Stories Untold

From a technical perspective I enjoyed the blend of text-only input and occasional walking sections. Background noise, spooky escalations of the scenario as the player progresses, and maybe the most effective "what about the scientists?" scenario I've seen in the third episode. Unfortunately the framing device and final "plot twist" is terrible. If you've seen "that one episode of TNG" or "that one episode of DS9," you probably suspect it from the word 'go', and you're right. If you want a compelling mystery, you aren't really getting it here. If you want three spooky, spooky tales, you get two and a half. The framing device starts getting beaten into your head in the third. I can't justify giving it four stars, but on a technical level it deserves at least three. The "numbers station" section in the third could be expanded into a full game. If anything I'm sorry it wasn't.

DO NOT GET ANY SPOILERS FROM THIS GAME JUST PLAY IT IF YOU'RE A HORROR FAN, YOU'RE GONNA LIKE IT could be longer though...

The first chapter seems like a pretty trimmed down Text Adventure type, lacking complex commands and relies heavily on what the designers want you to type, you quickly find that there is a LOT more going on than you'd expect. It pleasantly melds its reality and fiction parts together in a way I've not seen before. The second chapter adds in some point and click elements which can be confusing unless you follow the directions they give you. There's actually a diagram of where everything is that you'll need to interact with. I feel like this adds a good amount of depth and a bit of increased difficulty. There's a puzzle at the end that doesn't immediately make sense, but an attention to detail will help. This second chapter doesn't feel connected to the first. The third chapter is a bit infuriating at times, I had to consult a walkthrough for a few parts, but again you're given all the information you need to solve the puzzles. There's more point-click going on this time than before and less text adventure stuff, but there's also an unexpected yet nice first person section. Again, it doesn't feel related to the first two chapters. The fourth chapter really drives everything home, no pun intended. It has more first person walking, some of the text adventure, and some of the point-click elements again. It combines those parts of the first three sections nicely so it feels like there's a good progression in terms of story and gameplay. Stories Untold brings three different types of gameplay together pretty seamlessly, while the horror aspect remains subtle, draws you in, and creeps you out more than startles you. I've done my best to avoid any story spoilers because you really need to go in blind with this game. The less you know in advance the better because when the experience relies heavily on its narrative. I played for maybe 3-4 hours and would definitely recommend this game on sale, but if you're a fan of unique experiences it's worth full price as well.

The game is composed of 4 brief episodes. It took me 3 hours to finish it whole, but I'm usually slow in playing so it may take less. The first episode is played as a textual adventure. Although I'm not a native english speaker, I haven't had problems figuring out the commands (use, open, read, go to, look at...). Be sure to use the "look around" command in every scenery. The beginning of each episode leaves the player uncertain on what to do, as it is always a new kind of task, but after some minutes spent trying to understand it, I think anybody could make it (I mean, I did and I'm no genius). What did I like about the game? 1. The story. No spoilers here, but it's something that unveils during the game and it's interesting 2. The fact that after YEARS I finally had to use pen and paper for a game (it's not strictly needed, but I preferred this way). I just like this kind of gameplay. 3. The atmosphere 4. The balance between easy gameplay and the "I am stuck but I know I can do it without looking at solutions" moments.

This game never ceases to amaze. I have never seen such novel interactive interfaces use to tell a story in a video game before. The pacing changes significantly throughout the game also, but I won't elaborate to avoid spoilers. The first two thirds of the game I was loving the story but after it becomes clearer to what is occurring I was slightly annoyed, I dislike that kind of plot (once again won't elaborate), so I knocked one star off. None the less, I think I have witnessed an evolution and advancing of the video game medium, I know that is a strong statement but it is truly a unique game. If you enjoy the themes in the trailer - you will enjoy this game, it's a bargain.