I could write a big game design essay on why I love this game so much. But I'll keep it simple and just say thats its a really well-designed game. Not overly difficult, not overly easy, very fun, very scary. Only complaints I have is that the game doesn't seem to be optimized very well - my frame rate would tank while looking towards the center of the map, even on lowest settings - and your smoke in the ending can make it difficult to see the monster coming.

All in all, though, highly recommend, one of the best games I played in all of 2022.

Okay, I want to make two reviews here: one of the Stanley Parable Demo, and one of the Stanley Parable itself.


The most important thing to note is that the Stanley Parable Demo is an entirely separate game from the Stanley Parable itself - the Demo contains its own separate narrative and content.

The story of the demo is of the Narrator trying to show the player the Stanley Parable Demo, to show them the wonders of the full game - but for some reason neither the Narrator nor the player can seem to find the Demo. This game has a lot of meta commentary - as standard for the Stanley Parable series. Most noticeably, the demo makes a big deal out of how it fails to show you what the Stanley Parable is all about. And I think in all of that commentary, it perfectly showcases the Stanley Parable. Sitting in the waiting room, waiting for your number as the Narrator comments on it, or pressing the 8 button while the Narrator yells at you about how this is NOT the Stanley Parable - it tells the player, "do anything. We'll be ready for you."

I don't know if I have a whole lot else to say, outside of just one thing: this is, in my opinion, the best demo ever. Give it an award or something.

But of course, that's just the demo. Let's talk about...


Game of the millennium. What else can I say?

The Stanley Parable is a ridiculously engaging game that I have no clue what genre to put it under - the best I can do is "sandbox narrative." The game has some many endings, so many details all over the place, so much care and effort put into every single inch of this game. Not a single piece feels out of place, everything makes sense, everything feels fantastic. Except the baby game. I have yet to actually do that ending myself, for obvious reasons.

The Stanley Parable is a game that sets you in a world, and tells you, "Go ahead. Write a story." One of the endings comments on the nature of the Stanley Parable, and games in general - the idea that every ending has been written, and so no matter what you're walking a path someone else set for you. And yet, the Stanley Parable never feels like that, never feels like you're being dragged along somebody else's story. This game is yours.. You determine where to go, what to do. You're the one forging a new path, discovering new endings around every corner.

The Stanley Parable is a masterful mixture of comedy and literally anything else. The game is probably most well-known for its wonderful sense of humor, but the Stanley Parable has plenty of more serious moments. And it knows exactly what its supposed to be at any moment. Something amusing might flow smoothly into something soothing and calming, followed up by sorrow and tragedy. And every emotion is just... conveyed so well. I love every moment of it - every joke, every insult, every single thing that happens. I could make a joke about the Broom Closet Ending being my favorite, but honestly... every ending is my favorite. Every single one. They're all just fantastic.

The Stanley Parable is a work of art that holds a special place in my heart. A game that shows what games can be. A game that shows what life can be. A game that shows what the Stanley Parable is. It's beautiful.

The Stanley Parable is easily a 12/10, at minimum. That's with a lot of restraint - if I let myself say whatever I wanted to, it'd be a 1000000/10.

The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe came out a month or two ago, and I played through it all. I won't be reviewing it yet, though - I'll review it in ten years, once I've got the achievement "Super Go Outside."

Galactic Cafe / Crows Crows Crows, thank you for making such wonderful masterpieces.

yeah its pretty good

The actual game looks good, but that's really the only thing it has going for it.

Problem #1: The main menu has no design and is just basic buttons on a black background.
Problem #2: The options do not work. At all. None of them.
Problem #3: The controls.
Problem #3a: The controls are only really explained for those using controller, not those using keyboard.
Problem #3b: The mechanics are inconsistent - I *still* cannot consistently do the "wall run." 90% of the time I just jump at the wall and fall down.
Problem #4: The game is very poorly optimized - this most likely has something to do with the graphics settings not working, as presumably the graphics are always on max. And, to reiterate Problem #2: The options do not work. At all. None of them.
Problem #5: The music. It's a bit of a personal preference, but I feel the music is a bit annoying and it loops quite a bit. There isn't much variety, and thus I would prefer to play this game muted.
Problem #6: An almost complete lack of animations. Running has an animation, popping out of "flattening" has an "animation," and the enemy kick thing has an animation, but that's it. The grinding has a pose, but it is completely stiff.
Problem #7: The progression easily broke. After completing the first mural, the game did not register that it had been completed, and for the next hour pointed back at that mural. Later, I brought a spare paint to it... and somehow erased it, then fixing the progression. Seriously, the entire mural just vanished.
Problem #8: The physics. Touching a loose object sends it flying. Said objects are also oddly bouncy. I don't think cardboard boxes bounce.

This game can be fun, but isn't worth paying for. Thankfully, this game is free, so it can be a fun, quick waste of time.

Admittedly, this is quite a fun and interesting game, for the most part. Being a ball provides interesting and unique challenges, although never too hard... for the most part. The skin customization is nice, and the levels are fairly straightforward.

The problem arises with only being able to take one hit. If you ever die, you have to restart the entire level. And although it isn't a big deal near the beginning of the game, it gets problematic later on, especially in the third world. Having to redo a level fifty times just because you can only take one hit gets VERY frustrating, VERY quickly.

It makes boss battles extremely difficult, especially Xander. Bob is okay, as he's usually relatively easy to dodge, as long as you can keep up your speed. But Xander is a massive pain. Such a pain that I literally can't beat him. If you want to beat a boss, you're going to have to chew through their massive health bar, without taking a single hit, ever. And trust me, listening to the same one track over and over is about as enjoyable as dying yet again, having to restart the entire fight.

It's a challenge to even HURT Xander. With Bob, at least there's a mechanism that allows you to do a big chunk of damage with a bit of challenge. With Xander, your only option is to fling yourself at him. And when he's spamming various magic attacks, all of which start RIGHT NEAR HIM, WITH HIM ALWAYS TRYING TO FACE YOU, it means you're usually going to end up killing yourself accidentally, trying to hit him and not having enough time to change your course of action. And he casts his magic more and more frequently the lower his health bar gets, so good luck actually beating him.

Honestly, the solution is pretty simple: just... don't kill the player every time they get hit. Let them take more hits. That's it. Being able to take even one more hit would be a massive improvement, in my opinion.

The early game is worth it, but I don't recommend bothering with the third world. Beat Bob, quit, and be satisfied with that.

A very touching and emotional story. I was shocked when Fishius the Dark filled the volcano with bleach and plastic to kill all the turtles. Plot twists galore. And that moment between Carpri and Salmy? Beautiful. Touching.

In all seriousness, don't let the visuals throw you off. It could do with some better level design here and there, but for what it's worth, its a neat little free 3d platformer. It somehow makes the frustration of its low quality *fun*. And I like that.

Gotta be honest - this game is really good. As other people have said, the difficulty curve is a bit iffy, but it's not a huge problem.

The puzzles are simple, fun, and challenging, as well as rewarding, with achievements, secrets, and of course, demon waifus. The personality they all have is just lovely. Really makes them feel real. And the diversity is MUCH appreciated.

Gotta say, though, that bullet-hell-ish bit at the end was... well, hell. I think it'd be a BIT better if the floor wasn't moving, but I did manage to beat it, so who cares.


Also Beelzebub best waifu 10/10 would jump into the Abyss again

This is a game that definitely has potential, but needs more work.

It starts off fine enough, and is very fun and engaging. There's many different tools and tactics at your disposal. The upgrade system makes sense, and can be adjusted for each level, not locking you into using certain traps just because theyre better.

That is, until you get past the first few levels. Then the difficulty spikes with no explanation, and you're left floundering, trying time and time again to get past that one level, just to be met with an equally - no, an even MORE difficult level after that. I've found myself stuck on Haphazard simply due to the fact that it's just straight up unbalanced. They make it far too difficult.

The graphics are good, the music is good, the idea is good... but the balance is lacking. I'm not going to play that level again and again, trying to find the ONE set of traps, upgrades, and placements that lets me win.

Again, it has potential, but its far overrated. It needs more work.

This is an absolute beauty of a game. An amazing story, brilliant characters, on-point voice acting, to name a few of the many positives.

I also like the progression of the game and the new mechanics brought into this game, such as the gels.

And, of course, you can't forget the community-made test chambers.



Best of all, it runs beautifully on my potato of a computer.