10 Fan Theories That Make Your Favourite Video Games Super Depressing

For a seemingly whimsical platformer, Braid makes a lot of references to the atomic bomb. A common theory is that these references are a hint at the games true story.

A popular interpretation is that all of this is hinting that Tim was a scientist on the Manhattan Project and that the princess represents the A-Bomb and that the game's entire mechanic of solving puzzles by rewinding time also plays a huge role in the story. Tim regrets his work on the bomb and the entire game is actually just a metaphor for his desire to go back in time and get a second chance.

The strong evidence includes the title screen showing a city on fire and a hidden reference to Kenneth Bainbridge's famous quote on its completion "now we are all sons of b*tches". The most compelling evidence though, is if you manage to complete the Herculean task of getting all seven hidden stars.

With the stars, its actually possible to catch up to the princess in the final level. However, when you touch her, she begins to flash and you'll hear the sound of a bomb detonating.

It's not exactly a subtle hint, but it does all play into Braids intention of subverting the narrative conventions of every other platformer.