The Stanley Parable

As a child,I watched many lets plays on this game, I had practically every ending memorized, recently I bought the game, this may be the best purchase I've ever made in my life, I've never experienced a game within the vicinity of the intro cut scene in term of greatness. the level of thought and care put in to this game is incomprehensible. every single thing in this game is amazing, the amount of character Stanley and the narrator have without being seen/heard is incredible, you could be wandering around, walk into the broom closet and the game has more than 5 lines of dialogue just for that. this game has so much story to it to, while at the same time not having any, every story is not true and the other will contradict it, you don't know what to believe and that is beautiful. i would recommend this game very very strongly.

really good, would play periodically if i was not waiting for 5 year

This is a game where you play as a man named Stanley. But it is also a game where you won't play as a man named Stanley. There's might be a game here, or not. I don't know. Go see for yourself.

By now I think you should realise that the mysteries and the comedy is what define this game. This is pretty much the kind of game I would make.

The price is a bit high for what I would pay for though, but as far as the game goes, I like the jokes and witty commentary that are in this game. The narrator is funny and very trollable.

By the way, to anyone reading this, what is your favourite ending? Mine is theb room closet ending!1 XD

actively trying to get that achievement where you wait five years or something

I didn't play this game for 5 years just to get the achievement.

Nothing ground breaking or mind bending or revolutionary as people say.
The idea is interesting but the execution it's not that great.
You get the gist right away and after that, you're left trying to get different endings, one more disappointing than the other.
I don't get why people worry about spoilers with this game. The game gets spoiled after the first 10 minutes. You keep going on, just hoping it might have something else to offer, but it doesn't.

It's like watching some modern/post-modern/dadaist/whatever art exhibition. I wan't to see it all, as quickly as possible, so I can leave it behind me.

I got all the endings.

My favourite was the one where he got splatted on the floor.

Just me?
Oh, well, just remember, it's not real. Except the narrator.
I'm talking to you, Elon Musk.
I know your secret.

Great game but disappointed Galactic Cafe didn't offer an upgrade path / DLC for those who already put their $$ down on this game years ago, I don't see the point of paying full price for Deluxe for the same game with added areas.

I could listen to this narrator telling a story an hour long about how a sandwich fell face down and it would be entertaining.

The Stanley Parable is an exceptional game for it's simple but nevertheless innovative approach on narration structure, if you like an unusual games which are the experiments by itself, this is just a must-have!

Amusing "game" that caused quite a stir many years ago. Roaming around and finding something amusing here and there, can offer some entertainment for a short bit, but there's not really much 'game' here.

The narrator dialogue is the best part. Other than that, it's slightly more than a visual novel where you have to find all the alternate endings to consider it complete.

4/10

Absolutely mind-bending and introspective. I great vibes game full of thought and contemplation.

Game was WAY too short. It should take longer than 7 hours to %100 a $15 game, no matter how amazing the first 3 are.

recently replayed the game. and after 12 years the game still holds up

From a mod, to a full game, to studios, The Stanley Parable has left its mark on video game history.

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☐ Beautiful
☑ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS

---{ Gameplay }---
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't

---{ Audio }---
☑ Eargasm
☐ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf

---{ Audience }---
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma

---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☑ Potato
☐ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

---{ Game Size }---
☐ Floppy Disk
☑ Old Fashioned
☐ Workable
☐ Big
☐ Will eat 10% of your 1TB hard drive
☐ You will want an entire hard drive to hold it
☐ You will need to invest in a black hole to hold all the data

---{ Difficulty }---
☑ Just press 'W'
☐ Easy
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls

---{ Grind }---
☑ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isn't necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding

---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☐ Good
☐ Lovely
☑ It'll replace your life

---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☑ Short
☐ Average
☐ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond

---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☑ Worth the price
☐ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money

---{ Bugs }---
☑ Never heard of
☐ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs

---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☐ 8
☐ 9
☑ 10

According Sid Meyer, a game is a series of meaningful choices. Is it?

Played a bit, can't really say if the game is good yet, still working on the "Go outside" achievement, only a few more months to go.

Last time i played was 26th april 2020.

Hyped to start it up again. Hope the ending won't disappoint.

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☐ Beautiful
☑ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS

---{ Gameplay }---
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't

---{ Audio }---
☑ Eargasm
☐ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf

---{ Audience }---
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☐ Adults
☐ Grandma

---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☑ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

---{ Game Size }---
☐ Floppy Disk
☑ Old Fashioned
☐ Workable
☐ Big
☐ Will eat 10% of your 1TB hard drive
☐ You will want an entire hard drive to hold it
☐ You will need to invest in a black hole to hold all the data

---{ Difficulty }---
☑ Just press 'W'
☐ Easy
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls

---{ Grind }---
☐ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isn't necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding

---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☐ Good
☐ Lovely
☑ It'll replace your life

---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☑ Short
☐ Average
☐ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond

---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☑ Worth the price
☐ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money

---{ Bugs }---
☑ Never heard of
☐ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs

---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☐ 8
☑ 9
☐ 10

---{ Author }---
☑ https://vojtastruhar.github.io/steam-review-template

Video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLsbUsTKmpw

The Stanley Parable is a charming short walking simulator game. It starts off with a simple mystery but ends up posing you with various philosophical questions.

You are Stanley, a generic employee of a generic corporation. You notice there has been no new work for you to do for over an hour, so you exit your office to see what's up. All of your coworkers are missing, but the Narrator speaks to you and starts to tell you what to do and where to go. You must decide if you will be a willing participant in the Narrator's game, or defy him and forge your own path.

The Stanley Parable is extremely short but it's memorable and impactful which is very important to me. This is a game with very obscure off the beaten path options to discover. If you only consider the one straight path in front of you, then the game will be over in less than five minutes of playing. The magic comes from how many alternate paths and hidden lines of dialogue there is.

The Narrator is a great companion character who is voice acted expertly. The game is more than what it seems, what starts as a simple office building quickly turns into a mind control facility. The story of the game is definitely referencing the horrors of the modern working world, a deep seated fear everyone playing likely has themselves. What is worse than becoming a generic numbered cog, powering the corporate machine for little gain or purpose?

The Stanley Parable does not offer much in terms of game play or longevity, but it's an interesting narrative experience that will satisfy you in other ways. I do recommend it, especially if you can get your hands on the Ultra Deluxe version which just pushes things in even further.

8/10.

Devs broke the game.. Doesn't even start anymore.
Wanted to come back for the last achievement ("Go Outside"), guess that's not going to happen... Can't get the game to start..

Which is a shame because it's a rather unique game.. oh well.
If it wasn't broken I'd definitely recommend.. but it's borked..

Stanley Parable Review

10.0

Great fun - until you try to get the Commitment achievement. Still, a positive experience! :D

Of course, you need to take it easy and not take any of the narrator's comments personally, as the game constantly makes fun of you. And I guess that’s why everyone loves it - ignoring the narrator’s words and having fun messing with each other. Sometimes, it’s crazy how well the scripting is done, allowing you to make different choices and still receive a unique response. This isn’t your typical walking simulator, especially with cool achievements like keeping the game on for an entire Tuesday (yes, 24 hours straight...) or not playing for five years and then coming back.

Good luck, and enjoy!

The narration/Narrator absolutely makes this game

You'll spend the game going against the narrator, just so you can hear what he'll say about it.
For a game which is literally just walking around listening to a guy talk, its surprisingly engaging and amusing

this game sucks in the way my computer froze mid game and I thought it was part of it and stared at my screen an hour waiting for the narrator to speak just for nothing to happen. I love this game.

Beautiful locations, but the game quickly becomes boring after one playthrough.

This is one of my favorite games. I would LOVE to describe why its interesting but... its one of these games that if to describe them, you will ruin the fun of playing them. Just play it. Its worth your time :-D

Game was unplayable and crashed after the loading screen no matter what i did. Had 2 files that failed validation every time i installed or verified the game file integrity. Nothing works.

Entertaining. Funny way to spend an evening. Narrator VA really put in the work. Over 3+ hours I heard a lot of variations on his dialogue in certain areas.

Stanley left this game running for an entire Tuesday for a silly achievement then suddenly realized he never gave this game a positive review. Another reason he forgot to leave a review was because he had just finished getting another achievement for not playing the game for 5 years. "How funny, this game rewards you for not playing it" Stanley thought to himself as he typed his Steam Review.

Great narrator, excellent narrative weirdness, and a repetitive loop make this actually a lot of fun to just keep running around inside.

I loved it. This game is funny and also annoying but in a rolling your eyes type of way. The narrator has a great voice too.

Walking simulator with narration. Incredibly boring. Has impossible achievements, such as having to play the game for the ENTIRE duration of a Tuesday.

This is an interesting game. There's a narrator that tells the entire story. You have two choices; obey the narrator and follow the story, or disobey the narrator and create your own story. There are several endings you can choose from, and everything you do affects the story in a different way. Overall, this game has unique gameplay that's different than other games.

Stanley completed the game and immediately uninstalled. There was no need to see any alternate endings, complete any achievements, or recommend this game to anyone

i love(!) when easiest games have the hardest achivements, very good game though

What can I say? The Stanley Parable is an amazing game. 10/10. There are many endings and alternatives. Get all the achievements, its worth it.

A masterclass in level design and narrative structuring.

Interesting game. I'd have more playtime in it except I'm waiting 5 years for the achievement.

Good game. I like all the things you can do. I wish there was more, but, I did get the base game, so, you know. Wish it was a little more complex to beat, too. I like all the endings, but I don't like that you just do everything you're told for freedom.

I've put 4 hours into this game and gotten 9 of the 10 achievements.
I will need to put in 6x that to get the last one.

The Stanley Parable – The Game That Makes You Question Your Own Life Choices

Ah, The Stanley Parable - a game that’s less about playing and more about making you question the very concept of gaming and existence. If you’re tired of straightforward narratives where you do things, accomplish goals, and feel that small sense of satisfaction, then this game is here to ruin all of that for you. This is essentially a glorified walk-through a philosophical midlife crisis, but with more doors and fewer existential meltdowns.
As for the narrative, it’s brilliantly twisted in a way that makes you feel like you’re in an episode of a psychological thriller where the villain is a guy reading you a script and the plot is you trying to figure out if you should follow him or not. Spoiler alert: Neither path leads to anything resembling “progress.”

a LOT of stuff to do
like theres a narrator quote for everything
BUT
i dont think its worth 15 buckaroonies...
Still very good game i love it thank you
Broom closet my beloved.......
i got cool achievementttt yay

i have so much good memories with this game...
back in the day, i couldn't get out of here, completing it every time and finding new endings. i love everything about this game, EVERYTHING. from the narrator's voice to Stanley, endings, details, story
make The Stanley Parable great once again. it requires much more attention from people

Cool little game. Very meta in its essence but its just a meme to go around in and get some achievements whilst also enjoying some of the easter eggs that the developers left. Its really really short but it has multiple endings as well as different paths that you can go down as well as things to do. Very much worth a shot especially if you've never played/watched it

7 / 10

idk what the point of this gaem but i love to disobey the narrator

This is the thing that troubles me, for I cannot forget Carcosa, where black stars hang in the heavens, where the shadows of men's thoughts lengthen in the afternoon when the twin suns sink into the Lake of Hali; and my mind will bear forever the memory of the Pallid Mask.

The Stanley Parable isn’t just a game, it’s a groundbreaking piece of interactive art that challenges the very essence of what a game can be. For me, it’s one of the most revolutionary and dearest experiences in gaming. This game doesn’t just break barriers; it shatters them entirely, offering something so unique and unconventional that it’s almost impossible to categorize. I first experienced The Stanley Parable when I was 14 or 15, and it completely blew my mind. Now, at 21, I’m still amazed by how timeless and layered this game is. Every time I revisit it, I find new endings, new paths, and new ways to interpret its story. It’s a game that grows with you, and its brilliance feels just as fresh and impactful as it did when I first played it.

At its core, The Stanley Parable is deceptively simple. You walk, you make choices, and you listen to the narrator. But that simplicity is where its brilliance lies. The game uses its mechanics to explore profound philosophical questions about agency, accountability, and the illusion of choice. It forces you to confront the reality of your decisions, not just in games but in life, and reflects on how much control we truly have.

The meta-commentary is sharp, witty, and deeply introspective. It critiques how we experience media, especially video games, exposing how much we rely on structure and how uncomfortable we feel when that structure is disrupted. It deconstructs not only gaming tropes but also the player’s relationship with narrative and interactivity. In many ways, it feels like the game is taking you apart piece by piece, mirroring the process of breaking down a game engine to understand its inner workings.

What makes The Stanley Parable even more remarkable is how inspirational it has been for the gaming industry. It’s a stepping stone in the evolution of walking simulators and games that break traditional mechanics. By embracing the “less is more” philosophy, it shows that a game doesn’t need elaborate graphics or complex systems to leave a profound impact. Its commentary, its subversion of expectations, and its willingness to be entirely different have influenced countless developers and redefined what storytelling in games can achieve.

Of course, The Stanley Parable isn’t for everyone. Its unconventional nature and refusal to conform to traditional gaming norms can make it a hit or miss. But for those who resonate with its ideas, it offers an entirely new perspective, not just on gaming but on the act of creation, storytelling, and choice itself.

One downside I feel compelled to mention is how the Ultra Deluxe version was handled. While it adds more content, it does so by essentially reselling the game, which feels ironic considering one of the original game’s pathways mocks this exact trend in gaming. It’s a misstep that feels contradictory to the game’s otherwise sharp self-awareness. Unless it’s heavily discounted, I find it hard to justify rebuying the same game for a handful of extra endings. For first-time players, though, the Ultra Deluxe version is the way to go, as it offers the most complete experience.

For me, this game isn’t just entertainment; it’s a lens through which I see media differently. It’s a masterpiece that I revisit often, and it continues to inspire me with its depth, humor, and ingenuity. If you’re open to a game that challenges your perceptions and invites you to question everything, The Stanley Parable is an experience you cannot miss.

Very good even though its simple

Fun exploring the different pathways.