[Top 10] Games Like The Stanley Parable

The Stanley Parable wasn't long enough to feed your hunger? Worry no more because I'm here for the rescue. This games have that 4th wall breaking feeling we're looking for. They're all worth trying if you liked The Stanley Parable. Here you go my special friend!

 

1. Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist

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Game's trailer: 

A fun, short, free game you won't regret playing. It was directed by William Pugh who was part of The Stanley Parable design and creation team. It takes you 15 to 20 minutes to finish it. The game feels like The Stanley Parable but with a different story. You're supposed to play a game called "Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist" but instead we'll be behind the scenes of the game. There is another player in the game so we have to wait for our turn. The main goal is to help the narrator while we're waiting in the studio. 

There's a voice that tells you what to do but you're "free" to choose whether you want to play along with the narrator's instructions or not. I could describe this game as a funny metaphor for how game developers feel when players end up doing whatever they want instead of following the script. It’s super entertaining the first time you play it.

This game was developed by an indie studio created by William Pugh. It's available in the steam store for free. Go ahead and try it! It looks great for a free game.

Choose this game if you like:

• Great visuals to delight yourself.
• A comic narrator.
• Short games with simple mechanics.

 

2. The Beginner's Guide

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The Beginner's Guide Gameplay: 

This beautiful game was created by Davey Wreden (creator of The Stanley Parable). Released in 2015, he brings a much more personal experience. If The Stanley Parable was confusing at first, this game will probably leave you with many questions and no answers. This is how Davey described the game: "It has no traditional mechanics, no goals or objectives. Instead, it tells the story of a person struggling to deal with something they do not understand."

The general aspects are similar to TSP, but the narrative is different. It doesn't have the same sense of humor. In this game, we're focusing on a different emotional experience. Entertainment is not the main objective of the game.  Also, there's a limit on the script. The game was designed to follow a single story unlike TSP, you can't go back in the story and there aren't many alternatives. Another indie game that brings a very unique way of showing the story of Coda. It lasts around half an hour of a confusing but interesting story. As in the rest of the games in this list, there is no way to die or lose. You can buy this game for 9.99 USD on steam. 

The game is narrated by Davey Wreden itself, giving it a great vibe. It received mostly positive reviews so I would recommend you play it. Even if you don't like it, you will end up with a different experience from common games. 

Choose this game if you like:

• Davey Wreden as a narrator. I personally loved it!
• To experience games out of the ordinary.
• To immerse yourself in a story. If you like to play graphic novels then this will be great for you.
• Being a curious person is a must to experience this game in the right way and not end up boring yourself.

 

3. Superliminal

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Superliminal Gameplay: 

The only right way to describe this game is "nothing is what it seems". Superliminal is one of the most entertaining games I've experienced. 

In this game, we're a person who's trying a dream therapy offered by the Pierce Institute. It works thanks to the Somnasculpt technology. The project follows the motto "we'll make your dreams come true". Unfortunately, something goes wrong and we get lost. The work team doesn't know where we are but they let us know they're working on it. 

Although this is a puzzle-solving-oriented game, it still has some similarities with TSP like the fact that something is off and we have to figure it out through the game. There's also Dr. Glenn Pierce and her AI assistant as the narrators. He will inform us about our current situation. The AI will be guiding us with some basic information about the game and the therapy. 

The game is quite short, it takes between 4 to 6 hours to finish it. Luckily it has the Workshop where you can create your levels or play levels created by other players. 

The way they managed to make sense of the story and combine it with an aspect of our real world is very clever. The whole game is clever.

Choose this game if you like:

• A challenging experience that requires your whole focus!
• Creativity and artistic perspectives. The way the game is designed will be very satisfying for those who have an artistic side.
• If you’re a puzzle player then this is totally for you. You will probably have the best experience solving these weird puzzles inside Superliminal.

 

4. Interactivity: The Interactive Experience

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Interactivity: The Interactive Experience Gameplay: 

 

This title might be the worst on the list but wait! It's not bad. In this game, the goal is to reach "the button". You'll have to solve a few puzzles in the first part of the game while interacting with the things around you. Then it turns into a wall-breaking game with meta-narratives which makes it similar to TSP. It's a decent game with an interesting concept. It offers 1-2 hours of uninterrupted entertainment.

This kind of game is quite common and this one doesn't stand out. It might get boring at some point. 

Choose this game if you like:

• A dark ambient with a mysterious aura. 
• Solving puzzles.
• Dark comedy. This is the best part of the game, the one that makes it actually enjoyable.

 

5. Title_Pending

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Title_Pending Gameplay: 

A game without a title and based on an eternal loop is not a sign of a lazy developer. I swear, the creativity behind the game is quite the catch. The main goal is to playtest the game that is being developed. Your mission is to help the work team discover bugs or errors the game might have before its release. Matthew Stanton will be the narrator, guiding the player through the game. The game itself is a very fun and interesting experience but Matthews's narration makes it perfect. He'll talk to the player during the test and will give some guidance. Might be interesting for people who are into developing games. It has a mysterious aura that makes you want to play it non-stop till the end. I will not give much information about it because the less you know the better it gets. Trust me.

This game is worth it. A very cheap game with a full 1 to 2 hours of experience that will blow your mind. If you liked TSP then you will enjoy Title_Pending, have no doubts!  

Definitely my favorite from this list.

Choose this game if you like:

• Developing games. The game was designed to portray game developers in a comic way.
• Short games with cool little stories behind them.
• To be surprised by the creativity of the designers. You’ll have some fun while discovering everything the game has to offer.

 

6. Disharmonia

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Disharmonia Gameplay: 

The closest we get to TSP is this game. A cheaper and darker version of TSP. I have to say though that the narrator's work is not even close to the work done in TSP or Do Not Buy This Game. 

You'll be playing as Tony, who's in a building all by himself. There's a voice telling the faith of Tony but you can choose to ignore the voice and take your own decisions. This leads to different game experiences according to your choices. That sounds like The Stanley Parable, right? The difference is that it doesn't have a catch, something to keep you focused and interested. It gets boring at some point.

Disharmonia is presented as a game with no end. It can get confusing and that is the main part of the experience. The map is displayed in unexpected ways with confusing perspectives that will trick your brain. It's not as good as TSP and I wouldn't choose it among my preferred games but it's still an interesting game. 

Choose this game if you like:

• Choosing your own fate inside the game.
• Deep experiences. Be careful, it might be a little scary if you’re not used to being taken deep inside yourself. 
• Confusing games that require your own thinking and conclusions.

 

7. The Corridor

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The Corridor Gameplay: 

This is proof that you don't need complicated designs or concepts to create a good game. The Corridor is the simplest game in this list but one of the bests. I can tell you now, this one is all about playing with your frustration and mind tricks. How long can you keep opening a game that doesn't want to be played? Well, that's yours to decide. The main goal is to just play the game. The narrator will do everything he can with his programming abilities to stop you from playing.

The Corridor is a short bizarre experience full of surprising twists and unexpected scenarios. Highly recommended. It's just a one-experience game, and for this purpose, it meets its goal. But there's much more behind its simplicity.

Choose this game if you like:

• Very simple games in all its splendor.
• Bizarre experiences that get you to the corners of your mind you try to avoid.
• Short experiences. This game will you take you no longer than 2 hours to finish. 

 

8. Firewatch

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Firewatch Gameplay: 

This game is a bit of an exception. Although it doesn't hold the psychological side of TSP it is a narrative experience. On this occasion, we'll be playing as Henry, a man who decided to start a job as a fire lookout in the Wyoming wilderness. The purpose behind his decision is to start from zero and leave his past behind. The only communication he has is with Delilah, his supervisor. She will guide Henry through a handheld radio. This is the most important part of the game, Delilah. Although we never get to see her, she will be the main focus of the experience. 

There's no 4th wall breaking here as in the other games in this list. We still got an excellent narrative job done by the voice actors. The dialogues between Henry and Delilah are very well done. Matter of fact, that is what the game is about. Adults having adult conversations while watching beautiful landscapes. No regrets on this one, is a very intriguing experience.

It's been a while since I haven't seen a game this beautifully designed.

Choose this game if you like:

• Beautiful landscapes to enjoy while playing.
• Exploring. This will be one of your main tasks in the game.
• Reading is a very important part of the game so you have to enjoy it if you don’t want to get bored by all the dialogue lines which is the center of the game. 

 

9. Gone Home

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Gone Home Gameplay: 

Imagine you go back home after a trip and there's no one there. That's exactly what Gone Home is about. You'll have to find out what happened with your family while you weren't there. Although it doesn't follow the logic of TSP, we have similar mechanics like exploring and discovering what happened. There's also a voice narrating some part of the story that will be important to your investigation. The similarity with TSP lies in the unknown. In TSP we don't know what happened in Stanley's office, and we're supposed to figure it out. Gone Home is the same. We don't know what happened with Sarah's family so we have to figure it out. There's no surreal or psychological experience. There's no feeling of breaking the 4th wall but it's close enough. Worth trying if you like exploration games. 

It can get a bit boring. If you don't like to read you might not prefer this game. The story is interesting but the way they presented it isn't the most entertaining.

Choose this game if you like:

• Reading. Especially reading because it will take you some time and is key to understanding the story.
• Investigation and exploration games. It will totally satisfy your curiosity. 
• Mystery but in a very simple representation. The game is solved quite fast, it might take you a couple of hours to finish it.

 

10. Do Not Buy This Game

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Do Not Buy This Game Gameplay: 

This game is my 2nd favorite. The narrator did an amazing job. It combines the best aspects of this type of game: a good sense of humor, and a nice spectrum of choices on your way to the main goal which is pressing a button.  During the game, you'll notice the game breaks the 4th wall several times. You'll embody a player inside a game created by the narrator. He will guide you on what you shouldn't do, starting by not playing the game. It seems he's trying to hide something from us. He'll do everything he can to stop you from pressing the button which seems to be the main goal. But you decide to press it or not. The more you play it, the more you seem to develop a certain connection with the narrator, I mean to an emotional level. It's as weird as it sounds. And that's exactly what we're looking for right? 

You can play the demo for free, it's available on steam. The date of release isn't certain but you should add it to your wishlist, or not if you're easy to persuade. 

Choose this game if you like:

• Beautiful visuals with a catching spirit in the game. 
• Great and creative narration work.
• Deep experiences that lead you to an emotional connection with the game.