STAY (2018)

 PC
Metascore
tbd

No score yet - based on 2 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. Adventure Gamers
    May 18, 2018
    80
    STAY is a game that requires dedication, both to its digital protagonist and its puzzle solving, and features the kind of narrative that’s best digested via discussion with others who’ve played it. Eccentricities aside, it provides the kind of fodder that transcends the superficial and is recommended for anybody willing to face a slice of real-world drama.
  2. Cubed3
    May 24, 2018
    60
    STAY starts as an nail-biting adventure that's hard to let go of - literally and figuratively. Soon enough, however, it will become an exercise in frustration, partly because of the slow pace of it all, but mainly due to some bad design choices, with the aggravatingly cryptic, and speed-bumpy puzzles taking the biscuit.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 17 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 17
  3. Negative: 5 out of 17
  1. NotoriousQX
    May 12, 2019
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. I picked up this game on Switch without looking into it much, hoping for a pleasant surprise. By the end, I was mostly disappointed.

    The biggest flaw about this game is that it's supposed to be centered around empathizing with Quinn, the guy you are talking via text chat, but Stay makes that experience mostly unrewarding. The gameplay centers around helping him through this serial killer-esque house he's been trapped in for mysterious reasons. However, don't go into this looking for a mystery or even suspense, because it eventually turns out that nothing that's happening is real anyway, so therefore treating it like a real situation will only lead you to frustration.

    Quinn is clearly very depressed, and that's something I can associate with. However, he is also the sort of rambling, pretentious person that you would only tolerate in this state if you had a fond personal history, or it was your job. As a complete stranger, he gives you little reason to want to navigate the tortured labyrinth of his mind. The main reason to stick by him is the raw moral obligation to try to save another human from being murdered or imprisoned, which is done despite who he is rather than because of it. Quinn goes on long, uninteresting rambles about philosophy, makes dozens of unnecessary book and media references, assuming you even know what he's talking about, and will randomly criticize you for not understanding him when you make innocuous suggestions. Overall, I found what will cause him to like you or dislike you a complete shot in the dark, and it's not like how much he trusts you actually affects anything in the game until the end, anyway.

    It does realistically portray the kind of difficult to navigate conversations that comes up with talking to someone who is depressed, but there is a reason that most people are not happy to be dumped on with this stuff by total strangers. It would be difficult, even if you already knew and liked Quinn. Realistic or not, the writers need to give you a reason to keep playing the game. Still, i finished the game to see where it was going, though by the end I found myself scoffing out loud at a lot of the **** Quinn would say rather than being drawn in by it. Also, there is a 'fight' scene that happens where there are several dialogue choices where only one out of there choices results in anything other than death, and the game gives you little idea which is the right one. This wouldn't be so bad if it didn't make you start from the beginning of the chapter every time you fail. One of the answers that you ARE required to pick to progress seems completely absurd, and I only came upon it by process of elimination.

    A lot of the deaths that happen in this game are just completely random, and quite stupid. In one of them, he crawls into an obviously too-small vent and somehow manages to die instantly. In other, he tries to kick a door down, and the result is it spontaneously falling off its hinges (despite it functioning like a regular door in other paths) and crushes him, killing him instantly. Another, you suggest he put some tools into the appropriate places in a workshop, thinking it might be a puzzle, and a random tool falls off and kills him instantly. Another path has the suggestion that he find food to eat railroads you into death by touching a fridge that is electrified for some reason. If you tell him not to eat, however, he gets mad at you and scolds you for not having empathy. Then, if you tell him to open the fridge, he also gets mad at you.

    Possibly this makes more sense if you take into account that nothing in the game is actually real and all seems to be some sort of metaphorical psychological journey that Quinn is going on. There is no actual kidnapper, and there is no actual house - it's all in Quinn's imagination. You are not real, and the entire thing functions on dream logic. So, don't expect realistic actions to result in realistic consequences.

    One last thing: the puzzles are very hard and often rely on information that cannot be found in game. According to the devs, this was intentional, because they wanted you to feel as helpless as Quinn. While I can't say that I enjoyed all of the puzzles, and by the end I had mostly given up and just looked up a walkthrough for each one I didn't understand, I can see how such merciless puzzles may be rewarding and appealing for some people. It just wasn't for me, because I mostly just wanted to progress the story. So, take that as you will, since that could be a pro or a con depending on your tastes. One brick puzzle gives you nothing to work with what so ever and I still don't really know the logic behind the 'right' solution even after looking it up.

    Overall, baffling narrative logic and Quinn's annoying dialogue were the biggest dealbreakers for me.    … Full Review »
  2. quels
    Jan 13, 2019
    9
    STAY is more than just a game, is a journey. Every moment, dialog and item of this game has a meaning and when you understand that, the gameSTAY is more than just a game, is a journey. Every moment, dialog and item of this game has a meaning and when you understand that, the game gets even better. The artwork and music are also great pros! Give it a chance.… Full Review »
  3. AlkrEvans
    Nov 6, 2018
    10
    Stay is an indie game created with all the affection and dedication of its developers Appnormals. At first look, it looks like a storytellingStay is an indie game created with all the affection and dedication of its developers Appnormals. At first look, it looks like a storytelling game where you can take decisions in specific moments, but the truth is that this game goes deeper than that.

    The story starts with Quinn, the main character, being in a dangerous situation and he desperately ask for help using a text chat in a computer. In this moment is when you, the player, receive his help message and you will become his only contact in the world and his last ray of hope.

    Afterwards, Quinn will tell you what happened to him, which is his story and will ask for advice to know what to do in certain situations. However, is not like he will do exactly what you tell him to do. Quinn is a person and, even if you are the only person he can talk, he won’t trust you to tell you his secrets from start. You will have to gain Quinn’s confidence with your actions, just as the game advances. First, you will be strangers to each other, but slowly you will turn into acquaintances and even friends. Just what happens when you meet a person in real life.

    The game doesn’t consist only in read text and take decisions. While you are talking with Quinn you can see him in a corner of the screen with a beautiful pixel art as if he was using a webcam. Using this feature you will see his reactions when you give him advices and even when he is lying to you.

    Quinn is in a dangerous situation and he won’t be talking with you all the time. He will decide if he needs time to stay alone or if he is going to investigate the place where he is trying to find some clues. In this part is where the great pixel art of Stay really shines showing us Quinn’s movements when he is not using the computer and the world that surrounds him. Due to it you can see Quinn’s suffering and his attempts trying to face the different situations he is in. That really makes you want to help him even more.

    In specific moments, while Quinn is investigating, will find something or objects that take his interest and become a puzzle that you will have to solve so he can continue the adventure. In my opinion, I love the way that puzzles are introduced in the game. You look at it and you will have to know how to solve it without any extra help. When you solve them it’s really gratifying, but it is true that some puzzles that you find later in the story are really hard without any hint.

    I want to highlight the gorgeous OST. I really loved it. It makes you feel Quinn’s loneliness and his efforts to survive. It is difficult to explain all this sensations with words, so I recommend that when people play it they must use headphones. In that moment they will understand what I’m trying to say.

    Taking all that into account is how yours and Quinn’s adventure pass while you are enjoying the pixel art and the OST together with the humanity of its main character. All these features make that you really go deep into the game and that you think even about your own life.

    Every person had been in a hard situation in their lives. In one hand, there are those people that were lucky and they had someone who could help them. On the other hand, there are the people that hadn’t someone to talk about the situation and, even if they can’t do it, they scream from their insides “Help!”. Quinn would be in the second group of people, isolated from the world and asking for help in a text chat without even knowing if he will receive an answer.

    In my opinion, I really enjoyed the game and I hope that lots of people answers his help message. I answered and I started this adventure with Quinn in the mysterious story of Stay. An adventure I will never forget and that I will play it again for sure. The saddest thing is that he will forget about me and our adventure together.

    My friend Quinn, I won’t forget.    … Full Review »
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