This is a game about a man named Stanley, a man who spends his day in his overly fulfilling job of pushing buttons, until one day no orders come through and all his work colleagues have gone missing. Okay, to be more specific the game is about the man or woman controlling Stanley (ie. You). No… wait… the story is actually about following the orders of or tormenting an unnamed yet omnipresent narrator who has a story to tell but requires you to pull it along – giving Stanley directions at every turn. In what would otherwise be a rather bland game of walking along corridors and pressing buttons, the narration and your own free will turn Stanley Parable into a highly enjoyable title which doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Stanley Parable originated on the Source game engine back in 2011, and caught the attention of many gamers and the gaming media (Including myself) for its open-endedness and straying away from linear plot progression… to an extent being comparable to a visual novel with hidden options you are not mean’t to follow. Earlier this month the team at Galactic Cafe launched this HD edition to the mod (Built on an engine comparable to the one used in the development of Portal 2), and features many new endings, revamped visuals and many more quirks, video game appearances (literally) and fourth wall breaking.
Now I strongly recommend you close this tab and experience the game for yourself, witness the dozen or so returning / new endings and find all the hidden easter eggs around the place. While you can easily complete most of the endings in a couple of hours, it will test your thought processes as not all of them can be found without tinkering with the game and exploiting every hidden nook and cranny. Every route offers something different, up to and including an ending featuring a museum of the game.
The Stanley Parable features enhanced visuals from the original release and it is evident from the get-go, with more open space offices areas, a greater diversity of room designs and the game doesn’t just rely on the selection of different paths to reach a different area. But there are limitations – namely just how visually impressive an office environment can look. There are a few really neat visual landmarks however, often away from the “main storyline” and also the replication of a few games that also warrant a look.
But the true star of The Stanley Parable is the narrator voiced by Kevan Brighting. Having featured as a narrator in a few video games before in addition to voice roles in other facets of voice acting, Brighting has surpassed the expectations he set in the first and gives perfect responses and reactions to give you the satisfaction of going against his will. There are a couple of VA’s that I think are perfect for video games, and Brighting joins that list containing Patrick Seitz and a few others.
The Stanley Parable is a game I would like to see Galactic Cafe continue working with. Evidently with a different storyline and probably title, but in a market where everyone is after the next big niche I think the developers could continue the game on with a different storyline. Heck, I was even raving about the demo to many people – something that I haven’t really done in the past. Its non-linear plot progression, reactable narrator and the concept behind it resounded well with me. Is it worth the $14.99 USD price tag on Steam? That may be the biggest issue given there are games (albeit older ones) that do offer a lot more gameplay for the same price. Do I regret spending that sum of money however? Nope!
