The Stanley Parable

• Genre: Adventure
• Time Played:  2.8 Hours
• Too Short/Long: I feel like it's more of a your mileage may vary situation. For me, it was fine.
• Pleased/Disappointed: Pleased the normal amount.
• Why I played: I have had it for awhile and always meant to play it. I think I recently saw some stuff on it that inspired me to finally check it out.
• Recommend to others: I think I got it in a bundle a long time ago. I'd say if it's one of those games in your backlog that you already own, give it a shot.

The Stanley Parable is a game that I think, had I played it 10 years ago when it came out, I would have thought it to be far more poignant and unique. Playing now? I've seen other games do what it does. Not necessarily better, not exactly the same ways, but just similar enough. I also play a lot of weirdo indie games too, so it might just be something I experience more of than some others may.

Not only is the length of the game kinda a your mileage may vary type deal, but so is the whole experience. Have you seen this kind of stuff? Are you familiar with the tropes? At some point, it even references that fact. I think hinting that someone might not get the same out of the experience if they aren't familiar with some of the narrative framing in other media.

Anyway, I had fun with it and it's definitely worth it if you have it. I played the original, and more recently there is an expanded version that looks like it has far more to offer, so if you need more than 3 hours of content and want to purchase it because you don't already own it, that may be the better choice. I am fine with 3 hours of content. The game is a little bit of a mystery, but I THINK I did pretty much all it has to offer (within reason). I did get a credit roll, but that was only roughly halfway through my playtime, so I went back in for more to ensure I saw it all.