Lotus wrote:The Stanley Parable - 5/10
+ Interesting idea
+ Some amusing moments
- The whole shtick starts to wear thin very quickly
- Gets annoying having to repeat things
- Quickly gets boring
I'm slightly confused by the amount of praise this game seems to get, and the reviews from the time of its release lauding it as something amazing. It's a nice idea, but one with little depth, and everyone seems to think it's far cleverer and deeper than it really is.
As a meta-narrative on player choice in a typical game's narrative (or as the game stresses, the illusion of choice) I think it's pretty unparalleled. It asks whether player choice in branching narratives is really meaningful, specifically in the form that The Stanley Parable itself takes, which is a branching path of predefined and written stories. Stanley is supposed from the outset to have no free will as he is not a real person, but in taking control as the player the game initially supposes that
you do. Quickly this reverses as you understand whatever you do, even when it appears to be self-directed, you are only following a predestined path as anticipated by the developer. Even when you appear to unveil the game as a game, it's only an illusion as another part of the game itself, leading to the conclusion that the only free and meaningful choice you have as a player is to stop playing.
The game is of its time in that it's a reaction to the dominant forms of storytelling in gaming - it's not really got anything to say about emergent gameplay or the sorts of narratives created between the player and the randomised nature of roguelikes for example. I still think it's relevant to today's market, even as walking sims continue to evolve as a genre (which is what The Stanley Parable is) and we are seeing interesting real-time developing narratives in "live" games and games as a service, like with Fortnite.
I think what The Stanley Parable does so well is being entertaining at the surface level, with genuinely amusing writing (and a good lead performance in the narration) as well as constantly surprising and subverting expectations, but also being more introspective and challenging with its themes as outlaid above, so it's more than just idle amusement.
I completely understand that not everyone is going to engage with the game in the same way as me though! It's just as valid to only play it as an amusing but throwaway game, and I can see how the shortness and one-note gameplay would dampen reception.