The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe

Review

It’s really difficult to review a game like The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe, simply because it’s really easy to say things that could be considered as unforgivable spoilers. To be honest, I don’t see why anyone should look up reviews, because the game is exactly what it looks like from the trailers, but if for some reason you still need to know more, then I will provide the most spoiler-free review for this unique masterpiece.

Essentially, the game is a walking simulator set in an empty building with maze-like corridors and other surreal scenarios. If you have been recently watching Severance (the show that was also inspired by The Stanley Parable), you might understand what I’m talking about, but the truth is that there is no other game like this. The closest comparison would be The Beginner’s Guide, a less known game I seriously recommend, which was also made by Davey Wreden (the creator of TSP).

The Stanley Parable was first released in 2013 on PC, quickly becoming a major hit and receiving praise from all around the world. As Stanley, players would explore empty offices following (or not) the instructions of a narrator, who is voiced by the impeccable Kevan Brighting. Through plot twists and multiple endings, the narrator would play with gamers’ logic and expectations, breaking the fourth wall and giving them an illusion of choice before restarting the same loop to allow for different choices. Unfortunately, this is all I can say about the Stanley Parable. Anything more and I would risk ruining your future experience (trust me, no one likes that). You need to be unprepared to fully embrace Stanley’s working routine and the narrator’s metaphors.

With the Ultra Deluxe version, the game has finally been ported to console and remastered with the Unity engine. The texture improvements are quite visible, but except for the lighting and reflections, it’s hard to notice much difference from the old Source Engine, probably ‘cause they wanted to keep the same visual style. But what if you’ve already played the Stanley Parable? Is the extra content worth it? I think you already know the answer. Considering all the little secrets and hidden endings, the number of additions makes this expansion feel incredibly enjoyable. Of course, those who have never played the original game will have much more to experience. When launching the game for the first time, it will ask if you have already played the original Stanley Parable. Answering “yes” will reveal the new content much sooner (new areas, new narrator dialogues, new silly achievements!), but again, I’m not able to talk about any of those, ‘cause there are many funny and surprising moments, like the one where you find a REDACTED, so you simply REDACTED, then you REDACTED again and discover that the REDACTED is not what seemed to be. One thing is for sure, if you loved the original game, you will go crazy for the extra stuff they added.

The Stanley Parable is the Matrix of videogames. Red pill or blue pill, it doesn’t matter. Everything is an illusion and you, as the player, have agreed to abandon your freedom and submit to the game’s logic and rules. The Stanley Parable will undoubtedly be many people’s GOTY, unless The Last of Us remake gets released this year.

Review written by Sonic Punk for Zeepond.com

The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe Steam Store Page