STAY

 Xbox One
STAY Image
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 11 Ratings

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  • Summary: When Quinn awakens by himself in a locked room with only a computer hooked up to an internet chat room in which you're present, you become his single ray of hope. Your choices will single-handedly shape his escape efforts… or lead him down the path to an untimely end. [Xbox.com]

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. GameCritics
    May 23, 2018
    90
    The issues I had controlling it weren’t nearly enough to dampen the incredible experience I had playing STAY, though. In fact, because it features multiple endings, it made me do something I’ve done (maybe) twice in my life — I immediately started playing it again after the credits rolled. I didn’t necessarily want another ending, but I desperately wanted to know more about Quinn, more context to his life, and to learn more about how he got to this point. For a videogame, the ability to engender such curiosity is pretty damned rare, and a true achievement worth celebrating.
  2. Xbox Tavern
    May 29, 2018
    80
    Stay isn’t going to be for everyone. This is less of a traditional game and more of an interactive dialogue-heavy experience with a theme that largely revolves around motivation, self-esteem, will-power and anxiety. Stay’s clever “the clock is always ticking” mechanic holds up really well, as does the main character’s mood system. Though, issues with delayed input and the, at times, irritating pace, holds it back slightly.
  3. TheXboxHub
    Jun 19, 2018
    70
    STAY is completely different to anything out there at the moment, in a good way, and so it’s definitely worth checking out. Just remember that there are people that can help with those darn puzzles.
  4. GameSpew
    Jun 4, 2018
    60
    It’s just a shame that my enthusiasm and interest was eventually fully deflated by obtuse puzzles that offer no guidance and ultimately feel superfluous to the game. Get rid of them altogether and you’ve got a gripping interactive story that’s dying to be told. But with the puzzles as they are, STAY is reduced to feeling more like a badly-designed old-school adventure game. I’m gutted.
  5. Gamers' Temple
    Jul 2, 2018
    60
    In the end, STAY is a game that's premise is more interesting than the game itself. If Quinn was more focused on escape than on philosophizing and the game ditched the annoying and unnecessary puzzles, it would be a better experience. If you're expecting a game that plays like an escape room experience, you'll be disappointed in it.

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 1 out of 6
  1. KovakhiinQuinn
    Sep 29, 2020
    10
    Holy cow. As of writing this I just finished one of the seven endings (not saying which one here) in Stay. Is this game worth the $/£10? Yes!Holy cow. As of writing this I just finished one of the seven endings (not saying which one here) in Stay. Is this game worth the $/£10? Yes! A thousand times yes! Stay is a pick your path game in real time, where of you stay away too long, well, I won't spoil that. My only complaint is that some of the puzzles crash very easily on the Switch version. All in all, one of my top 10. Would recommend, if you see it, buy it. You won't be disappointed. Especially if you love Meta-horror and pop culture references.… Expand
  2. hansgruber__
    Jun 28, 2018
    10
    This is a pretty cool game. So far haven't had issues with puzzles, although I haven't got to the ones people are saying are the mostThis is a pretty cool game. So far haven't had issues with puzzles, although I haven't got to the ones people are saying are the most challenging ones. I love the details in symbols, quotes and references, and that somehow Quinn gets to your nerves. Great game!… Expand
  4. eme_minuscula
    Jun 28, 2018
    10
    This is a really special game. The story you discover while chatting away (multiple-choice style) with the poor troubled Quinn, the cutThis is a really special game. The story you discover while chatting away (multiple-choice style) with the poor troubled Quinn, the cut scenes, the description of the items he finds, the riddles and the puzzles ... make it a really profound game. It requires psychology and patience to help him out (he can be a jerk sometimes that you just wish to let him rot in there, which you actually can).

    Some puzzles are tricky and the fact that you need to figure out how they work make it even more challenging (specially the wall, which becomes a real wall in the game).

    I absolutely love the game! So for all puzzle lovers, problem solvers and profound souls out there, go for it!    … Expand
  5. GBG_Jason
    May 31, 2018
    8
    The game quickly introduces us to Quinn, a character that is clearly dealing with some mental issues and is fighting insomnia while taken fromThe game quickly introduces us to Quinn, a character that is clearly dealing with some mental issues and is fighting insomnia while taken from his bed by a strange masked figure. He wakes up in a strange, dilapidated room with a single computer in the middle of it with his only contact with the outside world being you via a chat room. The narrative is the main reason to play the game, so I won't really touch on it more, as going in blind would make for the best experience.

    You don't directly control Quinn in the game world, as you are more of an adviser, offering guidance and companionship while he tries to escape the room and figure out who brought him to this dark place, and why. You'll do this primarily by selecting responses similar to any of the Telltale games. There is much more depth to this than it sounds, as your responses will help build trust between you and our hero or make him leery, as he may assume you are in fact the person keeping him captive. You'll need to carefully monitor his emotions as well as choose your responses wisely - choosing the proper responses will result in him opening up to you on the opposite end, and choosing poorly can result in his (often brutal) death, or even push him as far as breaking or disconnecting you from the game.buca

    Death or disconnection has little consequence, at least from what I could tell, as you can reload from the beginning of the most recent chapter. The biggest setback here is some of the more challenging or tedious puzzles will have to be repeated and you will have to sit patiently waiting for Quinn to complete his often long winded monologues. I initially felt a connection and genuine sense of dread for our protagonist, but his personality quickly became the equivalent of human sand paper. While I wanted to know more about him, his angst ridden, whiny responses full of obscure pop culture references made me want to see him die over and over again, often causing me to seek out new ways to see him bite it. At one point, he complains repeatedly about being hungry, yet when a food source pops up, he complains about eating it and refuses to do so in most cases. I kid you not; Quinn is the worst of the worst when it comes to being a Debbie Downer, no matter how nice or reassuring you are.

    Through the games 25 chapters, you will often be tasked with helping Quinn solve puzzles. These start out small, often just piecing together broken photos or objects, and then become more taxing, requiring you to rearrange or sort various items. Late into the game, the puzzles become even more tedious, one of which is simply randomized - I spent close to two hours simply selecting random solutions until I got lucky. I can confirm that the end solution is completely randomized, as I know for a fact I tried the same pattern before. These are also physically taxing, as the controls to manipulate the game world are a bit wonky and the game provides absolutely no hints. The puzzles are varied with only a few repeated themes, both of which are more akin to simply putting items together like a standard cardboard puzzle.

    The game boasts a mechanic where the time you spend away from the game will impact Quinn. I returned to find him opening a fridge to only be electrocuted after a time spent away from the game; I noticed no other changes with the exception of Quinn leaving a number of needy responses asking if you are there or complaining that you don't care about him. This makes him come across as an insecure girlfriend nagging you at level nine clinger status while out with your friends. I did find it easy to relate to him and legitimately wanted to help him initially, but this lead to my disdain for the character around the two hour mark.

    The time mechanic likely impacts the ending you receive, as there are an impressive number of seven endings to unlock - the one I received being not so great. In my first playthrough, with 55 hours away and around eight hours in game, I received an ending that provided more insight as to why Quinn is so depressed. This was certainly a devastating turn of events, although it did not provide any closure to what was occurring in the game.

    The overall presentation is acceptable for the adventure genre, but the bulk of the visuals will be in the chatroom, rarely exiting to show Quinn moving from one area to the next or completing certain actions. The pixel art works well to convey his reactions to your responses and makes it easy to determine what he felt without really needing to change to the menu that shows your overall friendship or his level of trust. The game suggests using headphones to play, which invokes a sense of dread early on, but after the first chapter, most of what you'll hear is the clicking of his typing or the ambient music, which I could take or leave. If you're up for the challenge, the game will likely offer hours of entertainment.    … Expand
  6. Xbox_Alive
    Jun 7, 2018
    8
    Point-and-click adventures are something that I’ve enjoyed ever since I was little and I think that’s mainly because you can escape the hustlePoint-and-click adventures are something that I’ve enjoyed ever since I was little and I think that’s mainly because you can escape the hustle and bustle of the more complicated and action-packed games and instead go around at your own pace. STAY as far as point-and-click adventures go is a fantastic addition to the ever growing genre, and to say I enjoyed my time with the game would be a massive understatement. The most important thing for me in a game of this ilk is the story, and thankfully STAY nails this aspect of the game perfectly. The story remains interesting and immersive from start to finish and in the end it ends up conjuring up a number of different emotions along the way. These different emotions are also felt through the gameplay as well and in the end you end up getting quite attached to Quinn because of this. Despite the gameplay on the whole being very good you will however get a little frustrated from time to time because making wrong decisions can mean you have to redo the whole chapter again, which can be a pain. Here’s where a skip option would’ve been very welcome because even though the story is brilliant it can become a little tedious reading the same text over and over again. Thankfully though here’s where the frustration ended for me because everything else is pretty much spot on. The puzzles in the game were something I was especially impressed with and that’s because they made sense and were very cleverly designed. Some of the puzzles may cause a few of you some problems, but I would recommend that you ride it out because you get a great sense of achievement once you complete a difficult puzzle. Thankfully the controls that have been implemented help you a great deal when tackling the puzzles and that’s mainly because they remain fluid and responsive throughout your time with the game. In fact as far as the technichal side of the game goes there isn’t any problems at all which is great because it allows you to enjoy the presentation side of the game even more. Speaking about the presentation side of the game without a doubt this was one of my favourite things about the game. Visually the game ticked a lot of boxes for me and it definitely made me enjoy the game even more. The same can also be said about the game’s brilliant sound design and in the end they both combined together flawlessly delivering to you a very immersive experience. At the end of the day if you’re a fan of point-and-click adventures then this game is an absolute must buy. You will find it difficult to find a better game in this specific genre and that’s because they’ve got the most important aspects correct, which in turn means you end up having an unforgettable journey.… Expand
  7. Dukduka
    Nov 4, 2020
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game is fun at first, the puzzles are okay. I have a big problem once you reach the halfway point. The puzzles start making no sense. I've have to look up help for several of them. It also becomes virtually impossible to make him happy. I went from having the highest trust for the entire first half to having the lowest within a matter of two chapters. If you want gameplay that actually makes sense, this isn't the game for you… Expand