Gamers play a detective investigating a murder case, where, instead of wandering around a crime scene for clues, players are given an old computer from the late 90s and a search engine. By conducting key word searches, the story of a woman caught up in a murder case unravels, her story gleaned from short video clips spread over seven interrogation sessions.
When “Her Story” begins, the player is only given the search term “murder” and five video clips, leaving the rest locked behind search terms that the player must interpret through clues spread thinly across the videos. These videos range anywhere from 8 seconds to a full 3 minutes, giving sporadic bits of information that the player needs to parse together to form an answer. “Did this woman kill her husband? Who is Hannah? What does her family have to do with this?” were all questions I asked during my short play session. One of the most compelling parts of this experience is that these questions don’t stop until you’ve seen enough clips to figure out the story for yourself. In “Her Story,” the game ends when an in-game chat notification from a fellow detective appears, asking players if they are satisfied with the information gathered.
This puts “Her Story” in a distinct place, as a narrative-based crime thriller, and it feels true to the life of a real detective. A detective will only know the story based on statements and reports, much like the player will determine the outcome based on listening to the story given by the woman in the interrogation room.“Her Story” has a style in its gameplay that, in a market crowded by action-heavy games, feels like a breath of fresh air.
Instead of impacting a storyline by doing quests and saving the day, players will see a rewarding story that has already happened, and what they choose to do with the information is ultimately up to them. “Her Story” provides a movie-like feel in its gameplay that for the small price, feels like a great deal. “Her Story” is available now for PC, Mac and iOS devices.
