+ the atmosphere of the office space in this version is very liminal, with its wood paneled walls and green carpeting
+ the core conceit and themes that Stanley Parable would go on to refine and retell are all here
+ the writing and narration is nearly as great as the final version
- some of the reused half-life 2 assets feel a bit haphazard and detract from the theming a bit
- the narrator is more directly antagonistic here which makes it feel a bit more flat
- the branching paths are here, but much more limited, which in turns limits the comedic potential
Overall a solid prototype for what The Stanley Parable would become but this should only be played by completionists as the later versions cover the same ground much better.
+ the core conceit and themes that Stanley Parable would go on to refine and retell are all here
+ the writing and narration is nearly as great as the final version
- some of the reused half-life 2 assets feel a bit haphazard and detract from the theming a bit
- the narrator is more directly antagonistic here which makes it feel a bit more flat
- the branching paths are here, but much more limited, which in turns limits the comedic potential
Overall a solid prototype for what The Stanley Parable would become but this should only be played by completionists as the later versions cover the same ground much better.