You’ve probably heard of The Stanley Parable. Back in 2013, both the press and players enthusiastically called this creation of Galactic Cafe, which originally existed as a mod for Half Life 2, if not the greatest game of our time, then something like that. Over time, it became iconic to a whole stratum of gamers who never stopped looking for secrets and passchalks and perhaps hoped to see a sequel.
In 2022, The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe went on sale. Not a sequel, but the very remaster we’ve been waiting for. Now not only PC owners, but everyone else can touch Davy Reeden’s brilliant creation. We played the new version on the Nintendo Switch. Should you?
The answer to that question is an unequivocal yes. In general, it’s a lost cause to do a review on The Stanley Parable, because it’s impossible to describe it in detail without spoiling the experience for the future player. There is no point in describing the controls or graphics. There is no combat in the game, because it is, in fact, an interactive story, where the gameplay is reduced to leisurely walking around the offices to the accompaniment of the narrator, played by British actor Kevan Briting.
What makes a game, what the choice means, whether the story needs to be structured in the way we’re used to – all these questions, and so many others, ask us The Stanley Parable. You don’t want to take it apart piece by piece and comment on every little detail – the less you know, the better.
If you haven’t played The Stanley Parable, you should definitely give it a try. But only if you’re ready for something truly unique and unconventional. I know people who genuinely don’t understand its absurdist twists and turns and get bored when the game gives them such a “passive” role. But one thing’s for sure: even though it’s been almost 10 years since the original’s release, it’s almost unnoticeable. The game, particularly on Switch, looks great, especially since the developers never made an emphasis on graphics. On portable hardware, The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe boasts a sharp picture and 60 fps, albeit with some minor sagging when you sharply turn the camera.
Unlike many other remasters, The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe can also please with new content. And there’s a lot of content here: in fact, the game becomes twice as voluminous. The additional dialogues (well, monologues) continue the theme of the original, but bring the commentary to more modern realities. That alone means that even veterans should pay attention to Ultra Deluxe.
Verdict
We’ve played everything we’ve played in the last ten years, but few games have made as satisfying an impression as The Stanley Parable. The benchmark of narrative gameplay and an example of a truly “smart game”, at last Davy Riden’s creation is not only available to PC owners. I’d recommend even a simple port, and given the extra content and its reasonable price The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe seems to me to be a release that can’t be missed.