There are video games, and then there is "The Stanley Parable." The term "video game" has almost become synonymous with the action, horror and anime genres typically associated with film. Rare is it when a video game that is not about shooting people, getting jump-scared by faceless men and animatronic animals, or rescuing Princess Peach comes along and genuinely thrills players with its smarts instead of visual appeal. "The Stanley Parable" is a video game that may look bleak and relatively uninteresting at first, which is entirely the point. Once you start navigating the highly intricate labyrinth that is "The Stanley Parable," all normal video game logic is tossed out the window.
You begin the game as a man named Stanley, an office worker who is accompanied by the voice of a narrator. Stanley shows up to his office to discover that not one single person is in the building with him. The objective of the game is simple: find out why everyone is missing...or don't.
It's incredibly hard to fully explain why "The Stanley Parable" is so mind-blowingly good without revealing too much about it. The game truly is what you make of it, and its replay value is immensely rewarding. It is also quite fun to show it to your friends, especially those who normally don't play video games. Perhaps it can be summed up in a number of contradictory statements. There is a story, and there is not a story. There is a narrator, and there is not a narrator. You are Stanley, and you are not Stanley.
Hardcore gamers will liken the tone of "The Stanley Parable" to that of the "Portal" games, which are astounding in their own right. Both find their playable characters traversing through a claustrophobic labyrinth of corporate structures large and small, accompanied by a hilariously sarcastic voice. However, what "Portal" lacks is the freedom of exploration for the player. As extensive and mind-bending as it is, "Portal" is just another linear progression of events leading to one inevitable outcome. The defiance of this common video game trope is the single greatest strength of "The Stanley Parable."
There is a demo available for the game, which plays out more as a clever introduction to the themes and atmosphere of "The Stanley Parable." The witty narrator is present, as he guides you through a number of rooms containing objects found (and not found) in the full-length game. The demo comes as highly recommended as the actual game, as it makes a strong case for you to fork over $15 for what is one of the most incredible video game experiences ever created in the past few years.
