Twisted Metal: Black takes a detour from the structure of the franchise, leaving Los Angeles behind for the fictional city of “Midtown,” with most of the game’s roster residing in Blackfield, the local asylum. The story is told from each character’s perspective, and playing through the single-player mode reveals more about that character’s backstory and what they would like from Calypso.
Playing through every character’s story, including the secret characters, unlocks Minion, the game’s mid-boss. Normally, the loading screens would give you some dialogue from the respective characters, but Minion’s loading screens are just a mess of numbers. This is where the hidden meaning shows itself.
The numbers correspond to the letters of the alphabet and, when decrypted, reveal a horrible possibility. Some of the quotes: “We are trapped in his head,” and “This is how he sees the world, how Sweet Tooth sees his life.” Later on, Minion reveals his name is Marcus Kane, which is one of the personalities of Needles Kane. This poses the idea that the entire game is taking place in the mind of Sweet Tooth, which lends itself to the game’s sinister tone and several of its endings.
