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About
The Stanley Parable is a first-person interactive story game. Being initially released in 2011 as a modification for Half-Live 2, it was entirely remade in 2013, featuring updated graphics and more content.
The game follows Stanley, an office worker whose job boils down to pressing buttons on the keyboard depending on what he sees on his office computer screen. One day the screen goes black and Stanley, not knowing what to do, decides to investigate the building.
The gameplay consists of exploring a deserted office building. The game has 19 possible endings that depend on which way the player chooses to explore his surroundings. The Stanley Parable’s key feature is the permanent presence of the narrator who comments protagonist’s actions and suggests player what to do next. However, the player can ignore his suggestions which makes the narrator adjust his story to the player’s actions.
System requirements for PC
- OS: Windows XP/Vista/7/8
- Processor: 3.0 GHz P4, Dual Core 2.0 (or higher) or AMD64X2 (or higher)
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: Video card must be 128 MB or more and should be a DirectX 9-compatible with support for Pixel Shader 2.0b (ATI Radeon X800 or higher / NVIDIA GeForce 7600 or higher / Intel HD Graphics 2000 or higher - *NOT* an Express graphics card).
- Storage: 3 GB available space
- Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible
System requirements for macOS
- OS: Mac OS X 10.8 or higher required
- Processor: 3.0 GHz P4, Dual Core 2.0 (or higher) or AMD64X2 (or higher)
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: ATI Radeon 2400 or higher / NVIDIA 8600M or higher
System requirements for Linux
- OS: Ubuntu 12.04
- Processor: Dual core from Intel or AMD at 2.8 GHz
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: nVidia GeForce 8600/9600GT, ATI/AMD Radeon HD2600/3600 (Graphic Drivers: nVidia 310, AMD 12.11), OpenGL 2.1
- Storage: 4 GB available space
- Sound Card: OpenAL Compatible Sound Card
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The Stanley Parable reviews and comments
It's a walking simulator, but its EXCELLENT. Recommended without hesitation.
Gameplay: 5/10
Story: 8/10
Music: 5/10
I can't say much here, as I don't want to spoil it. Play the game. Just do it. The gameplay may not be exhilarating, but it never needed to be. The story may not be exhilarating, but it never needed to be. This is one of those games that will make you stand back in awe, multiple times, before diving back in for another run. It will blow your mind open, and make you think about games in a way you never had before. This game is the father of meta-games, and does what so many others have tried and failed to do: make you question your own reality as the gamer.
One of the first in the genre of "walking simulator" games, The Stanley Parable follows the titular character, Stanley, as he explores an office devoid of other people. His job had been to watch a computer screen and push the buttons on the keyboard as the screen directed. A direct parallel to what we do when we play a video game.
However, once you've broken out of the rote actions of responding to the output of the video screen, you can explore the true nature of narrative construction and presentation that only the Video Game format can provide. There's 18 different endings, and each play through the game exposes another layer of genius.
You can beat the game in less than five minutes, but it can take hours to explore the whole thing.
Unfortunately, to talk any further without spoilers really requires you to have played the game already. So do it! It's easy to throw around terms like "Exceptional," but this game is the cream of the crop.
It's a perennial Steam Sale classic and deserves a slot in everyone's game inventory.