The Stanley Parable

[Wentos]

 
THE END IS NEVER THE END IS NEVER THE END IS NEVER THE END IS NEVER THE END...

 
*ahem* ... The Stanley Parable is an indie computer game, released October of last year on Steam thanks to the Greenlight system. It is a remake of the 2011 Source mod of Half-Life 2, rebuilt from the ground up with new environments, paths, and narratives.
 
The Stanley Parable is not simply a video game that you play on your computer. The Stanley Parable is an experience. The Stanley Parable does not end, it does not even begin. The Stanley Parable challenges every asset and aspect of your psyche, unraveling the very constructs of your mind and the choices you make. You are Stanley, and this is your life.
 
*a-HEM* ... Anyway, the basic gist of the story is that Stanley is a man whose life is relatively simple. He gets up every morning, goes to work, inputs commands on keyboard for a while, and then goes home. But one day, mysteriously, he arrives at work to find that his co-workers have vanished, and his computer does not give him commands to input. Stricken with a sense of isolation, Stanley finally decides to get up and find the answers for himself.
 
Now, if you haven't played or seen gameplay of this game, do not go to look up a video. I'm serious, you'll be ruining the experience for yourself. This isn't an action game of any sort, it's an exploration game. Not only do you explore the environment that Stanley has been placed in, but you explore the very concepts of a game, the narrative tropes involved, and indeed even your psyche.
 
"But how am I supposed to know if I'll like it if I don't look up gameplay?" No no, you see, The Stanley Parable has a demo with which you can give it a whirl! How exciting, eh? I can already hear you vibrating with anticipation. I won't remark on how strange it for someone to vibrate when they anticipate something, but rather take it in as a compliment to how much enthusiasm I'm rousing within you. The illustrious demonstration of The Stanley Parable's feats and merits-- Oh, I should probably mention that this demonstration is not taken from any part of the main game. Yes, you see, in order to properly capture everything that makes The Stanley Parable so simply grand without coming in contact with those pesky spoilers is to take those same elements and construct them into a unique little treat. That way, when you inevitably steal your mother's/girlfriend's/pet dog's credit card to pay for the full experience, you'll be able to say "Wow! Look at all of this new content that I get to enjoy! Etc, etc, etc," and so on and so forth. Does that not simply arouse you with a sense of adventure? Does that not make you want to, say, click here to begin downloading the demonstration without a second thought? Of course it does. Come now, Stanley's adventure awaits!

[Burnt Ash]

Me and two friends played this game a few months ago. One of my friends ended up getting so pissed off at the game, you could say "Stanley" in the narrator's accent and he'd cringe.

 

Anyway, hearing the narrator interact with your decisions is definitely what makes the game for me; he adopts this really sarcastic, witty, sardonic sort of tone especially when you deviate from his intended story path and it's generally pretty funny and enjoyable.

[JezMM]

Super funny game, though I admit having got all the endings, it doesn't have too much appeal beyond that.  It was a solid piece of interactive comedy though, no doubt.

 

 

I think my fave moments were just how intense the detonation countdown was (especially compared to the original mod's version of this ending), pretty much any route that totally messed with your head via impossible map geometry (I know how they did it thanks to commentary mode in Portal 2, but was still great fun), the ending where the entire game universe gets broken to hell and back (if I recall it's the ending that actually ends with a special credits sequence) and of course, the broom closet (including the gag that eventually occurs if you visit the broom closet on multiple playthroughs in one session).

 

 

 

 

Oh, so hey, Left 4 Dead fans, I highly recommend playing this community campaign. It's a solid, fun campaign and is fancanonically set between the military base portion of the comic and The Sacrifice campaign itself.  There's a gnome hidden somewhere on the destroyed bridge in the first chapter, and if you take it to an area near the safe room in the second chapter you might just find an extremely substantial easter egg based on a certain other Source Engine game complete with exclusive voicework from the official voice actor for the narration of said other Source Engine game...

[Radiant Hero Ike]

It seems pretty interesting. Out of curiosity, though, what would its ESRB rating be, if it had one?

[SIXTH-RATE SOMA]

It seems pretty interesting. Out of curiosity, though, what would its ESRB rating be, if it had one?

 

I dunno, probably T. It might go over the heads of young'uns, and I forget how much swearing or violence is present, though I'd say not much.

 

 

Oh, so hey, Left 4 Dead fans, I highly recommend playing this community campaign.

 

don't we have a L4D topic for this tho

[JezMM]

It seems pretty interesting. Out of curiosity, though, what would its ESRB rating be, if it had one?

 

The game contains very infrequent mild swearing (I can only recall one instance of a swear word and it's used to great effect) and allusions to concepts of suicide in one ending (it makes sense in context/sounds worse than it is etc).  Would prolly be suitable for 12's and up really.  You'd prolly need to be at least that old to appreciate the dry, black comedy and themes anyway.

[Radiant Hero Ike]

I dunno, probably T. It might go over the heads of young'uns, and I forget how much swearing or violence is present, though I'd say not much.

 

 

don't we have a L4D topic for this tho

 

 

The game contains mild swearing and allusions to concepts of suicide in one ending (it makes sense in context/sounds worse than it is etc).  Would prolly be suitable for 12's and up really.  You'd prolly need to be at least that old to appreciate the dry, black comedy and themes anyway.

Thank you both, I'll think about grabbing it. I'm only asking because I like to show games with humor to my younger siblings. This game sounds fine though.

[JezMM]

don't we have a L4D topic for this tho

 

I was trying to be jokingly subtle about it but basically that campaign

has a massive Stanley Parable easter egg in it featuring voicework from the narrator made especially for the campaign, thus was recommending it to folks here who own L4D and want a little more Stanley Parable in their life

[SIXTH-RATE SOMA]

I was trying to be jokingly subtle about it but basically that campaign

has a massive Stanley Parable easter egg in it featuring voicework from the narrator made especially for the campaign, thus was recommending it to folks here who own L4D and want a little more Stanley Parable in their life

 

whoop

 

sorry about that

 

my concept of subtly is more like

 

 

carry on and download that mod folks

[Emmett L. Brown]

I was trying to be jokingly subtle about it but basically that campaign

has a massive Stanley Parable easter egg in it featuring voicework from the narrator made especially for the campaign, thus was recommending it to folks here who own L4D and want a little more Stanley Parable in their life

Big fan of Stanley Parable, but I've never played Left 4 Dead, so thanks for the heads-up.