You watch the clip again. She says she has no idea what happened to her husband. Is it a lie? She wouldn't maintain her alibi so well if it were, surely? But in another she says it's all just stories and fairy tales. Which is true? Neither? Both? You pour over the transcript looking for another keyword to search for, and pursue a lead based on a casual mention of a prior employer, only to come up empty at the end yet again. You check the clock, how long have you been at this again? Frustrated, you scour the clips once again, only to notice... wait, that's impossible, surely? Where was that other clip... yes, there, how is that possible? Another mystery, another search, and another exciting pursuit of yet another lead on your way to the next revelation about the confusing, and ultimately shocking, truth. Her Story is a phenomenal experience unlike any I've played before. Accessing a series of video interview clips through transcript keyword searches on a 20 year old computer, you are tasked with trying to understand what happened in 1994 and why. A Kidnapping? A Murder? Is this woman guilty, and if so, of what exactly? That confused tension permeates every search as you try to find the simple truth that this woman seems hell-bent on never directly admitting to, in this immensely ambitious (and satisfying) attempt at non-liner interactive narrative. It's not a perfect game, momentary weaknesses of acting or writing are very present among the 200+ video clips, some of which are frustratingly obtuse (just her saying single words, like "No" or "Yes" for instance), and the ambiguity of a goal makes it tricky to know when you can say you've "completed" the game, even when you think you know the whole story (note: if you think you understand it, you almost definitely don't). But what it may briefly lack in polish or finesse, it more than makes up for in bold inventiveness, and effective storytelling. A definite buy at $6.
