Zhao Lei began to explore different routes, tried different endings, and even deliberately chose the opposite route to the narration.
…
If Stanley did not choose to go to the boss, but kept going downstairs, then he would fall into an endless loop. Stanley began to dream, and finally fell into madness.
…
On a certain desk by the window, Stanley can squat out of the window after squatting, then fall out of the window and enter a pure white space.
But this is not a bug, because the narrator will remind you that this is part of the game, and also makes some self-deprecation along the way.
[At first Stanley thought he had destroyed the map, but he didn't realize it was part of the game until he heard the narration. He went on to praise the game for its insightful and witty critique of video game architecture, as well as its attempts at metaphors for narrative structure.]
…
If you enter the boss's office and exit before the door closes, the narrator will be "locked" in the boss's office. Players will no longer hear the narration voice.
At this time, when the player returns to the original room 427, he will find that the door next to it is opened, and there is a place leading the player to the rescue cabin.
In the process of going to the escape pod, Stanley will continue to go upstairs, and he will find that there is a room 427 on each floor, and each floor has the same structure. Eventually he'll go into the escape pod and escape the place (maybe).
…
If you choose the door on the right and use the elevator to get to the maintenance area, the narrator will be completely confused, and you can't even find the way Stanley should go next.
Stanley went on a path that completely deviated from the narration, so that the entire script was spoiled, and the narration had to restart the entire game.
But the restarted game was even more chaotic, and the game would run into new problems with each restart.
For example, the door is missing.
For example, Stanley entered a scene with a completely different style of painting.
The narration even had to draw a long yellow arrow on the ground, but this still didn't save the already completely messed up game story line.
Eventually, Stanley will come to a room that says "Chaotic Ending" and the entire process of the chaotic ending is written on the screen.
Even the narrator was shocked, he refused to follow the on-screen process to continue restarting the game, but an unknown presence forcibly restarted the game.
…
The more he played, the more Zhao Lei found that the game had too much content that he was completely unaware of. No matter what choice he made, the narrator would have a set of words, as if he had already guessed what he would do.
Moreover, there are many interesting easter eggs in this game, and molesting the narration has become a very interesting thing.
If you keep entering the wrong password in the boss's office, the narrator will hint you the correct password over and over again, and even emphasize it in red font very angrily, and finally open the door by yourself very helplessly.
There are even times when the narrator is shocked by what's going on in the game, throwing the whole game into layers of confusion.
Stanley-player-narrator-higher existence constitutes a huge mystery, which makes Zhao Lei want to constantly search for clues in the game to find the truth behind it all.
He has been deeply attracted by this game.
…
Before I knew it, more than two hours had passed.
Zhao Lei looked at the time and realized that he had already spent such a long time in this game.
But he has a vague feeling that there are still many endings in this game that he has not played out, and there are still many Easter eggs that he has not discovered.
This is the second time Chen Mo has come to check on his progress.
"How is it, is it fun?" Chen Mo asked with a smile.
Zhao Lei rubbed his neck: "It's not fun, but... it feels very interesting. When will this game be released?"
Chen Mo said, "Probably next week."
Zhao Lei nodded: "Okay, I will definitely buy a collection when the game is released."
He paused, and continued: "Besides, I feel that this game seems to imply something. If you look deeper, it seems to imply a lot of hidden meaning..."
Chen Mo smiled without saying a word.
Zhao Lei asked: "Can you explain to me what this game really means? What's its deep meaning?"
Chen Mo shook his head: "It can only be felt, not expressed in words."
Zhao Lei was a little speechless, and stood up: "It's getting late, I have to go back, get a good sleep, and continue to work tomorrow."
Chen Mo nodded: "Well, have a good rest."
The two walked to the door, and Zhao Lei looked at Chen Mo before leaving: "Thank you for the game, although it's useless to understand some of the truth, but at least it made me feel better."
Chen Mo smiled: "Don't think too much, it's just a game. Life has to go on, doesn't it?"
…
"Stanley's Fable" is not a simple puzzle game.
It is a very classic meta game, and it has a deep philosophical meaning. Its fun is not in solving puzzles or exploring different endings, but in experiencing and interpreting the countless fables contained in the entire game.
In this game, there are actually designs that are contrary to conventional games everywhere. It is more like teasing the meaning of the "game" itself, or teasing the relationship between the designer and the player.
The game has no clear goals, no difficult challenges, and no rewards in the usual sense. Even when the player stays in the storage room for a long time, the narrator will mock: "God, do you want to show off to your friends that you played the ending of the storage room?"
Moreover, the game is full of irony about "game fun". For example, Stanley's daily job is to press buttons and feel that he is very happy. Isn't this alluding to those gamers
Players follow the narration's prompts, step by step to open the secret door, turn on the switch, and finally reach a seemingly happy ending. Isn't this what normal games allow players to do
These contents make the players vaguely realize that they seem to be Stanley, and they seem to have freedom and happiness, but this feeling is very false.
Behind every ending, there is a kind of philosophical thinking.
For example, the ending of deceit is the deception of losing free will, the ending of nuclear explosion is the consolidation of the creator's status, the ending of returning home is a kind of despair with no choice, the ending of chaos is thinking about the end, and the ending of starlight is Stanley as a Experimental mice...
And this is where the greatest significance of this game lies.
It is a reflection on the game itself and on life. Players will reflect on their encounters in real life and think about how they should choose.
Of course, this game itself does not have a clear story background, it is more like a stream of consciousness work, a thousand readers have a thousand Hamlet, everyone can experience something different when playing this game.
However, being able to bring this kind of experience to players is the greatest significance of this game.