Wow, it has taken us awhile to get a thread on this one, eh?
Yeah, so…it’s definitely different. I played it a couple weeks ago and I’ve managed to find just about every ending the game offers.
It’s really only a 2 hour game or so, be advised.
Basically, you are Stanley. You realize everyone in the office has disappeared. The narrator narrates your story…however, you can ignore the narrator and make your own decisions…which pisses him off to no end. It’s quite the adventure.
I tried the demo, but sadly, it triggered the motion sickness response I get to various screen media (IMAX films, 3D movies, certain video games or some particular parts of other video games), and I stopped playing after less than 5 minutes. Pity, since I think I’d like it.
I chose many paths but did I choose them? Did the designers and narrator not place those paths in front of me, knowing that I would be unable to resist trying each and everyone of them? Weren’t my acts of disobedience not actually taking on my role as “disobedient player”, a role which had been assigned to me in advance? Was I not responding to hints of divergent paths by taking them in much the same way that Stanley responded to prompts from the intercom?
I do not know if I played The Stanley Parable but I know that The Stanley Parable played me.
I decided to be quick and play the game before it got spoiled for me, since what I’d initially heard about it made me think that there was something to be spoiled. I needn’t have worried.
I’d feel better if I had waited until it was on sale for a couple of dollars, instead of the 11 or 12 I paid. Nevertheless, I thought it was clever, and reminiscent of Portal in terms of tone and humor.
One thing about the game, though, is that it had a rather depressive, hopeless quality to it. I’m sure they were aiming for something lighter and yet sinister, a la Wheatley or GLADOS (or, even, MichaelEMouse, above) but they often missed that mark and instead struck a futile, nihilistic tone. But the experience is short enough that it shouldn’t drag you down.
I never understand people who recommend this. Increasing the FOV makes it worse. Things get even more distorted, like you are in a fishbowl. It’s decreasing the FOV that makes things look undistorted.
I mean, do you get sick walking around without your glasses? No. But if you put on some that are too strong? Definitely.
Anyways, I’ve played the mod, and, while it was interesting, I don’t get why anyone would pay for a remake. It’s just way, way too short. I’ve played demos that are longer.
Plus, after the first playthrough (which takes 5 minutes, tops), it’s not like you ever make any more actual choices. You’re just picking other options to see what they do. So it’s really just a movie by that point.