The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe accomplishes everything it set out to do. Having not played the original since it's launch in 2013, there were a few things I remembered, such as the downstairs ending and the broom closet ending. Beyond that, nothing had really stuck with me. Playing the game again now, almost 10 years later, it's shocking to see so many people clown on the game for one reason or another. The writing and humor is still very sharp. The jabs thrown at gamers and the games industry in Ultra Deluxe are well-deserved, my favorite among them mocking a Steam review that seems to have missed the point of the game entirely. Or maybe there's a layer beyond that jab that I'm missing, and now I'm the butt of the joke.
The hall of memories takes the game in such an interesting direction. It points out the flaws in sequels as a means to extend things beyond their natural life. Perhaps my favorite part of the Ultra Deluxe additions comes from the collectathon. The game explicitly tells you that you will receive no achievement nor congratulations for collecting the figurines. Yet, I felt the game was trying to point me towards collecting the figurines anyway. After collecting them, I was met with exactly what they told me: I was not congratulated, and I was not rewarded. The ending therein was a bit extended as a result, but I felt the dive into the minds of completionists was an interesting choice. And, after that ending, the game simply resets as it would after any other ending. There truly was no sparkly achievement or reward given to the player. The only reward was the same as playing the game any other way: an ending and then a reset.
I'm not smart enough to figure out what exactly the point of it all is, nor do I really care to. The game invokes a lot of feelings in me that remind me of reading a well-written book or watching a beautifully crafted talkie. For that reason, I think The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe is worthy of having at least two museums dedicated to it within itself. #BroomClosetGang
The hall of memories takes the game in such an interesting direction. It points out the flaws in sequels as a means to extend things beyond their natural life. Perhaps my favorite part of the Ultra Deluxe additions comes from the collectathon. The game explicitly tells you that you will receive no achievement nor congratulations for collecting the figurines. Yet, I felt the game was trying to point me towards collecting the figurines anyway. After collecting them, I was met with exactly what they told me: I was not congratulated, and I was not rewarded. The ending therein was a bit extended as a result, but I felt the dive into the minds of completionists was an interesting choice. And, after that ending, the game simply resets as it would after any other ending. There truly was no sparkly achievement or reward given to the player. The only reward was the same as playing the game any other way: an ending and then a reset.
I'm not smart enough to figure out what exactly the point of it all is, nor do I really care to. The game invokes a lot of feelings in me that remind me of reading a well-written book or watching a beautifully crafted talkie. For that reason, I think The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe is worthy of having at least two museums dedicated to it within itself. #BroomClosetGang