| The Stanley Parable | |
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 Cover art for The Stanley Parable, featuring the Droste effect on the computer monitor | |
| Developer(s) | Galactic Cafe |
| Publisher(s) | Galactic Cafe |
| Designer(s) | |
| Programmer(s) | Jesús Higueras |
| Artist(s) | Andrea Jörgensen |
| Writer(s) |
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| Composer(s) |
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| Platform(s) | |
| Release | 17 October 2013
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| Genre(s) | Interactive story, adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
The Stanley Parable is a 2013 story-based video game designed and written by developers Davey Wreden and William Pugh. The game carries themes such as choice in video games, the relationship between a game creator and player, and predestination/fate.
In the game, the player guides a silent protagonist named Stanley alongside narration by British actor Kevan Brighting. As the story progresses, the player is confronted with diverging pathways. The player may contradict The Narrator's directions, which if disobeyed, will be incorporated into the story. Depending on the choices made, the player will encounter different endings before the game resets to the beginning.
The Stanley Parable was originally released on 31 July 2011, as a free modification for Half-Life 2 by Wreden. Together with Pugh, Wreden later released a stand-alone remake using the Source engine under the Galactic Cafe studio name. The remake recreated many of the original mod's choices while adding new areas and story pathways, as well as overhauling the game's graphics entirely. It was announced and approved via Steam Greenlight in 2012, and was released on 17 October 2013, for Windows. Later updates to the game added support for macOS on 19 December 2013, and for Linux on 9 September 2015. An expanded edition titled The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe was released on 27 April 2022. It is currently available on consoles, in addition to previously supported platforms, and includes additional content and improved graphics.
Both the original mod and its two remakes received critical acclaim and commercial success. Reviewers praised the game's narrative and commentary on player choice and decision-making.