Stanley Parable 1.4

Walking simulators have gained popularity in recent years due to their relative ease of design due to the ability to fully predict the route players will take, which lets it have a stronger narrative overall. These restrictions on the player lets the developer fully meld gameplay and storytelling, and there is no better example of that then Stanley Parable, the original mod from 2011.

To install Stanley Parable, make sure you own the Source SDK. Drag the files of this game into steam/steamapps/sourcemods, then run the game from your Steam library.

The thing that makes this mod so unique is the narrator. The narrator serves multiple roles. One is to serve as a storyteller, telling you which paths to take and what to do. The other role it serves is as a commentator, reacting to your actions and eventually becoming his own character.

The gimmick this game has is that you don't need to do what the narrator says. This is intended game design. Should you disobey the narrator too much, he will get more and more annoyed and start openly insulting you. However, there is no route you can take that wasn't accounted for, and the narrator will have a comment programmed in no matter what you do. Even if you stand still and don't move, the narrator will comment on your inaction.

This game will quickly turn into a commentary on the nature of game narratives, with each ending outside of the standard one where you obey everything he says being the only one that doesn't make some kind of comment on the matter. If that interests you, give Stanley Parable a download, though know it's paid official release is much more fleshed out.