2013 saw the unexpected release of The Stanley Parable, an eco narrative game that ended up redefining the gaming medium with meta plot threads and pitch black comedy. Eight years on, after reports of Galactic Café delaying a remastered version, it's finally confirmed an upcoming release date to the delight of many gamers.
The Stanley Parable appears to be about an unnamed employee numbered 427 exploring a workplace workspace. But actually, it is an unconventional story concerning the nature of games being an interactive medium, with multiple endings that range from sensible to ridiculous as well as other world-building curiosities. The "Ultra Deluxe Edition" is set to be "a significant expansion" to the base game, as promised through the developers.
When The Stanley Parable was first released, its status was difficult to ignore. A big part of the game's exposure was brought on by famous gaming YouTubers playing and reacting towards the unexpected twists and turns offered by an average playthrough. Because of this, the influential nature of The Stanley Parable is difficult to overlook. The Ultra Deluxe Edition is the next step in celebrating its impact on gaming, having a fitting release date of April 27 to complement Employee 427's story.
Even The Ultra Deluxe Edition's release trailer toys with gaming preconceptions by hinting at details that don't appear in the game at all, or completely misdirecting the target audience. It features the original game's trailer disruption by the player literally walking away in the fourth wall, attempting to escape the seemingly infinite corridors as the narrator's soft voice quickly becomes layered and nightmarish. The Stanley Parable is really a delightfully meta experience consequently, unafraid to rewrite the guidelines of gaming that players are familiar with.
It is rumored that the Ultra Deluxe Edition will give you more expansive gameplay and additional story paths, but how substantial they'll be expires for debate. The promise of console ports does little to relax gamers, as the inevitable achievement list taunts completionists. For instance, the dev team Crows Crows Crows might be threatening to lock away a random Stanley Parable achievement for multiple years similar to the original. Deliberately frustrating and obtuse secrets are such a large aspect of The Stanley Parable's charm, but it remains seen what lengths it is prepared to go.
Almost every aspect of gaming is deconstructed while The Stanley Parable continually breaks the fourth wall, and also the Ultra Deluxe Edition promises a lot of same maddening antics it's praised for in 2013.
The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe Edition can come to Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One on April 27.
