The Stanley Parable

 PC
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2315 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,756 out of 2315
  2. Mixed: 323 out of 2315
  3. Negative: 236 out of 2315

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  1. Zen-Zinxe
    Mar 11, 2014
    4
    This game genuinely made me feel like I was wasting my life. I actually felt suicidal while playing, wishing I could somehow cause the game to end entirely by having my character kill himself. Going through this game is tedious and somewhat torturous. I wasn't entirely bored by it, it was interesting enough and amusing enough to keep me playing for a few hours. But make no mistake, this isThis game genuinely made me feel like I was wasting my life. I actually felt suicidal while playing, wishing I could somehow cause the game to end entirely by having my character kill himself. Going through this game is tedious and somewhat torturous. I wasn't entirely bored by it, it was interesting enough and amusing enough to keep me playing for a few hours. But make no mistake, this is a legitimate walking simulator with less gameplay functions than the new Amnesia. It's a game for people with limited perspective. If you're impressed by psuedo-intellectual ramblings you'll enjoy this far more than me. This was nothing new, nothing groundbreaking, nothing smart, nothing innovative. It was none of these things to me.

    If I had to describe it in one sentence it would be this: It's like portal except there's no challenge and you wonder when your character will fall down and expire so you can move on with your life.

    Also the broom closet ending was f**king cash.    … Expand
  2. Avadon
    Oct 21, 2013
    4
    This is unfortunately a bad videogame, with very little gameplay and level design that consists of a couple of corridors, a few big rooms and some random references to other videogames. Its "oh-so-clever" commentary on choice is something I've discussed before with friends within about 5 minutes while sipping on some coffee, for free, without having to waste 15$ and 2 hours of my lifeThis is unfortunately a bad videogame, with very little gameplay and level design that consists of a couple of corridors, a few big rooms and some random references to other videogames. Its "oh-so-clever" commentary on choice is something I've discussed before with friends within about 5 minutes while sipping on some coffee, for free, without having to waste 15$ and 2 hours of my life playing something boring to reach the same conclusion. If this was free, I'd be kinder to it as an invitation to a discussion using the gaming medium as language, but it is not worth paying for.… Expand
  3. hapklaar
    Nov 9, 2013
    4
    The game is interesting for about an hour, after that repetition, repetition with minor twists. Not enough to keep me satisfied in any case.

    With all the good reviews here I really expected more.
  4. iseeall
    Mar 30, 2014
    4
    This is of course not a game, yet it's fun for a while (maybe 1-2 hours, until you've seen a dozen of the endings). The narrator is good but the text he reads is not always really funny. Somehow, such humor (about office workers) works better in Dilbert comics - there I laugh quite frequently. There the complex, intellectual-style language feels somehow appropriate, but here - not really.This is of course not a game, yet it's fun for a while (maybe 1-2 hours, until you've seen a dozen of the endings). The narrator is good but the text he reads is not always really funny. Somehow, such humor (about office workers) works better in Dilbert comics - there I laugh quite frequently. There the complex, intellectual-style language feels somehow appropriate, but here - not really. I still have to say that this game surely has many small great details. E.g. the whole Power Point slides sequence in the meeting room is just amazing. And the whiteboards. And the rooms where they tell which pieces of the game looked how before the release. But certainly this game isn't worth its price or any price at all, or maybe something like $1. Since it isn't a game at all, it shouldn't have been created or sold as a game - instead it could be a cartoon or maybe a movie.
    I still give it a rather high score (4) and not 1 or 0 because it does give some fun, even if it's not a lasting one. This product still offers a bit of gameplay - and strangely this kind of gameplay reminds me a typical RPG where you would explore every branch of dialogs with NPCs. Here you explore corridors and doors instead.
    The closest game to this one that comes to mind is Antichamber. However, Antichamber is way way better, there you have diverse puzzles, each with an unexpected solution. Here it's just talking and talking, like in a book/radio/TV show. This game doesn't really feel as if it were made for players and to entertain players but instead to entertain the developers - much like 2010's "Rubber" movie was fun to the director but boring to the audience.
    This app certainly is a fresh innovative attempt, but it's not really a successful attempt. Frankly, I'm not sure that the whole idea for such a game could have resulted into anything playable. Strange that they actually decided to spend effort into developing this stuff.    … Expand
  5. 01100001q
    Oct 20, 2013
    4
    The pretense is strong in this one.

    A User Score of 8.2 and a Metascore of 92 are too high for this game. Very overrated. It's interesting... not necessarily good, but definitely interesting.
  6. Gigatless
    Nov 23, 2013
    4
    I know this game is made from HL mod, but I didn't really enjoy the game.
    There are a lot of reasons why I gave it 4:
    Zero: its probably made on portal engine and its possible to make this if you are a modder with a team. Nothing special about it yet. - First: You don't know where it ends. - Second: a lot of nonsense here and there. - Third: You don't have any aim in the game    I know this game is made from HL mod, but I didn't really enjoy the game.
    There are a lot of reasons why I gave it 4:

    Zero: its probably made on portal engine and its possible to make this if you are a modder with a team. Nothing special about it yet.

    - First: You don't know where it ends.
    - Second: a lot of nonsense here and there.
    - Third: You don't have any aim in the game including the thing "Maybe you would like to know more about it". Well, I don't want to explore empty offices over and over again just to find new nonsense ****.
    - Fourth: I don't like this kind of voice acting. It Too polite. I don't enjoy overplaying. I don't enjoy being treaten with respect in game. Im completely tired of this. Some character in game should tell me that Im an idiotic player and that nobody cares if I would ever complete the game. That would motivate me these days way more than usual.
    - Fifth: you just wonder and push the buttons and get entertain. Thats pretty much all about this game.    … Expand
  7. SickRamen
    Jan 18, 2014
    4
    Overhyped "work of art".
    Have you seen the painting of a pipe by Rene Magritte, where on top of the pipe it is written "This is not a pipe" ?
    Well, Stanley's Parable does the same thing to a game. It combines absurd logic and writing, with mockery, self-depreciation, and an overuse of repetition. Ok... but the problem is that it's just simply not fun to play. You are just walking in a    Overhyped "work of art".
    Have you seen the painting of a pipe by Rene Magritte, where on top of the pipe it is written "This is not a pipe" ?
    Well, Stanley's Parable does the same thing to a game. It combines absurd logic and writing, with mockery, self-depreciation, and an overuse of repetition.

    Ok... but the problem is that it's just simply not fun to play. You are just walking in a big museum of absurd comedy. At times, it can be brilliant and make you laugh, but also repetitive, annoying, and not really revolutionary. Since there is no real gameplay involved, you might as well save yourself the 10 bucks and just watch someone play it on youtube. Because for only 2 hours of content, the price of the game is even more absurd than it's art.    … Expand
  8. mtRoom
    Aug 22, 2014
    4
    Not a terrible game, just quite frankly... boring. If you want a game that gives you a good feeling each time you accomplish a task, defeat a difficult enemy, or solve a challenging puzzle, look elsewhere. This is more of an interactive comedy movie, albeit a comedy movie where the the comedy is thin and where the movie has no plot.

    The entertainment value of the game relies solely on    Not a terrible game, just quite frankly... boring. If you want a game that gives you a good feeling each time you accomplish a task, defeat a difficult enemy, or solve a challenging puzzle, look elsewhere. This is more of an interactive comedy movie, albeit a comedy movie where the the comedy is thin and where the movie has no plot.

    The entertainment value of the game relies solely on its ability to generate humour through a cheery-voiced Brit making observations about Stanley's directions and though I had a few chuckles at the beginning, it got tedious fairly quickly. In fact, I imagine the people who were mostly amused were the developer's themselves.

    The overriding feeling of pointlessness becomes evident the moment you realise there's no actual story; just a series of introductions and endings. If the humour was clever and witty, I could appreciate it. More often though, I'm sitting waiting for the narrator to hurry up and finish his next rant or remark so we can move on, despite knowing full well the game isn't go to go anywhere.

    In the end, I came to realise that the game had never really left where it started, only it's the player sitting there pushing the buttons as the computer spits out orders. It's just a pity I coudn't find the 'refund' button anywhere..    … Expand
  9. VeggyZ
    Feb 23, 2014
    4
    Now, I have not given this game as much time as some, but I have given it a good handful of hours and I did find it quite enjoyable and humorous. However, the narration being good and clever, and the branching "stories" that you cause lose some appeal when one considers that he must replay a lot of the same things to find the alternate branches. Within my first 2 hours I had literallyNow, I have not given this game as much time as some, but I have given it a good handful of hours and I did find it quite enjoyable and humorous. However, the narration being good and clever, and the branching "stories" that you cause lose some appeal when one considers that he must replay a lot of the same things to find the alternate branches. Within my first 2 hours I had literally found roughly 30 percent of what the game had to offer, and after playing a few more hours I was certainly getting tired of reliving the first moments of the game (...or the later moments) to try and discover more twists and outcomes.

    The game is truly unique and the narration is well done, and it is quite funny. So why did I give this a lowish score? It is what it is, and it isn't much more than that. There's a very clear limit to what can be done and this limit can be reached very quickly in comparison with many, or most, other games. The developers clearly knew this as one of the achievements is to not play the game for 5 years. Perhaps, for a lower price, I would have a more favorable review but I do believe it was a little too high to warrant the amount of content and the repetitive nature of the game.

    It was a fun ride, but a little short and I'm unfortunately left with little desire to seek out the rest of the meat. Which is a reasonable portion of the game, but still not enough content in the mean-time to warrant the play time you invest to find the rest.

    I think, the reason that this game has such high scores overall is because those reviews are being made by less hardcore gamers whose expectations may not be as lofty as my own. I knew what I was getting into when I bought it, but I didn't know it would be as short lived as it is. For a casual gamer who doesn't mind spending just an hour or two playing a game (most likely, those who have the game purchased for them by their parents) I'm sure the game is a delightful departure from the norm, but for those like me, we expect more in the way of content.

    What it does, it does do well. But it doesn't do all that much and that's the most glaring problem I have with it - and this is a big problem for a video game, casual or not.

    My rating is a 4. It's a fun concept and decent entertainment, but not for nearly long enough at the price and the concept isn't exactly revolutionary - it's been done in most open ended games - the only difference is here we have a narrator who comments on what we choose to do, or to ignore. I guess I thought I'd get a little bit more playtime out of it.    … Expand
  10. Ergenus
    Sep 3, 2014
    4
    Idea is original, game is interesting, but paying 15 bucks for a "1 Hour to Complete" game is bad. Moreover, that 1 hour was actually boring. Most of that 1 hour passes by listening the narrator. Even 5 $ seems a lot for this game.
  11. 4ya5h1
    Nov 9, 2022
    4
    idea of this game is really interesting, but the realisation, imo is bad. there is a tv show "Severance", and its awesome, really awesome, but this game is just... iunno its really boring just to walk and do nothing, also its too short
  12. Pelu
    Jan 23, 2016
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Indie trash without a real game. It's wannabe philosophical, lasts as long as a movie, but is an order of magnitude less interesting than most movies. There were a couple of good jokes that made me smile but it lacks content. The choices you had could have been made so much more interesting than just "go left, go right", replicated 8 times.… Expand
  13. areviewer
    Oct 22, 2013
    3
    First off. This is not a game, it is a walking simulator that contains very little actual gameplay and is focused on story and narrative which is delivered by your standard British holier than thou voice which very quickly becomes annoying. The message that the game is trying to convey is admittedly interesting but nowhere near the thought provoking masterpiece that reviewers would haveFirst off. This is not a game, it is a walking simulator that contains very little actual gameplay and is focused on story and narrative which is delivered by your standard British holier than thou voice which very quickly becomes annoying. The message that the game is trying to convey is admittedly interesting but nowhere near the thought provoking masterpiece that reviewers would have you believe. Overall it has its merits and if you enjoy games such as gone home or dear esther it could be worth a purchase but as of now asking $15 for this is simply insulting. Highly recommend either getting it in a steam sale or the inevitable indie bundle that will contain it… Expand
  14. AlFredo2
    Oct 18, 2013
    3
    Not a particularly brilliant game. Some jokes were amusing, but quickly became old and boring with each "replay". Easy to get all endings within a few hours, and game quickly becomes pointless and worthless thereafter. Definitely not worth its overinflated reviews or price. Wait for a sale.
  15. MayhemMike83
    Oct 19, 2013
    3
    Well I'm sorry but this isn't a game. You basically run around trying to find the story of the game with a narrator helping you do so. The point of it is to show you the limitations of gaming, maybe even of your life but in all honesty, ppl who think about "life" or "games" know that already and don't need this software.

    So, if you want a real game a piece of entertainment then avoid    Well I'm sorry but this isn't a game. You basically run around trying to find the story of the game with a narrator helping you do so. The point of it is to show you the limitations of gaming, maybe even of your life but in all honesty, ppl who think about "life" or "games" know that already and don't need this software.

    So, if you want a real game a piece of entertainment then avoid this title but if you want to experience what game design is all about then feel free to buy this and run around in circles for an hour.    … Expand
  16. J4MESOX4D
    Dec 3, 2013
    3
    I picked this up on Steam cheap after reading rave reviews about the game and despite this being half price; it is not worth the money. This is an extremely overrated title that shouldn't warrant any cost. The concept is quirky and the narrative amusing but it feels as if these are factored in to cover up the sheer linearity of the game. You basically play an office worker called StanleyI picked this up on Steam cheap after reading rave reviews about the game and despite this being half price; it is not worth the money. This is an extremely overrated title that shouldn't warrant any cost. The concept is quirky and the narrative amusing but it feels as if these are factored in to cover up the sheer linearity of the game. You basically play an office worker called Stanley and the voice-over story depicts his life and job. You can either follow the story how it is told or go your own way which impacts the person telling the story. This can be humorous but it's hardly up there with Steven Merchant from Portal 2. You can complete the game in many different ways and even in under 5 minutes. There is bascially nothing to this 'game' apart from the narrative and a few corridors. There is no depth or ingenious moments that really stand out like we have seen in many other budget games or mods.

    The Stanley Parable has joined the growing list of indie/arcade titles that cost money and are give huge plaudits from the media but are actually poor attempts at conveying a game. Developers should be judged on their product solely and not taking into account factors surrounding development or the budget it cost to make the game. This is a poor, pricey and tedious attempt of a mod and the fact the game has a price-tag is shocking. The narrative saves it in some way but if you want to experience this title; just watch a few YouTube videos of the game in action.    … Expand
  17. noelhuxley
    Dec 2, 2013
    3
    Bought this "game" in a sale... and glad I didn't pay full price.

    Played for a total of 52 minutes, completed the game and quit... found myself yawning throughout.

    Like many people I really don't know how the hell this got such a high score.

    Really disappointing!
  18. SciBoy
    Nov 20, 2013
    3
    The premise is not as interesting as others might lead you to believe. It is pretty meta and very well made, but the game is waaaaay too short for the cost (I literally payed the exact same amount for Amalur: Reckoning, which I played for 100 hours at least, whereas I've already seen almost all of TSP after 1 hour or so of playing it).
    If it was priced at $2 or so, it would get a great    The premise is not as interesting as others might lead you to believe. It is pretty meta and very well made, but the game is waaaaay too short for the cost (I literally payed the exact same amount for Amalur: Reckoning, which I played for 100 hours at least, whereas I've already seen almost all of TSP after 1 hour or so of playing it).
    If it was priced at $2 or so, it would get a great score. As it is, I was expecting sooo much more.    … Expand
  19. bigpmpnick06
    Jan 1, 2014
    3
    The game was semi-interesting for about 45 minutes. At that point I had about a third of the endings and was left with no desire to experience the others. No replayability to it at all.
  20. tazhda24
    Jun 25, 2014
    3
    Bought game on sale for ~$8. Thought I was getting a bargain. Was expecting hours of gameplay, dozens of endings and a well thought out ending to tie the game together.....if you have similar expectations, I want to warn you in advance.
    The game can be played through most endings (without being too pedantic) in an hour or so. There are no puzzles to solve here. The game is very linear in    Bought game on sale for ~$8. Thought I was getting a bargain. Was expecting hours of gameplay, dozens of endings and a well thought out ending to tie the game together.....if you have similar expectations, I want to warn you in advance.
    The game can be played through most endings (without being too pedantic) in an hour or so. There are no puzzles to solve here. The game is very linear in that there aren't really that many endings and 99% of objects aren't interactable.
    Only time I smiled was when I wondered if it was possible to fall onto something and found out I could, and the narrator reacted to my action. But that one moment was pretty much the only good moment in the game. I thought the game would be clever and make me think. I think what the game tries to do is criticise the linearity of certain games. But I am a GTA / Just Cause fan, where the worlds are 100x more open world than the Stanley Parable, so from my point of view it didnt really make me think.
    This game is marketed as a mystery. What is the Stanley Parable you might ask? It is a mystery people are buying into..thats pretty much it    … Expand
  21. thiagoFerreiraL
    Jun 29, 2014
    3
    I bought this game on a sale and I thank god for that, for if I didn't, I would feel ripped off badly.
    Some people call "Artsy Games" games that have little to no gameplay and focuses on story alone. The Stanley Parable doesn't have a gameplay nor a story. So what is it? Just a walking simulation about breaking the 4th wall. It's not a game, it's basically a lecture.
    I played for about 1    I bought this game on a sale and I thank god for that, for if I didn't, I would feel ripped off badly.
    Some people call "Artsy Games" games that have little to no gameplay and focuses on story alone. The Stanley Parable doesn't have a gameplay nor a story. So what is it? Just a walking simulation about breaking the 4th wall. It's not a game, it's basically a lecture.
    I played for about 1 hour and I had laughs here and there but that's it. There's no nothing more to the game, which boggles my mind seeing so much good reviews, I don't even know if I played the same game as those.
    And don't get me wrong, I love "Artsy games", like To The Moon, but I wouldn't call The Stanley Parable "Art" whatsoever.    … Expand
  22. rsrocha
    Jul 22, 2014
    3
    A walking simulator to the core, this game utterly lacks ANY player interaction whatsoever, being an on-rails experience where you just move from point A to point B as soon as the game's narrator allows you to after a random rant. The scenery is incredibly bland and really shows the game's roots as a mod. While it's an interesting experience for the way it mocks videogames as a medium,A walking simulator to the core, this game utterly lacks ANY player interaction whatsoever, being an on-rails experience where you just move from point A to point B as soon as the game's narrator allows you to after a random rant. The scenery is incredibly bland and really shows the game's roots as a mod. While it's an interesting experience for the way it mocks videogames as a medium, it's not something that deserved the money i spent on it. Its theme is not even original, having been tackled years prior by MGS2.… Expand
  23. skulltulainahat
    Dec 20, 2014
    3
    Even though The Stanley Parable is a game priced at $14.99, it still is not worth it. There really isn't much going for it except the charm, which wears off quickly. Sure, some of the jokes are mildly amusing, but most of the narration is bland. I forced myself to play an hour of it, and I will not be returning. This game lacks gameplay, which is not an issue with certain games, but in TheEven though The Stanley Parable is a game priced at $14.99, it still is not worth it. There really isn't much going for it except the charm, which wears off quickly. Sure, some of the jokes are mildly amusing, but most of the narration is bland. I forced myself to play an hour of it, and I will not be returning. This game lacks gameplay, which is not an issue with certain games, but in The Stanley Parable it is. When all I am doing in a game is walking through bland environments and listening to a bland narrator, I will surely want my fourteen dollars and ninety nine cents back. I don't understand the praise for this game. It is simply dull.… Expand
  24. RealLeather
    Dec 23, 2015
    3
    A game about how/why we play games but without any engaging gameplay and plenty of meandering one-sided dialogue to sit through instead. I read a while back before I ever played The Stanley Parable that it breaks the fourth wall continuously but it unfortunately doesn't... It would be more accurate to say that it BREACHES the fourth wall and it does so with all the subtlety of a CoD spA game about how/why we play games but without any engaging gameplay and plenty of meandering one-sided dialogue to sit through instead. I read a while back before I ever played The Stanley Parable that it breaks the fourth wall continuously but it unfortunately doesn't... It would be more accurate to say that it BREACHES the fourth wall and it does so with all the subtlety of a CoD sp campaign setpiece.

    The writing is so on the nose and lacks any nuance, this is the kind of dialogue you would expect to hear at a children's pantomime show though I doubt musings on the perils of a virtual reality existentialist crisis would make for great entertainment in practice, especially for them chilluns. I respect the fact that the team tried to do something different but Christ alive this is some weapons-grade pretentiousness. I love games and gaming and you probably do too but if you want to discuss these facets of gaming then make a goddamned documentary not a mod with a bizarre voiceover harping on at you.    … Expand
  25. BeeSting1
    Jan 1, 2021
    3
    Decent for an interactive short. Bad for a game.

    Good - Having the narrator converse directly to the protagonist (Stanley) is an interesting perspective. It breaks the fourth wall in a way that you don't see in any other game. - The narrator had some clever, interesting, and funny things to say about game design, and choices. - Spurs some deep thoughts about the relationship    Decent for an interactive short. Bad for a game.

    Good

    - Having the narrator converse directly to the protagonist (Stanley) is an interesting perspective. It breaks the fourth wall in a way that you don't see in any other game.

    - The narrator had some clever, interesting, and funny things to say about game design, and choices.

    - Spurs some deep thoughts about the relationship and thought process between how the developer and player both experience a game.

    - Narrator's voice sounded good.

    Bad

    - The game is too short. Even after completing and restarting to experience every path, it gave me less than 3 hours of play time.

    - The game is way too shallow. I couldn't interact with many objects, and ones that I could interact with didn't do anything.

    - The premise was too simple. The office is empty because the narrator removed them. Disobey Narrator, and he'll do some stuff to you, then restarts the game. This basically summarizes what happens on every path. There is very little depth to be found after the game has made its point.    … Expand
  26. Yaav13
    May 9, 2022
    3
    My truthful honorable incorruptible conclusive rating of this considered game: 3.
  27. diehard-gamer
    Dec 30, 2014
    2
    Disappointing. Just purchased this for £3 on steam. Completed it in two attempts and under 15 minutes. By 'completed' I mean I reached the end/credits zone. Not impressed. It's a mildly interesting diversion - but £3 for less than 15 minutes makes it very expensive (not to mention linier and simplistic) entertainment compared to say £40 for 100+ hours on Dragon Age 3. I'm sure there areDisappointing. Just purchased this for £3 on steam. Completed it in two attempts and under 15 minutes. By 'completed' I mean I reached the end/credits zone. Not impressed. It's a mildly interesting diversion - but £3 for less than 15 minutes makes it very expensive (not to mention linier and simplistic) entertainment compared to say £40 for 100+ hours on Dragon Age 3. I'm sure there are alternate looping paths through the game, but knowing the ending I'm really not that interested.… Expand
  28. VisceralVIcar
    Oct 21, 2013
    2
    Whenever I complete a game, I ask myself "would I have been content watching someone else play this game?" The Stanley Parable is one of those few games along side with Gone Home, Dear Esther, and Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs that I have answered "Yes" to that question. In the barest form, the Stanley Parable is a walking simulator with an interactive choice driven audio book attached toWhenever I complete a game, I ask myself "would I have been content watching someone else play this game?" The Stanley Parable is one of those few games along side with Gone Home, Dear Esther, and Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs that I have answered "Yes" to that question. In the barest form, the Stanley Parable is a walking simulator with an interactive choice driven audio book attached to it. Whenever I started watching YouTube videos on the first Batman Arkham game to decide if I wanted to buy it or not, I had to desire to play the game. I wanted to overcome the challenges myself and after getting 100% on Asylum and City, I can say that I achieved that. I beat the Joker, Penguin, Bane, Thug #427, and the Riddler. I stopped Hugo Strange! I overcame those challenges not someone else. I had to deal with the consequences of failing a particular section. The Stanley Parable presents no challenges, no reason to play the game after you have experienced every ending, and no way to fail the game besides not at least getting one ending. The only reason I can see why you would want to play the game versus watching someone else play is the inquisitive thought you will have when the person takes one choice over the other. You will ask yourself what would happen. However, I did not feel any sort of accomplishment playing this game. I felt the same hollow feeling when I played Dear Esther, Gone Home, and Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs as I asked the game as if It would talk back "is this it? Is this all you have to offer?". I felt like I had wasted money, that I had fallen into the trap of my friends proclaiming the game's greatness and brilliance, that I had given into the hype of the game.… Expand
  29. timmytime
    Oct 22, 2013
    2
    An absolutely piece of game. It claims to be a parable, and while it is insultingly stupid there's no profound lesson here for you to learn. Other than a series of arbitrary choices. Ultimately you'll only enjoy this if you want to play a comedy game with dull oh-so-witty humour from the British narrator. Don't play this. Also it pisses me off that this doesn't get the same "Is it reallyAn absolutely piece of game. It claims to be a parable, and while it is insultingly stupid there's no profound lesson here for you to learn. Other than a series of arbitrary choices. Ultimately you'll only enjoy this if you want to play a comedy game with dull oh-so-witty humour from the British narrator. Don't play this. Also it pisses me off that this doesn't get the same "Is it really a GAME?" criticism that Gone Home did when this is much worse and insultingly shallow.… Expand
  30. strav
    Nov 20, 2013
    2
    Now that the "artsy game" genre is beginning to spread, it seems that it was inevitable that a game such as The Stanley Parable would someday come out. While I'm certainly not against games that will abstract themselves from the traditional gaming paradigms, I demand that they remain GAMES, NOT STATEMENTS ABOUT GAMES. And so, don't be fooled by that pseudo-wisecrack-british-accent narratorNow that the "artsy game" genre is beginning to spread, it seems that it was inevitable that a game such as The Stanley Parable would someday come out. While I'm certainly not against games that will abstract themselves from the traditional gaming paradigms, I demand that they remain GAMES, NOT STATEMENTS ABOUT GAMES. And so, don't be fooled by that pseudo-wisecrack-british-accent narrator that'll accompany you all along the way: The Stanly Parable is a statement about games that, in itself, is a poor game.

    In the end, it's really no wonder that this title has received such a high critical acclaim; it's indie, it's unconventional, it's a game about games, it's pure critic's dog food. Let me hammer it again: it's not enough to step out of the traditional gaming paradigms just for the sake of it, you still have to make a game. This is what Anti-Chamber did, this is what Telltale did with (love it or not) with Walking Dead, this is what Miasmata did; those game stepped out of the conventional path and yet, they stand by themselves.

    And then you have your Andy Warhol games: The Stanley Parable, Gone Home (a very bland experiment in cheap empathy) and Dear Esther (that thing is so pompous I tried 3 times to spend more than an hour in front of it without feeling like I'm watching the English Patient).    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Best PC Game of 2013
17
#17 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
49
#49 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 47 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 46 out of 47
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 47
  3. Negative: 0 out of 47
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Mar 11, 2014
    84
    The Stanley Parable is many things. It's an interactive comedy, an existential riddle and an experiment in storytelling. Most importantly, it's pretty good. [Nov 2013]
  2. GameOver.gr
    Jan 23, 2014
    100
    It's one of those games that tries and succeeds in making a bold statement. Be prepared for something really special.
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  3. Games Master UK
    Dec 25, 2013
    90
    Step away from this review and play it now. Or don't. Whatever you do is already ordained. OR IS IT?! [Jan 2014, p.83]
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