The Stanley Parable - Your thoughts?

[thejboy88]

For the last month or so, I've been playing the hell out of a game that could well be the funniest and smartest game I've played on the PC in a long time; The Stanley Parable. This game, which was actually a full-on remake of a mod of the same name from some time ago, features a good deal on choice, narration and just plain old humour that really got me invested in the thing right from the start.

But, to those of you who have also played this game, I would like to know your thoughts on it. Do you like it? Dislike it? Do you have a favourite ending? What choices did you make on your first playthrough? Or perhaps anything else you'd like to say about it.

 

[Legion]

I preferred the demo to the actual game. The full game I think I "restarted" around four times before starting to feel that it wasn't very funny and seemed very pointless.

I cannot recall exactly what I had for endings except one with a lot of screens and some where the narrator basically just said "let's start again for X reason".

I can see why people like it, but I cannot see where the fun lies after an hour or so.

 

[Drathnoxis]

I love the Stanley Parable! Everything about it seems to work perfectly to me: the isolated atmosphere, the mystery of the coworkers, the narrator, the little easter eggs that just make things so much weirder. The thing I like most is how well they do branching paths. In most games (recent example Until Dawn) a 'branching path' is really the same path, but with a couple trifling details changed. However, in Stanley Parable every path is completely unique and your choices have wildly varying effects.

Did you get the broom closet ending? The broom closet ending was my favorite!

 

[pookie101]

its a game where you forge your own path even if your goal is to completely break the game

 

[pilouuuu]

I think it's brilliant! I wish more Developers would take it as an example about how to do branching paths and a game in where your decisions actually do matter.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

I think it's brilliant! I wish more Developers would take it as an example about how to do branching paths and a game in where your decisions actually do matter.

I just loved the idea of trolling the narrator with our actions. I remember The Bard's Tale had a similar mechanic, and I really wish this were more of a standard. The only other game that feels a bit similar to this, in my opinion, would be The Magic Circle - in how you're mercilessly tearing down the designer and core playtester's fairly obvious and arrogant expectations.

 

[visiblenoise]

I thought it was a novel idea, but that's about it. As a game, it was lacking, and as a philosophical exploration it was very narrow in scope (as it had to be).

 

[wings012]

I had fun for a while. Then I got bored of trying to figure out all the endings and looked up a guide.

Then realized I would've probably gotten the same experience watching a LPer.

It's a nice little commentary but well, not exactly going to be chewing on it for months to come.