12 Revealing Video Game Moments That Came Out Of NOWHERE

8. You Aren't The Hero - Braid

Braid Game
Number None/Microsoft Game Studios

In Braid, our protagonist, Tim, must use rewind mechanics to traverse through six worlds, and save the princess. In the opening scene, we see the princess opening doors for Tim and deactivating traps to aid him in his quest.

Because the prologue implies the princess is helping you, you safely assume this 2D platformer is following the traditional story of a hero rescuing the damsel-in-distress. But when you reach the princess, you learn something genuinely unnerving.

Tim wasn't just rewinding the levels - he was rewinding the entire game. What you saw in the prologue was actually the reverse of what happened. The princess wasn't helping Tim. She was running away, closing the doors, and activating traps to hinder his quest.

Why would she do this?

Because Tim isn't a knight in shining armour - he's a stalker, or someone the princess wants to get away from, no matter what.

Imagine if you learned Mario had been creeping on Princess Peach for years. Imagine if you found out the hero from The Legend of Zelda was a sexual predator. You would feel betrayed, ashamed, and disgusted beyond measure.

Sadly, that's how everyone felt after learning the truth about Braid's supposed hero.

Contributor

James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows