NOTE: Due to a sudden moment of clarity, the original
author has realized that the initial review of The Stanley Parable did not
truly represent the game in question and contained many misunderstandings,
including the concept of an “objective review,” and the views expressed were, quite
frankly, insulting to potential readers. We at Trophy Unlocked deeply apologize
for this and, as a result, the initial review has been thoroughly rewritten,
though some of the inoffensive text has been maintained. If you would like to
see the original text, you may do so after the break.
UPDATE
(10/27/2014)
In July 2011, a man named Davey Wreden released a mod built
on the Source engine known as The Stanley Parable. This mod presented itself as
a work of interactive fiction and received critical praise for its narrative
and sense of exploration, as well as the voice-over provided by British actor
Kevan Brighting. Sometime later, he was approached by William Pugh, who wanted
to help Wreden remake The Stanley Parable as a stand-alone release. This
collaboration, which also brought back Kevan Brighting as the narrator, led to
the release of the HD version of The Stanley Parable on Steam by the newly
formed development team of Wreden and Pugh, named Galactic Cafe. Although
more of a work of interactive fiction than an actual game, the HD version of
the The Stanley Parable, released October 2013, has proven to be a worthy
investment for any gamer as well as something worth having serious discussions
about.
Spoiler
Note: Due to the nature of The Stanley Parable, it is best to go in blind for
the best experience, as there are many surprises that don’t have as much of an
impact by reading about them. Because of this, there will be unmarked spoilers
regarding the events of the game. If you wish to remain unspoiled, then hit
Ctrl+F and search “Verdict”.
The Stanley Parable follows a man named
Stanley who has an office job, as employee number 427, which requires him to
press buttons on command. The computer on his desk tells him what buttons to
push and how long to push them. Any normal person would have found this job to
be tedious and repetitive. However, Stanley is very content with his job and is
very happy to do it day after day. One day, Stanley wonders if there’s a world
outside of his office and so decides that he’ll need to explore the office
building he works in to find out, that is, if he so chooses to leave his
comfort zone (if it’s even his choice at all).
What happens to Stanley next is entirely
up to the choices made by the player. You can choose to follow the story that
the narrator has laid out for you or you can ignore his instructions to
discover a new path and thus a new story. The narrator will try to railroad you
back onto the proper story path, but deviate enough and he’ll alter the script
to suit the new path that Stanley has chosen, but of course Stanley can always
change the new story up to a point if he so desires. The idea of choice is
actually what drives the narrative, if the end result even has a narrative. I
found it amazing just how many story branches Galatic Cafe was able to account
for, with a total of 19 different possible endings (two of them being the
unofficial Whiteboard and Broom Closet endings). Finding these endings in itself
is actually quite thrilling and is a primary source of fun and replay value for
the player. Combined with the number of easter eggs and other surprises waiting
in store, including random room conditions or layouts, it’s quite possible that
the player will find themselves immersed for hours scouring for every last
possibility.
What’s most intriguing about these
endings however is the fact that they all seem to deliver some kind of lesson
about video games (acting as a sort of parable if you will). These endings and
unique story paths all deconstruct some aspect of gaming, including the
illusion of choice, the idea of “art” games with no real substance and the idea
of linear story paths in supposedly nonlinear games. I found each of the ending
paths to say something extremely relevant to the game environment in which the
game saw release, though I’d wager that they’ll prove to be relevant sometime in
the near, or even far, future. In fact, these story paths are the best part of
the game because it seems that The Stanley Parable actually has something to
say, unlike most of its indie brethren. At least one lesson, not letting time
make a decision for you, is good to take away for one’s own life as well.
Though there is certainly a lesson to
learn within the game, what really helps drive each of the points home is the
wonderful narration by Kevin Brighting. His voice is easy to listen to and he
is capable of delivering his, often witty, lines with a very snarky tone. There’s
a good emotional range too, such as one side quest of sorts that gives the
narrator an infectiously encouraging vibe. On top if that, his character is
written pretty well, since sometimes he shows pity for Stanley and, in some
endings, is shown to have limited control over his own actions. Being able to
make a sort of emotional connection with the narrator is an accomplishment on
its own, especially a narrator who manages to have more characterization than
the main character (though this is excusable, since Stanley is implied to be an
avatar for the player).
The Stanley Parable is made using the Source
engine, though everything looks great, save for some times when getting too
close to specific textures makes them a little blurry (keyboards on computers
for instance). In a way it’s kind of what you’d expect from an engine as old as
it is, though the appearance of the world feels different from other Source
engine games. The controls are very responsive and everything runs very
smoothly with little to no lag depending on your computer’s performance at the
moment. I like the suitably bright color palette, as it reinforces the
satirical nature of the game. The lighting can also get pretty atmospheric when
things go dark, striking a good balance with the myriad tonalities of the increasingly
forking paths. As for music, what little tracks there are aren’t that bad,
though I really like Who Likes to Party by Kevin MacLeod, which is integrated in
the most humorous way possible.
On a final note, I give props to the
inclusion of the Museum Ending, as it gives a glimpse into the development
process behind The Stanley Parable (though I’m sure a lesson can be found in
this ending as well, like the nature of the game’s existence in and of itself
from an in-universe perspective). Behind-the-scenes stuff can sometimes be very
fascinating, this being an example of a very intriguing and engrossing
presentation of it.
Verdict
For what it is, I’d consider The Stanley
Parable to be a very worthwhile investment. The story, or lack thereof, is very
engaging and the ideas presented are worth thinking about. At the same time, it
presents these ideas in a fun and lively way and never for a second comes off
as pretentious. I highly recommend buying it when possible, as this is a time
when a $15 asking price seems good, especially for an indie game. If you’re
still on the fence, I’d recommend playing the free demo, which differs
completely from the final game, but gives a pretty good idea of what its deal
is. If $15 still seems a little pricey, then feel free to grab it during a
Steam Sale, whatever it takes to play this wonderful gem [NOTE: Trophy Unlocked does not
condone piracy].
