The Stanley Parable

GENRE: Indie Drama Story

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Single player (1)

RATING: N/A

PRICE: $19.99

AVAILABLE ON: Steam

SUMMARY:

This game takes place in an office building and the player begins controlling the character Stanley as the narrator gives directions. This game would be the most entertaining with little to no knowledge of the game ahead of time because discovering the story and the different outcomes of the decisions you make are key to the game.

The game begins with the narrator introducing the player to Stanley who is employee number 427. Stanley has a mundane office job which requires him to listen to what the computer tells him to do and to do what it says until one day the computer stops giving instructions… Stanley decides to explore his office and he can’t find any other employees. The narrator offers instructions to the player, but the player possesses a degree of agency which allows for you to make your own decisions throughout the game. Much like a choose your own adventure story the decisions a player makes will impact the ending their playthrough of the game will have. Once the game is over it can be played again to obtain new endings. The game has many fun surprises and funny features which make playing entertaining and enjoyable.

Usability

This game requires the ability to carry out basic game movements, but does not require extensive practice or experience with video games to play. Without spoiling anything there are some references in the game to other video games that may be more exciting if the player has played those games before, however overall the experience that The Stanley Parable offers would be entertaining for players of all experience levels.

If you wanted to play with friends you could screen share the game with them and while one person plays the game others could help make decisions. This is the case for any single player game, however due to the importance of decisions in this game it could be even more exciting.