting some potentially perilous traps. However, in a brilliant twist, its revealed that stage was being played backwards. Played forward, its apparent that the princess is running away from Tim, setting traps to halt his pursuit. As she jumps into the arms of the man we thought was the monster, we realize that Tim was the monster all along. Women are more than just a prize to be won, and Tim discovers this the hard way. There is no happy ending for him. All thats left for him is the sad revelation that he is alone, and he has only himself to blame for it. Misogynists take note, for this is your future.