THE STANLEY PARABLE review - Lying Narrator
(Reviewed by Melody Werner)
For those who don't know, The Stanley Parable is a 2013 game developed by Galactic Cafe that typically falls under the "walking simulator" "genre" of games--games that don't have puzzles, combat, or anything like that and all gameplay generally boils down to is walking around (I've personally taken a greater liking to FPX, or "First Person eXperience" since calling these games walking simulators is akin to still calling all FPS games "DooM-clones"). However, after playing it, I think it's more like a Choose Your Own Adventure in digital form (shut up, I do know about Choice Of Games), as the fun in the game is making your choices and seeing how they play out. And this game definitely deserves its reputation as an amazing game, as it is.
For one, the voice acting, or the little that there is, is fantastic. Especially the Narrator's, who gets the character's lines down excellently and you can tell he put a lot of passion into his performance. The music, again, what little there is, is also fantastic, perfectly matching the tone and feel of the moments where it is used. The graphics are rather basic, but they are perfectly fine for what they are.
The dialogue is fantastically written as well. When it tries to be funny, you'll laugh. When it wants to make you think, you'll think. When it tries to intimidate you, you'll feel tense. When it's trying to intrigue you, you'll feel interested. When it wants to be emotional, you'll generally feel somber. Not only does the voice acting make these lines, but the writing does too.
The plot, though purposely thread bare, is very interesting and well told. Playing out each different ending is no hassle and they are all very well done. There are some that almost made me piss my pants in laughter, but most of them were really emotional and/or thought provoking. My personal favorite is the "confusion ending," which, though it takes long to play out (at least compared to the rest of the endings) is funny at points, leading up to a climax which really, truly left me speechless.
If you haven't played it yet, I suggest you do so because this game is just so damn good. Sure, it may not have combat or puzzles or minigames, but it's so cleverly written and well told that it's definitely worth the look. The Stanley Parable gets a 10/10.
Masterpiece
Summary:
Very well told, well written, well voice acted, a wonderful puzzling game despite lacking any puzzles or challenges, and has some beautiful music. When the only weak point is merely serviceable graphics, you know the game is worth the price. And if you want a similar experience, the same guy who did this also made The Beginner's Guide this year, which is just as fantastic by all accounts, though it doesn't have the branching story of The Stanley Parable.
(originally posted: 12/28/2015)
For those who don't know, The Stanley Parable is a 2013 game developed by Galactic Cafe that typically falls under the "walking simulator" "genre" of games--games that don't have puzzles, combat, or anything like that and all gameplay generally boils down to is walking around (I've personally taken a greater liking to FPX, or "First Person eXperience" since calling these games walking simulators is akin to still calling all FPS games "DooM-clones"). However, after playing it, I think it's more like a Choose Your Own Adventure in digital form (shut up, I do know about Choice Of Games), as the fun in the game is making your choices and seeing how they play out. And this game definitely deserves its reputation as an amazing game, as it is.
For one, the voice acting, or the little that there is, is fantastic. Especially the Narrator's, who gets the character's lines down excellently and you can tell he put a lot of passion into his performance. The music, again, what little there is, is also fantastic, perfectly matching the tone and feel of the moments where it is used. The graphics are rather basic, but they are perfectly fine for what they are.
The dialogue is fantastically written as well. When it tries to be funny, you'll laugh. When it wants to make you think, you'll think. When it tries to intimidate you, you'll feel tense. When it's trying to intrigue you, you'll feel interested. When it wants to be emotional, you'll generally feel somber. Not only does the voice acting make these lines, but the writing does too.
The plot, though purposely thread bare, is very interesting and well told. Playing out each different ending is no hassle and they are all very well done. There are some that almost made me piss my pants in laughter, but most of them were really emotional and/or thought provoking. My personal favorite is the "confusion ending," which, though it takes long to play out (at least compared to the rest of the endings) is funny at points, leading up to a climax which really, truly left me speechless.
If you haven't played it yet, I suggest you do so because this game is just so damn good. Sure, it may not have combat or puzzles or minigames, but it's so cleverly written and well told that it's definitely worth the look. The Stanley Parable gets a 10/10.
Masterpiece
Summary:
Very well told, well written, well voice acted, a wonderful puzzling game despite lacking any puzzles or challenges, and has some beautiful music. When the only weak point is merely serviceable graphics, you know the game is worth the price. And if you want a similar experience, the same guy who did this also made The Beginner's Guide this year, which is just as fantastic by all accounts, though it doesn't have the branching story of The Stanley Parable.
(originally posted: 12/28/2015)
Comments
Post a Comment