Buy HER STORY

For $5, nothing beats this.

Lots of twists and turns and the first game the wife and I could break out a pen and paper and play CSI.

Fun story and an awesome interface.

Enjoy!

Her Story was a critical darling. It got an 86 on metacritic. It was given game of the year by Polygon. Ten out of ten from Destructoid. 90 out of 100 from PC Gamer. High praise considering that this is a game composed of fmv clips that are found through a search engine in an old computer. This is because the game is original. It’s unique. Above all else, it’s experimental. However, I don’t think it’s fair to give a game high praise due to being just experimental. Sure, inventiveness should be rewarded on some level especially on a medium ripe for opportunity such as video games but saying a game is fantastic just because it tries some new things isn’t fair. I want to review this game using the fact it is experimental as a baseline and critique it past it being unique. I want to review based on its story, gameplay, and how the two mesh together as a coherent whole instead of rating highly due to just being original.
First, the story. The basic outline is that you are watching through recordings of interviews centered around Hannah Smith and her missing husband. I can’t give much more details than that due to spoilers. This narrative is centered around a mystery akin to thrillers like, say, those of Alfred Hitchcock, and it works beautifully in that regard. It’s storyline is filled with shocking twists that wholly surprised me, neat details that foreshadows the twists that making replaying the game almost as entertaining as the first go around, and a likable character who is aided by an amazing performance by Viva Seifert who adds a great sense of emotion to the character which really grounds the more outlandish elements of the plot. The narrative is just fun. It’s really fun! It’s just a massive joy to watch. It’s also ambiguous enough to allow you to engage in theory making which is also fun to do. I really only have one major complaint about the narrative and that is the poor framing device. There is only one real reference to it at the end and there is no explanation for the poor quality of the computer you use. This is particularly troublesome due to it making the narrative limited to clips of Hannah talking to the camera. This wouldn’t be too bad if the narrative was as minimal as the clips but that isn’t the case. The narrative embraces every overt element of the thriller genre so it ends up clashing with the minimalist presentation. This isn’t too big an issue and it doesn’t overtly impact the game’s narrative but it is still something to note. However, it is central to the problem inherent to the game as a whole that I will return to later. Overall, however, the story is a great time.
Second, the gameplay. It consists of you looking through recordings through the usage of a search system. You put in a keyword such as “the” and the game lets you watch the three most relevant recordings. This aids the mystery aspect of the game by making you think out what keywords could lead you to the next big reveal. You may even end up taking out a paper and pen to write things to search later. My only complaint is that I wish that after I completed the game I could watch through all the files I found in chronological order but whatever. Not a big deal. The gameplay is enjoyable enough but it really requires a good narrative which makes sense because this game is heavily narrative focused. This is why this game meets so much problems when it comes to the combination of the two.
This game suffers from ludonarrative dissonance soooo bad. Like, really really bad. If unaware, ludonarrative dissonance is when your actions in a video game don’t match with the narrative. For example, in Uncharted you play as a rogue with a heart of gold who mercilessly slaughters hordes of people with no reaction. Now, in most games it can be forgiven with a heavy dose of suspension of disbelief but, in a game praised for its original attempt at storytelling, it is unforgivable. The game and story are not connected thematically (no symbolic or metaphorical tie between the voyeuristic conceit the mechanics present and the themes the story present,) mechanically (the story doesn’t really lend itself to the multiple angles its mechanics would require and only certain keywords reveal the plot crucial information,) and it’s barely connected in the story itself (this is why the poor framing device has such a large impact in the game as a whole. With such a bare bones reason for why the story is being viewed this way the player feels completely irrelevant in the storyline.) You could separate the story and the gameplay away from each other and combine them with any other storyline or gameplay mechanic and it would work probably just as well. Normally this wouldn’t be such a big deal (as mentioned before, plenty of games abuse this) but in a game that’s supposed to experiment with the way a story is told this is critical and Her Story failed so bad in this regard.
I still recommend the game but with a conceit. Buy this game if you want a fun thriller or if you want to see a prototype for a very interesting way to utilise player interaction to tell a story. Both are done superbly. Don’t buy it if you want to see either done well together.

An intriguing non-linear story experience. Some might balk at calling it a "game" and they have a point. But I absolutely loved Her Story and whole-heartedly recommend it.

This is not a game for everyone. THis is a game for people who like to be dropped off in the dark with no instructions and left to find their own way with only details and visual and audio queues to guide them. There is no training level, there are no objectives. ♥♥♥♥, I don't even know how you win yet. I do know though that this game is incredible.

I did not relate to the madness common throughout Lovecraftian tales until I played this game. Every clip yielded more and more and more potential queries. I entered them, watched more videos, and the more I watched the more I uncovered, the more I wanted to uncover. It's an absolutely stunning game all the way down to nonverbal communication levels. Tremendously written and acted. At 4, I realized I had to get to sleep before I started making a string chart on my wall. I tried to sleep and jsut kept thinking about my case.

I got it for $5, which is more than fair. This game is easily worth twice that in terms of addictiveness. I don't see it having much replay value, but damn. It's incredible the first time through.

It makes me happy that this exists.

Great acting in the slightest expressions that won't stand out until you know a bit more about the character.

Id be happy to give additinal storylines a go in this format. FMV psycologist simulator?

What an experience. I cannot recommend this enough to fans of mystery and drama. The game itself itsn't long, but it offers a lot of replay value. DO NOT look up any information about the game before playing. A true once in a lifetime experience.

different way to tell a story, well executed.

Played for about 45 minutes and I'm hooked.

I especially love how the route through the story would be different for everyone, depending on your search terms and prioritised interests. the incidental music is nice too.

I had to turn the filter off as it was killing my framerate, but it was a cool touch.

Overall, whether it turns out to be little more than more of the same, it's £5 I feel has been very well spent. Original and engaging - this is what proper innovation in entertainment looks like.

A fascinating game! I would recommend it to anyone who likes mystery stories and alsways wanted to feel like a detective. Futhermore, the game's presentation transports very nicely a 90s atmosphere.

--Spoiler-free review--

Her Story is a creative storytelling experience. Not much of a game, no, but if you enjoy good fiction, this may be a fun exercise for you.

As you likely already know, the game itself is a just matter of watching video clips from a library. The library is a set of chopped up interviews concerning a murder. The clips are typically 30-60 seconds long. You access video clips from the library by searching for keywords in the text. You choose the keywords yourself. So - different players will have different experiences, as key bits of the story emerge at different times for different players.

I really enjoyed piecing together the plot. There are some twists in the story that will reveal themselves to you in time.

You'll likely spend about 2 hours in this game. Maybe more, maybe less. It's not a big time commitment. The story stays with you, like a good movie.

I recommend Her Story for fans of non-traditional games. Enjoy it especially as a fresh take on storytelling in gaming.