This is a video game. Not C.O.D. This is a real game. Simply brilliant. I cannot name one aspect that is lacking in this game. Everything is excellent and exceeds my expectations of a game by FAR, from music to message. The gameplay is flawless. A masterpiece in its finest.
@Platykwak i beleave that the idea of making and initial decision of what you want, or what you think to be right, is in fact being wrong, is EXACTLY what the game was displaying.
in seeing spoilers before playing the game, you partook in what the game was trying to tell us. Now, you can see first-hand exactly why this game displayed this theme because you basically just experianced it.
i dont know if that mind fucked you at all, but i hope it helps.
@rubberduckey111 Well, I must say I'm not disappointed anymore. =) You're right. It's unfortunate for me that I couldn't play the game before seeing this... Because it just means I couldn't get the whole world and idea of the game turned upside down in front of me, while I'm truly being sucked into it. ;P
But, i've been playing games a lot, and seeing this ending did surprise me. =) Knowing about this also makes me truly WANT this game: I have so much respect for the idea.
I forward the theory of the atomic bomb. Just look at that fire chasing tim? What does it look like. The game revolves around Tims guilt of creating the bomb, the princess being substitute for it, also being a figment of his imagination. This game was made with nothing, but it is a masterpiece :)
did the creator of the game actually have an intended meaning or did he just make up random bits of nonsense to make the player interpret their own meaning? IM DYING TRYING TO FIND THE REAL MEANING
@zealot256 Actually you would be correct, the original creator of the Atomic bomb "Robert Oppenhiemer" stated that he wished he had never created it and wish he could take it back.
But this is meaningless, art is a ridiculous concept anyway. If you truly enjoy something and it evokes emotions and stands the test of time then who are 'art professionals' to say something is or isn't art. The sheer pretentiousness sickens me, honestly. It is way too subjective to truly discuss, hell the very efinition changes every so often, like the whole Baba movement of artists. I don't think what they've created is art at all, yet because 'art professionals' say it is, it's in every artbo
THE one and only post-modern video game in existence. Nerd fact: I'm a literature professor and "part-time" culturologist, and I know what I'm talking about. In fact, I'm currently writing an essay on it, actually, hope it gets published.
LOL pretentious people are hilarious. There are loads of other games that break 4th walls and are considered works of art, you should expand your (game) horizons.
@WarlikeSRK Pretentious? No, I'm just familiar with art history and postmodern literature. Postmodernism isn't about "breaking the 4th wall", fyi. And I play games for over 20 years - yes, there are some great games out there, but the only ones that would be considered ART and not entertainment are, imho, Braid and Planescape: Torment. You, know, if someone has greater knowledge in something than you, he/she isn't "pretentious" by default.
Well people like you who feel superior to others even though you probably have some crappy arts degree are very pretentious. By implying you have more knowledge on the subject of game art (lol, a ridiculous thing in itself) you're even more pretentious. Art can be defined in so many ways it's not even funny, a game of Pong is just as much art as ICO and this game. Also I could care less about your so called knowledge on art history and literature, art isn't a true subject anyway.
@WarlikeSRK Well, I can tell you this: yes, art is subjective. BUT if you think that Pong is art, that doesn't mean that it is. That's why people like me exist. Yes, you can think ICO is art (very good game, but not art), but that doesn't matter, I can think that my keyboard is art. Point is: you can enjoy whatever you want. You can claim that art is whatever you want. But, in 10, 20, 100 years from now, art will be what people like me, who are proffesionaly trained to recignize art, say to be.
And that is exactly why people 'like you' are annoying. Having a predetermined list of some sorts of criteria that determines whether or not something is art is, to me, quite absurd. To me art is anything that can evoke emotion and ultimately is more than the sum of its parts, A game such as SOTC does this and it ultimately evokes an array of emotions and feels like 'more than a game'. Ofcourse you will disagree with this, but I think it is very wrong to tie any criteria to art.
@WarlikeSRK Why am I annoying? Do I ban you from liking anything? No. Do I ban you from calling something art? No. Feel free to do whatever you want. But that doesn't mean that something WILL BE recognized as art in general. For instance: you talk about "evoking an array of emotions". That understanding of art is obsolete for at least 200 years. Again, you can say whatever you want, no one is taking that away from you. But in time, art-books will feature works that "I" deem worthy, not you.
@WarlikeSRK Well, see, that's great. Ofc, some critics will find that Game A is better than Game C, and that Game C is no way an art compared to the Game D, but that's what critics do. I just said that Braid is the first post-modern game, which is objectvely true no matter how you look at things.
A man so obssesed with a hope of trascendence that he devotes himself to science... Even if that would mean to detract from love. His blindness would take him to lose his way, unable to control his own aspirations he can no longer understand where he's heading anymore, leading him to finally find the princess... Not the princess he discerned at the beginning of his journey, but one completely different...
One of the books references a "helicopter crash" in a movie Tim's watching. Helis weren't prevalent in cinema until the 50s, well after the Bomb was made. Also, if the Princess really is the A-Bomb, IRL Tim would "get" the girl. To me, the books were simply accounts of guilt from various people, from an ungrateful child, an abusive boyfriend, an inhumane animal tester and one of the Manhattan Project. Tim was just an overbearing lover who metaphorically chased his love into the arms of another.
umm when i go upstairs the purple ladder is to the right no alligned with the other ladders. i did all the pics,got all the puzzle pieces and did every level.......can someone help me out?
I remember seeing this in the list of XBLA games in 2008, downloading it, and being completely surprised at how engrossing and fascinating the game was. I feel sorry for people who haven't experienced this masterpiece.
@ComboBreakah Have you played the game? It plays mostly like a puzzle game. The ending has that little run section and some skill is needed throughout out the game but this ending is not representative of normal play.
It's weird how this game can be taken as a man that was so obessed with a girl and started to become violent with her. Thats what my friends and I thought. But knowing the true ending sort of screws it up and makes it confusing for me. So this is basically a man that was building the nuke but became to obessed with its power that he was removed from the project? Thats what I've read.
@GoldenGal42 References to the Manhattan project and such. The quote "Now we are all sons a bitches." is an actual quote from one of the men who developed the atomic bomb. Notice how the city in the main menu looks like a burned out city that has just been bombed? It's not a coincidence that the game starts over at the menu after laying out all those references.
@sacrier15 Ooh, I see. Thanks, that's really interesting. Before all the theories had to do with the exploding princess, but that's some more sound logic.
This is what makes so much art pointless, it turns it's back on its audience. If you wish to deliver a message, deliver it so that the recipient can understand it.
*Spoiler Alert* Its not Albert Einstein.. Its just a scientist that worked on the Manhattan project. Also the princess is a metaphor for science. Read the books again and it makes sense that way.
He's not Einstein, she's no nuke, it's all just metaphors saying he destroyed his own precious relationship while trying to save it. He thought he was rescuing her, but he was actually chasing her away. The story most likely comes from the creator's own life.
@SpoonfishLee the imagery would suggest otherwise. manhattan on fire, the general tone in the books and what it hints at. i guess the most damning part is the quote in the epilogue in the 8-star ending - directly from one of the scientists after the trinity project
@SpoonfishLee a comparison, but that would mean she is a metaphor for a bomb and the reason she explodes....is maybe a metaphor for a paradox of stopping the unstoppable?
@Someonewholovesmusi1 Of course this is all just my own theory, not forcing it upon anybody, but I believe the bomb and the other science projects is a way to convey the message clearer, describing his mental state and situation during these events in his life, so people can relate. Even small things like a personal relationship, in comparison to massive events in the world, feel crucially important to that person at that time, and he describes it with these concrete examples
The boy stands for Albert Einstein and the princess for an idea. Eventually, Einstein soon realizes that this idea leads to the develop of the atomic bomb. He wants to stop it, but he knows he is too late.
@phakahn I like your interpretation, but i think it could be expanded, its not just einstein, maybe its the human race, i think this because of the candy story part where she says "maybe when you're older" meaning that the human race isnt mature enough for further knowledge
i dont get this...can someone explain this to me?i know that the guy is like a scientist of manhaten project and that shes like a key to the bomb or something...can someone just translate me all that text in english please?
@MotherPunker970 The world of braid is a world he made because of his guilt of causing the entire world to burn to the ground. She IS the atom bomb. He try's to undo his mistake but in the end guilt reaches up with him and the world burns.
@VAT0L0C019 Sry for answering to such an old comment, but it is available on disc since june 2010, so at the time you wrote this, thus you were wrong (look it up on amazon for example)
@VAT0L0C019 Woah there, actually it did get some form of disc release, I recall seeing it in WHSmith and being confused because I thought the same thing - I assume it got licensed by niche companies and released in some countries for PC retail on disc.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
played it. relized it sucked. finished it thinking it would get better. still thought it was the worst game ever. burned it (mostly) and threw it in a lake by my house.could have sold it to make some money but i didnt want anyone else to suffer from terrible gaming. honestly i dont get how people love this game. its a cheap rip off of mario. the only fun i had was 3 min at the begining fooling around with the rewinding thing. who could possibly enjoy this piece of crap 8=>~~~
i'm sure it's deliberately ambiguous, but it made me think of the advancement of science and technology; nature's truths being the princess and tim being human civilization. we chase after the glory of science with the assumption that nature wants us to capture and understand and manipulate it, but maybe to nature we're just a stalkerish irritation that it couldn't give a damn about.
The desperate King consulted the Oracle of Apollo, who announced that no respite would be found until the king sacrificed his virgin daughter Andromeda to the monster. She was chained naked to a rock on the coast.
Consider that Andromeda ("The Chained Lady") is the constellation that is formed by the stars. Here is Wikipedia's take on Andromeda: Her mother Cassiopeia boasted that she was more beautiful than the Nereids, the nymph-daughters of the sea god Nereus and often seen accompanying Poseidon. To punish the Queen for her arrogance, Poseidon, brother to Zeus and god of the sea, sent a sea monster (Cetus) to ravage the coast of Ethiopia including the kingdom of the vain Queen.
@mayhemvspeace And this is why dumb people should stay off the internet. Why would you look into footage of the ending of a game before actually even playing it yourself? Your comment shows not only how superficial you are, but also your ignorance.
@Revoma Hmmm.... ignorant AND offensive. You really covered both of your bases there. What I love most is that you found such an eloquent and meaningful way to present your point. Kudos to you.
Oh and if anyone's wondering what it says in the hidden passage to the left of the book at 5:14, it's the same as the one you see when you rewind back to the screen above it ( the one with the bridge ).
People interpreting the meaning of this game in different ways and trying to find out the designers intention, you know what that sounds like to me? a poem.
Poetry is considered art and I consider this game art. I am not saying all games are art but not recognizing that games can be art is ridiculous.
I didn't ever know that the ending itself was a puzzle.. insane.
But seriously, I'm following the stalker idea. Like people have said, the candy store is most likely a metaphor for wanting something you can't have. In the end, the princess tries to kill you. Once you get to her, she "dies" and you end up with nothing.
The other secrets can be interpreted as regrets (a bomb, ignoring her, making her do things she doesn't want) which fits with the last star.
Guys, don't read so much into this game. There's nothing underneath the surface about nuclear arms or finding your own princess or whatever. It's just a crazy fucking guy and a pretentious twist.
@Zenstudent105 "We are all sons of bitches", and the bit about "radiating fury" are both DIRECT quotes from members of the Manhattan project. Not sure if that gives the entire game a deeper meaning. But there's no way you accidentally slip those in there without having a point.
is it a story of redemption or the cycle of repeating? talk's about the nuke, another a possessive boyfriend, last something about a kid. the two formers have endings where the man regrets his action, and the last one about a kid desiring something he isn't suppose to have. in the last part of the game it talks about Tim starting over building a foundation(a castle) but that was the place the princess was being held captive and needed rescue. but Tim was the antagonist but.. I dunno
The ending is actually playing in rewind, so if u rewind what u play. The princess is actually running away from the guy and trying to kill him. That leads you to be the monster thats after to hurt the princess. (I haven't played this game so please dont thumbs down my comment)
@nutripals Tim is the evil person chasing after the princess. Apparently, Tim does almost everything in reverse. So his reverse was forward, so HE was chasing after the princess, not the knight. There are many probabilities for the meaning, but I would have to go for the Manhattan Project. The title screen of a city on fire. The secondary ending, so, yeah.
there's just so much going on for this game. the music is incredible, it's visually beautiful, the plot is so mind blowing (no matter how many times i play through this game, i am always left amazed) and can be interpreted in many ways. honestly, i believe the ending is very subjective, which is better because it leaves it open to discussion and different viewpoints. but anyway this game is awesome lol
When times turn back after you found the princess she is actually running from you.. She was sleeping when she sees you standing outside her window.. she runs and puts all these traps at you and finally she screams for help when she sees the knight and he says "come down here", she jumps into his arms.. he says "I've got you" and takes her to safety away from Tim her alcoholic ex. to sum up, she left him for a better guy and he can't forget her.. U are the enemy all along
I can't stand this game. Got absolutely tired and frustrated with it during world 5. So I just figured I'd look up the ending sequence. Why couldn't the rest of the game play this way? This looks awesome. Everything up through world 5 has been terrible so far.
As a huge fan of Team Ico I was surprised by the subtle reference to ICO in the first paragraph of the normal epilogues. I knew there were a lot of references in this game but that one especially made me smile.
@Harelgur whoever said that summed it up about right. No Cold War without that wep...but WW2 coulda lasted awhile longer without it...Just depends: are we good sons or bad? That is where the weight of that statement lies.
Go to GameFAQ.com for an explanation to the story!! It was made by the guys who made the game!! It make PERFECT sense, pluse, you can email them questions!!
Long story short. Tim is the atomic bomb creator. The princess is the bomb. They are never to come into contact or the world will be forever damaged. Also, a "braid" is a nuclear explosion. That's why the city is on fire at the title screen. There was a nuclear explosion!
I just finished the game, without any help of course. Nice puzzles but the text was a bit too long and boring to read it. Except the one about the bickering over gravy drops on the tablecloth. Get this game and give your brain a workout.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
You people read into the ending far, far too much. :/ It's not about any atomic bombs or stupid crap like that. It's just an artsy game, and that's all it is.
And I love reading interpretations because people are reading way deep into something intentionally amorphous and quite frankly hamfisted in trying to be deep and artistic. Any other medium and this would be a fucking joke.
People are over-analyzing this so much, they're literally questioning their own existence. Obviously, they've never played other indie games before, because if they did they knew that indie developers are only there to mess around with your head. This game does make you question a lot of stuff but in the end, could you really give a rat's ass?
Dont Save The Princces?:(
TheDuduzinhobr 3 days ago
Now every time I try to undo something on my computer, I keep pressing Shift (Rewind)
patricktrogan 2 weeks ago 2
This is a video game. Not C.O.D. This is a real game. Simply brilliant. I cannot name one aspect that is lacking in this game. Everything is excellent and exceeds my expectations of a game by FAR, from music to message. The gameplay is flawless. A masterpiece in its finest.
Sharksfanforlife 3 weeks ago
hahahah man super cool
dougfax 1 month ago
Gotta admit, I totally didn't get that the princess was running from me. The whole time I was just like "WTF??"
cloudlocke 1 month ago
Raiden, what's going on?? Raiden?? Raiden?! (sorry, saw the fission mailed and couldn't resist.)
jordplunk 1 month ago
I'm sad. =( The ending was already spoiled for me through other videos, so I just watched all this. And I've never played it..
And knowing that I can't be mindfucked by this or surprised, if I ever decide to play... *cries*
I WISH that I could rewind or do something to forget this.
Not possible, because this was so damn beautiful. =(
Platykwak 1 month ago
@Platykwak i beleave that the idea of making and initial decision of what you want, or what you think to be right, is in fact being wrong, is EXACTLY what the game was displaying.
in seeing spoilers before playing the game, you partook in what the game was trying to tell us. Now, you can see first-hand exactly why this game displayed this theme because you basically just experianced it.
i dont know if that mind fucked you at all, but i hope it helps.
rubberduckey111 1 day ago
@rubberduckey111 Well, I must say I'm not disappointed anymore. =) You're right. It's unfortunate for me that I couldn't play the game before seeing this... Because it just means I couldn't get the whole world and idea of the game turned upside down in front of me, while I'm truly being sucked into it. ;P
But, i've been playing games a lot, and seeing this ending did surprise me. =) Knowing about this also makes me truly WANT this game: I have so much respect for the idea.
Platykwak 1 day ago
I realy gotta play serious sam after this one.
Tabecka1989 1 month ago
I cant see the princessin the end and my stars is golden so what I still must to do?
net0510 2 months ago
@net0510 Same here .
ClaudiaNoelma 1 week ago
I forward the theory of the atomic bomb. Just look at that fire chasing tim? What does it look like. The game revolves around Tims guilt of creating the bomb, the princess being substitute for it, also being a figment of his imagination. This game was made with nothing, but it is a masterpiece :)
lukekennedy1001 2 months ago
did the creator of the game actually have an intended meaning or did he just make up random bits of nonsense to make the player interpret their own meaning? IM DYING TRYING TO FIND THE REAL MEANING
FunOrange42 2 months ago
@FunOrange42 the real meaning is infact the atomic bomb theory, its been proven, and the developer stated the theory is correct
AmonSiros 1 month ago
So very epic! when I realized she was FLEEING I was like omg what have I done? XD
Thils game was so awesome I'm really impressed
CoqPwner 2 months ago
Ok. WHY IS THERE A WALL OF FIRE? Is it from her or something?
ChiefSlapaGit 3 months ago
@ChiefSlapaGit i think its just so you will hurry...
booboowilson10101 3 months ago
@ChiefSlapaGit It represents a nuclear explosive in some way, I do believe.
zealot256 2 months ago
@zealot256 Actually you would be correct, the original creator of the Atomic bomb "Robert Oppenhiemer" stated that he wished he had never created it and wish he could take it back.
scoutingscout 2 months ago
reminds me of a certain Starcraft 2 level...
seanbirch 3 months ago
But this is meaningless, art is a ridiculous concept anyway. If you truly enjoy something and it evokes emotions and stands the test of time then who are 'art professionals' to say something is or isn't art. The sheer pretentiousness sickens me, honestly. It is way too subjective to truly discuss, hell the very efinition changes every so often, like the whole Baba movement of artists. I don't think what they've created is art at all, yet because 'art professionals' say it is, it's in every artbo
WarlikeSRK 3 months ago
i think that the princes is the ex girl friend of braid. the 6 pictures, i think there are a part of the story.
picture 1 : braid and princes make love in the yineyard (no joke)
picture 2: a dinner with the princes and friend and fammily
picture 3: a moment of the past (with airplanes)
picture 4: waiting for the princes and she doesnt come
picture 5: sad braid witout girl
the princes found a new boyfriend, the dude in the armor. braid was so sad that, he maked a new world in his head. sad story
Chimairamania 4 months ago
@Chimairamania that.... makes a f*ck of aa lot of sence!
linuslillen01 3 months ago
5:00 cut your audio down 1/2!
myrtlevilleace 4 months ago
THE one and only post-modern video game in existence. Nerd fact: I'm a literature professor and "part-time" culturologist, and I know what I'm talking about. In fact, I'm currently writing an essay on it, actually, hope it gets published.
Malaikat31 4 months ago
@Malaikat31
LOL pretentious people are hilarious. There are loads of other games that break 4th walls and are considered works of art, you should expand your (game) horizons.
WarlikeSRK 3 months ago
@WarlikeSRK Pretentious? No, I'm just familiar with art history and postmodern literature. Postmodernism isn't about "breaking the 4th wall", fyi. And I play games for over 20 years - yes, there are some great games out there, but the only ones that would be considered ART and not entertainment are, imho, Braid and Planescape: Torment. You, know, if someone has greater knowledge in something than you, he/she isn't "pretentious" by default.
Malaikat31 3 months ago
@Malaikat31
Well people like you who feel superior to others even though you probably have some crappy arts degree are very pretentious. By implying you have more knowledge on the subject of game art (lol, a ridiculous thing in itself) you're even more pretentious. Art can be defined in so many ways it's not even funny, a game of Pong is just as much art as ICO and this game. Also I could care less about your so called knowledge on art history and literature, art isn't a true subject anyway.
WarlikeSRK 3 months ago
@WarlikeSRK Well, I can tell you this: yes, art is subjective. BUT if you think that Pong is art, that doesn't mean that it is. That's why people like me exist. Yes, you can think ICO is art (very good game, but not art), but that doesn't matter, I can think that my keyboard is art. Point is: you can enjoy whatever you want. You can claim that art is whatever you want. But, in 10, 20, 100 years from now, art will be what people like me, who are proffesionaly trained to recignize art, say to be.
Malaikat31 3 months ago
@Malaikat31
And that is exactly why people 'like you' are annoying. Having a predetermined list of some sorts of criteria that determines whether or not something is art is, to me, quite absurd. To me art is anything that can evoke emotion and ultimately is more than the sum of its parts, A game such as SOTC does this and it ultimately evokes an array of emotions and feels like 'more than a game'. Ofcourse you will disagree with this, but I think it is very wrong to tie any criteria to art.
WarlikeSRK 3 months ago
@WarlikeSRK Why am I annoying? Do I ban you from liking anything? No. Do I ban you from calling something art? No. Feel free to do whatever you want. But that doesn't mean that something WILL BE recognized as art in general. For instance: you talk about "evoking an array of emotions". That understanding of art is obsolete for at least 200 years. Again, you can say whatever you want, no one is taking that away from you. But in time, art-books will feature works that "I" deem worthy, not you.
Malaikat31 3 months ago
@Malaikat31
Good for you, in time I will hopefully contribute to the research of medicine.
And games are already considered art by some art critics anyway, if the Smithsonian exhibit is anything to go by.
WarlikeSRK 3 months ago
@WarlikeSRK Well, see, that's great. Ofc, some critics will find that Game A is better than Game C, and that Game C is no way an art compared to the Game D, but that's what critics do. I just said that Braid is the first post-modern game, which is objectvely true no matter how you look at things.
Malaikat31 3 months ago
A man so obssesed with a hope of trascendence that he devotes himself to science... Even if that would mean to detract from love. His blindness would take him to lose his way, unable to control his own aspirations he can no longer understand where he's heading anymore, leading him to finally find the princess... Not the princess he discerned at the beginning of his journey, but one completely different...
HazenKain 5 months ago
I pooped myself when I saw that the final level is composed of traps set by the princess. Simply amazing storytelling.
armthehomeless06 5 months ago 16
One of the books references a "helicopter crash" in a movie Tim's watching. Helis weren't prevalent in cinema until the 50s, well after the Bomb was made. Also, if the Princess really is the A-Bomb, IRL Tim would "get" the girl. To me, the books were simply accounts of guilt from various people, from an ungrateful child, an abusive boyfriend, an inhumane animal tester and one of the Manhattan Project. Tim was just an overbearing lover who metaphorically chased his love into the arms of another.
Ginryu7 6 months ago
umm when i go upstairs the purple ladder is to the right no alligned with the other ladders. i did all the pics,got all the puzzle pieces and did every level.......can someone help me out?
legendaryyumar 6 months ago
Word of God is that it's about the creation of the Atomic Bomb.
Xanatrix 6 months ago
I tried to pass the 4-4 level like for hour then I thought "omg fuck this shit, gonna see the ending and freakin delete it"
groovesan 6 months ago
At that 4:00 mark, is it possible to go up that ladder?
dybeen 6 months ago
@dybeen
nope, I've tried lol it's impossible as far as i Know
condw93 6 months ago
I remember seeing this in the list of XBLA games in 2008, downloading it, and being completely surprised at how engrossing and fascinating the game was. I feel sorry for people who haven't experienced this masterpiece.
TheDoogleBoy 6 months ago
I guess he was just crazy and thought that he protected her but the opposite happened?wow if thats it its very sad and twisted
GeorgeAson 7 months ago
So was it true that worlds 2-6 were in the right order in your hopeless search and world 1 was the beginning
TheDinoraur 7 months ago
Geez u could have ran through the book at start a little slower i ran so fast i cant even pause and read them....
ComboBreakah 7 months ago
I just want to watch the ending im not one for 2d platformers.
ComboBreakah 7 months ago
@ComboBreakah Have you played the game? It plays mostly like a puzzle game. The ending has that little run section and some skill is needed throughout out the game but this ending is not representative of normal play.
delacob 6 months ago
Just played through the game, and the ending blew my mind! Amazing how the same level forward and backward can mean a completely different story.
imallfordabulls 7 months ago
"maybe when you are older.. " does that mean the princess was actually his mum? .. so he was after his mum? .. oh freud
MsSoylu 7 months ago
simply amazing game....hope they make a 2nd.
JoePlaya87 7 months ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
what a stupid ending
crupierenegades 7 months ago
10/10 for this game!
naughtydawgP 8 months ago
It was mindfuck for me when I realised princess was actually trying to get away from us.
ugarous 8 months ago 52
To most people, this is a game about a man trying to find a princess but in the end we find out the princess has been fleeing from him all along.
Those people need to learn how to look underneath the surface of something.
Louchan2 8 months ago
It's weird how this game can be taken as a man that was so obessed with a girl and started to become violent with her. Thats what my friends and I thought. But knowing the true ending sort of screws it up and makes it confusing for me. So this is basically a man that was building the nuke but became to obessed with its power that he was removed from the project? Thats what I've read.
HammerDown328 8 months ago
the woman chanting sound when reading the red text is scary =(
ojon12389 8 months ago
I am a changed man after this. The writing in the game is so exquisite and the atmosphere sublime. Flawless, in my opinion
PBandJeIIy 8 months ago 2
best game ive played
IamJacksColon4 9 months ago
Well, you could've left the books open just long enough for people to pause on them...
survivalofone 9 months ago
Right... where do people get the whole bomb idea? I get weirdo stalks princess... who was once his baby-sitter? I don't know...
GoldenGal42 9 months ago
@GoldenGal42 References to the Manhattan project and such. The quote "Now we are all sons a bitches." is an actual quote from one of the men who developed the atomic bomb. Notice how the city in the main menu looks like a burned out city that has just been bombed? It's not a coincidence that the game starts over at the menu after laying out all those references.
sacrier15 8 months ago
@sacrier15 Ooh, I see. Thanks, that's really interesting. Before all the theories had to do with the exploding princess, but that's some more sound logic.
GoldenGal42 8 months ago
development of atomic bombs what
ninetailedhollow5 10 months ago
Shes definitely running away. What a genius plot.
MrGustavoGuerrero 10 months ago
This is what makes so much art pointless, it turns it's back on its audience. If you wish to deliver a message, deliver it so that the recipient can understand it.
KaiRobert 10 months ago
*Spoiler Alert* Its not Albert Einstein.. Its just a scientist that worked on the Manhattan project. Also the princess is a metaphor for science. Read the books again and it makes sense that way.
bullseyeZIB 10 months ago
My brain hurts, im gonna look at something else, HEY! Whats this... LIMBO?
TheElementalrocker1 10 months ago 18
He's not Einstein, she's no nuke, it's all just metaphors saying he destroyed his own precious relationship while trying to save it. He thought he was rescuing her, but he was actually chasing her away. The story most likely comes from the creator's own life.
SpoonfishLee 10 months ago 7
@SpoonfishLee Wow that's a pretty succinct way of putting it, but I pretty much felt the same about the ending.
stevesan 10 months ago
@SpoonfishLee the imagery would suggest otherwise. manhattan on fire, the general tone in the books and what it hints at. i guess the most damning part is the quote in the epilogue in the 8-star ending - directly from one of the scientists after the trinity project
nash786 10 months ago
@nash786 I think it's all just metaphors, and the science tests are perfect clues for that
SpoonfishLee 10 months ago
@SpoonfishLee also watch the 7-star ending she *SPOILER* explodes complete with nuke noise and white screen...
Someonewholovesmusi1 9 months ago
@Someonewholovesmusi1 Does anybody realise what a metaphor is?
SpoonfishLee 9 months ago
@SpoonfishLee a comparison, but that would mean she is a metaphor for a bomb and the reason she explodes....is maybe a metaphor for a paradox of stopping the unstoppable?
Someonewholovesmusi1 9 months ago
@Someonewholovesmusi1 Of course this is all just my own theory, not forcing it upon anybody, but I believe the bomb and the other science projects is a way to convey the message clearer, describing his mental state and situation during these events in his life, so people can relate. Even small things like a personal relationship, in comparison to massive events in the world, feel crucially important to that person at that time, and he describes it with these concrete examples
SpoonfishLee 9 months ago
Aw, the ending is sad. T__T
Xearf 10 months ago
just because it's artsy and has lots of text doesn't mean it's genius. the game was great. the story was just... well it tried too hard
Nappateemu 10 months ago
They should make more games like this :O
GrandMasterEmizo 10 months ago 2
Comment removed
Zabba64 11 months ago
My own interpertation.
The boy stands for Albert Einstein and the princess for an idea. Eventually, Einstein soon realizes that this idea leads to the develop of the atomic bomb. He wants to stop it, but he knows he is too late.
phakahn 11 months ago 14
@phakahn I like your interpretation, but i think it could be expanded, its not just einstein, maybe its the human race, i think this because of the candy story part where she says "maybe when you're older" meaning that the human race isnt mature enough for further knowledge
benman704 2 months ago
i dont get this...can someone explain this to me?i know that the guy is like a scientist of manhaten project and that shes like a key to the bomb or something...can someone just translate me all that text in english please?
MotherPunker970 11 months ago
@MotherPunker970 The world of braid is a world he made because of his guilt of causing the entire world to burn to the ground. She IS the atom bomb. He try's to undo his mistake but in the end guilt reaches up with him and the world burns.
XTHEDARKMAGEX 11 months ago
my favorite game, luv it so much :)
dinosaurLOL 11 months ago
The biggest mindfuck ever. On par with Bioshock.
Led778 11 months ago
YOU ARE THE BAD GUY
Shmeepazoid 1 year ago
@wafflemanR I have no idea how you burn the game or threw it in a lake when this game is only available by download not disc
VAT0L0C019 1 year ago 42
@VAT0L0C019 Hahaha. :D
MrFictive 1 year ago
@VAT0L0C019 I've got a disc version of this game on PC
GenericRubbishName 8 months ago
@VAT0L0C019 Sry for answering to such an old comment, but it is available on disc since june 2010, so at the time you wrote this, thus you were wrong (look it up on amazon for example)
0cube 8 months ago
@VAT0L0C019 He put the game files on a disc, and threw it into a lake then!
Natendo64 8 months ago
@VAT0L0C019 lol, it actually IS available as disc^^ amazon sells that stuff in europe. but it should not be burned, thats rite!
eMWe 7 months ago
@VAT0L0C019 Woah there, actually it did get some form of disc release, I recall seeing it in WHSmith and being confused because I thought the same thing - I assume it got licensed by niche companies and released in some countries for PC retail on disc.
Toadsanime 3 months ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
played it. relized it sucked. finished it thinking it would get better. still thought it was the worst game ever. burned it (mostly) and threw it in a lake by my house.could have sold it to make some money but i didnt want anyone else to suffer from terrible gaming. honestly i dont get how people love this game. its a cheap rip off of mario. the only fun i had was 3 min at the begining fooling around with the rewinding thing. who could possibly enjoy this piece of crap 8=>~~~
WafflemanR 1 year ago
@WafflemanR this is the ultimate troll
TROLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
Swangtang 1 year ago 2
Hey, you wrote "fission mailed"!!!
This is MGS!
elfrate 1 year ago 2
i'm sure it's deliberately ambiguous, but it made me think of the advancement of science and technology; nature's truths being the princess and tim being human civilization. we chase after the glory of science with the assumption that nature wants us to capture and understand and manipulate it, but maybe to nature we're just a stalkerish irritation that it couldn't give a damn about.
reinux 1 year ago
The desperate King consulted the Oracle of Apollo, who announced that no respite would be found until the king sacrificed his virgin daughter Andromeda to the monster. She was chained naked to a rock on the coast.
mookerman19 1 year ago
Consider that Andromeda ("The Chained Lady") is the constellation that is formed by the stars. Here is Wikipedia's take on Andromeda: Her mother Cassiopeia boasted that she was more beautiful than the Nereids, the nymph-daughters of the sea god Nereus and often seen accompanying Poseidon. To punish the Queen for her arrogance, Poseidon, brother to Zeus and god of the sea, sent a sea monster (Cetus) to ravage the coast of Ethiopia including the kingdom of the vain Queen.
mookerman19 1 year ago
The Princess is life.... He is trying to protect all life (the Princess) by building the bomb....
He is destruction.... she flee him because in the end he is taking life... the same life he wanted to protect.
HatterMadigan 1 year ago
"She couldn't understand why he chose to flirt so closely with the death of the world"
Quite possibly, my favourite quote from any game, ever!!!
CrazT729 1 year ago
Comment removed
joemercer1 1 year ago
Comment removed
joemercer1 1 year ago
The ending really caught me off guard
JaeChoi94 1 year ago 5
This comment has received too many negative votes show
man this game looks so dumb, I'm glad i never wasted my $ on it!!
mayhemvspeace 1 year ago
@mayhemvspeace And this is why dumb people should stay off the internet. Why would you look into footage of the ending of a game before actually even playing it yourself? Your comment shows not only how superficial you are, but also your ignorance.
otakughost 1 year ago 3
so many high schools who think they're deep and meaningful in these comments
I'm sure robert frost makes you hard, faggots
Revoma 1 year ago
@Revoma Hmmm.... ignorant AND offensive. You really covered both of your bases there. What I love most is that you found such an eloquent and meaningful way to present your point. Kudos to you.
DankTendencies 1 year ago
WTF
OgnarPliskin 1 year ago
Oh and if anyone's wondering what it says in the hidden passage to the left of the book at 5:14, it's the same as the one you see when you rewind back to the screen above it ( the one with the bridge ).
Fishmaster03 1 year ago
People interpreting the meaning of this game in different ways and trying to find out the designers intention, you know what that sounds like to me? a poem.
Poetry is considered art and I consider this game art. I am not saying all games are art but not recognizing that games can be art is ridiculous.
dravorek 1 year ago 92
@dravorek The phrase you're looking for is "art-form." A platform into which people can express themselves. :D
Braddert 9 months ago
@dravorek shadow of teh colossus was art... flower was art... there are art games... just gotta look for em!
spikemugen22 6 months ago
@dravorek *the
spikemugen22 6 months ago
sons of bitches :D
karduxas 1 year ago
why people like this game so much?
lolozuera 1 year ago
@lolozuera cuz of the puzzles?? i dnt know i like it cuz of the music it sounds so calm and nice ur probly thinkin im gay but wth i like it x)
masterofre51 1 year ago
@lolozuera its meaningful.
musixism 1 year ago
I don't get it.
lolozuera 1 year ago
well that was easy
FlamingMicrowav 1 year ago
I didn't ever know that the ending itself was a puzzle.. insane.
But seriously, I'm following the stalker idea. Like people have said, the candy store is most likely a metaphor for wanting something you can't have. In the end, the princess tries to kill you. Once you get to her, she "dies" and you end up with nothing.
The other secrets can be interpreted as regrets (a bomb, ignoring her, making her do things she doesn't want) which fits with the last star.
ieatatsonic 1 year ago
Guys, don't read so much into this game. There's nothing underneath the surface about nuclear arms or finding your own princess or whatever. It's just a crazy fucking guy and a pretentious twist.
Zenstudent105 1 year ago
@Zenstudent105 "We are all sons of bitches", and the bit about "radiating fury" are both DIRECT quotes from members of the Manhattan project. Not sure if that gives the entire game a deeper meaning. But there's no way you accidentally slip those in there without having a point.
ItsTheCos 1 year ago 3
@ItsTheCos Point well taken : )
Zenstudent105 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
This ending is a bit too intellectual…it might even come off as a bit pretentious.
bukkake999 1 year ago
This ending is a bit too intellectual…it might even come off as a bit pretentious.
bukkake999 1 year ago
is it a story of redemption or the cycle of repeating? talk's about the nuke, another a possessive boyfriend, last something about a kid. the two formers have endings where the man regrets his action, and the last one about a kid desiring something he isn't suppose to have. in the last part of the game it talks about Tim starting over building a foundation(a castle) but that was the place the princess was being held captive and needed rescue. but Tim was the antagonist but.. I dunno
ErtomicV 1 year ago
The ending is actually playing in rewind, so if u rewind what u play. The princess is actually running away from the guy and trying to kill him. That leads you to be the monster thats after to hurt the princess. (I haven't played this game so please dont thumbs down my comment)
gmod92 1 year ago
Thumbs up for a sequel!
bendem94 1 year ago
@bendem94 You mean prequel! :D
krampusz 1 year ago
just because something is beautiful doesnt make it art.
art doesnt become obsolete within 10 years.
BBennett1003 1 year ago
@BBennett1003 then some may argue that art doesn't exist...
13jonny11 1 year ago
i don't understand the ending.what happened??
nutripals 1 year ago
@nutripals Tim is the evil person chasing after the princess. Apparently, Tim does almost everything in reverse. So his reverse was forward, so HE was chasing after the princess, not the knight. There are many probabilities for the meaning, but I would have to go for the Manhattan Project. The title screen of a city on fire. The secondary ending, so, yeah.
Bloodhound3323 1 year ago 2
@Bloodhound3323
thanks for explaining. it was bugging the crap outta me lol
nutripals 1 year ago
there's just so much going on for this game. the music is incredible, it's visually beautiful, the plot is so mind blowing (no matter how many times i play through this game, i am always left amazed) and can be interpreted in many ways. honestly, i believe the ending is very subjective, which is better because it leaves it open to discussion and different viewpoints. but anyway this game is awesome lol
grabbingpeelz 1 year ago
At 8:32, Twin Towers in the background. He's in NY.
VVVic411 1 year ago 3
@VVVic411 I think it says Manhattan at one point. This could all be about the Manhattan project, which would fit the atomic bomb idea.
iSOBigD 1 year ago 3
When times turn back after you found the princess she is actually running from you.. She was sleeping when she sees you standing outside her window.. she runs and puts all these traps at you and finally she screams for help when she sees the knight and he says "come down here", she jumps into his arms.. he says "I've got you" and takes her to safety away from Tim her alcoholic ex. to sum up, she left him for a better guy and he can't forget her.. U are the enemy all along
oOFizurbyOo 1 year ago 3
at 2:35 i think i was at that part for a good minute before i realised i had to rewind
FluffyKittenMittens 1 year ago
haha she tried to kill him...evil princess >:)
keeke45 1 year ago
After finishing this game, leaving your girlfriend, you should kill yourself
mustafacan94 1 year ago 3
I can't stand this game. Got absolutely tired and frustrated with it during world 5. So I just figured I'd look up the ending sequence. Why couldn't the rest of the game play this way? This looks awesome. Everything up through world 5 has been terrible so far.
UnbreakableVow626 1 year ago
It's pretty obvious the princess is a bomb if u read the whole story, instead of assuming he just has girl issues.
killeot 1 year ago
As a huge fan of Team Ico I was surprised by the subtle reference to ICO in the first paragraph of the normal epilogues. I knew there were a lot of references in this game but that one especially made me smile.
Quadraxis14 1 year ago
@Quadraxis14 what reference is that ?
RedXV 1 year ago
@RedXV To one of my absolute favorite games on the PS2, Ico. The same company is making another game in 2011, The Last Guardian.
Quadraxis14 1 year ago
THE MOST LIKELY BRAID ENDING EXPLANATION EVER MUST SEE MY CHANNEL THE VID IS CALLED BRAID POWERSHIFT...READ THE DESCRIPTION!!
TheVodica 1 year ago
Now were all sons of bitches
Harelgur 1 year ago 75
@Harelgur whoever said that summed it up about right. No Cold War without that wep...but WW2 coulda lasted awhile longer without it...Just depends: are we good sons or bad? That is where the weight of that statement lies.
AGamerVids 1 year ago
@Harelgur ah you beat me to the commenting of that XD i chuckled when i read that
thezec 11 months ago
@Harelgur Kill all sons of bitches
That's my 'ficial instructions
kamilfreeman 9 months ago
At 3:07, could you have climbed the ladder next to the cannon to get to the princess?
At 3:15 and 3:28, what happens if you either don't touch the lever, or activate it earlier?
Merudo777 1 year ago
@Merudo777 You don't control that part, it's just a rewind of what you already did.
Cralfinsamhiemnater 1 year ago
Go to GameFAQ.com for an explanation to the story!! It was made by the guys who made the game!! It make PERFECT sense, pluse, you can email them questions!!
Arbinator117 1 year ago
Long story short. Tim is the atomic bomb creator. The princess is the bomb. They are never to come into contact or the world will be forever damaged. Also, a "braid" is a nuclear explosion. That's why the city is on fire at the title screen. There was a nuclear explosion!
Arbinator117 1 year ago
I just finished the game, without any help of course. Nice puzzles but the text was a bit too long and boring to read it. Except the one about the bickering over gravy drops on the tablecloth. Get this game and give your brain a workout.
MlSTERPRESlDENT 1 year ago
She is actullay running away from you.
555Soupy555 1 year ago
She Is actullay runny away from the player
555Soupy555 1 year ago
the ending confuses me
snookion899 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
You people read into the ending far, far too much. :/ It's not about any atomic bombs or stupid crap like that. It's just an artsy game, and that's all it is.
Kanakotka 1 year ago
Such a sad ending...
knightoftheround 1 year ago
some said the story about nuclear bomb? wow i thought its about benjamin button kind of story.
bobvhan 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
BRAID THE BEST LIE EVER. PLEVACOS
onlytrueplevacos 1 year ago
that story issoooo fucked up
freydey 1 year ago 3
And I love reading interpretations because people are reading way deep into something intentionally amorphous and quite frankly hamfisted in trying to be deep and artistic. Any other medium and this would be a fucking joke.
Schizima 1 year ago
This game has lovely graphics and music and gameplay but the story/concept is such absolute bullshit it's hilarious
Schizima 1 year ago
I agree with you Mr. Troll.
People are over-analyzing this so much, they're literally questioning their own existence. Obviously, they've never played other indie games before, because if they did they knew that indie developers are only there to mess around with your head. This game does make you question a lot of stuff but in the end, could you really give a rat's ass?
CurrymanCorp 1 year ago