I’ve spent a lot of time in 2011 playing games, but not a lot of time writing about them. Instead of my usual end-of-year game recommendations, I’d like to tell some stories or share some thoughts about the ones that meant the most to me this year. I’ll be posting one a day until Christmas. See all Games of 2011 posts.
The Stanley Parable is an experimental narrative-driven first person game. It is an exploration of choice, freedom, storytelling and reality, all examined through the lens of what it means to play a video game.
You will make a choice that does not matter.
You will follow a story that has no end.
You will play a game you cannot win.
…it’s actually best if you don’t know anything about it before you play it.
I don’t want to give anything away, but those of you who enjoy breaking the fourth wall should not overlook the wonderful Source mod, The Stanley Parable. It’s a short experience (with fantastic narration), but you’ll want to repeat it multiple times to get the most out of it.
The Stanley Parable is a mod for the Source engine. It can be installed for free on Windows, but requires at least one Source game on Steam for Mac users.