Her Story (video Game)
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''Her Story'' is an
interactive film An interactive film is a video game or other interactive media that has characteristics of a cinematic film. In the video game industry, the term refers to a movie game, a video game that presents its gameplay in a cinematic, scripted manner, o ...
video game written and directed by Sam Barlow. It was released on 24 June 2015 for
iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
,
OS X macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...
, and
Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
, and the following year for
Android Android most commonly refers to: *Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), a mobile operating system primarily developed by Google * Android TV, a operating system developed ...
. In the game, the player searches and sorts through a database of video clips from fictional police interviews, and uses the clips to solve the case of a missing man. The police interviews focus on the man's wife, Hannah Smith, portrayed by British musician Viva Seifert. The game is Barlow's first project since his departure from
Climax Studios Climax Studios is a British video game developer based in Portsmouth that is best known for their work on the 2004 action role-playing game '' Sudeki'' and the 2007 and 2009 survival horror video games '' Silent Hill: Origins'' and '' Silent H ...
, after which he became
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
. He wanted to develop a game that was dependent on the narrative, and avoided working on the game until he was settled on an idea that was possible to execute. Barlow eventually decided to create a
police procedural The police procedural, police show, or police crime drama is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasises the investigative procedure of police officers, police detectives, or law enforcement agency, law enforcement agencies ...
game, and incorporate live action footage. He conducted research for the game by watching existing police interviews. Upon doing so, he discovered recurring themes in the suspects' answers, and decided to incorporate ambiguity to the investigation in the game. ''Her Story'' was acclaimed by many reviewers, with praise particularly directed at the narrative, unconventional gameplay mechanics, and Seifert's performance. The game has sold over 100,000 copies, and earned multiple year-end accolades, including nominations for
Game of the Year Game of the Year (GotY) is an award given to a video game by various award events and media publications that they feel represented the pinnacle of gaming that year. Events and ceremonies British Academy Games Awards (BAFTA Games Awards) ...
awards from several
gaming publications Video game journalism (also called games journalism or video game criticism) is a specialized branch of journalism that covers various aspects of video games, including game reviews, industry news, and player culture, typically following a core ...
. In August 2019, a
spiritual sequel A spiritual successor (sometimes called a spiritual sequel) is a product or fictional work that is similar to, or directly inspired by, another previous product or work, but (unlike a traditional prequel or sequel) does not explicitly continue th ...
titled '' Telling Lies'' was released.


Gameplay

''Her Story'' is an
interactive movie Across the many fields concerned with interactivity, including information science, computer science, human-computer interaction, communication, and industrial design, there is little agreement over the meaning of the term "interactivity", but ...
game, focusing on a series of seven fictional police
interviews An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" re ...
from 1994. As the game begins, the player is presented with an old
desktop A desktop traditionally refers to: * The surface of a desk (often to distinguish office appliances that fit on a desk, such as photocopiers and printers, from larger equipment covering its own area on the floor) Desktop may refer to various compu ...
, which contains several files and programs. Among the programs are instructional text files, which explain the game's mechanics. One of the programs automatically open on the desktop is the "L.O.G.I.C. Database", which allows the player to search and sort video clips within the database, of which there are 271. The video clips are police interviews with Hannah Smith, a British woman. The interviews are unable to be watched in their entirety, forcing the player to view short clips. In the interviews, Hannah answers unknown questions to an off-screen detective, prompting the player to decipher the context of the answers. Hannah's answers are transcribed, and the player can find clips by searching in the database for words from the transcriptions, attempting to solve the case by piecing together information. As the player selects clips, they can enter user tags, which are then available as searchable terms. One of the files on the desktop is a database checker, which allows the player to review the number of clips that have been viewed; as a clip is viewed, the red box in the database checker changes to green. The desktop also features the
minigame A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements and is often smaller or more simplistic than th ...
''Mirror Game'', based on the strategy board game ''
Reversi Reversi is a strategy board game for two players, played on an 8×8 uncheckered board. It was invented in 1883. ''Othello'', a variant with a fixed initial setup of the board, was patented in 1971. Basics Two players compete, using 64 identi ...
''.


Plot

The interview tapes feature a woman who introduces herself as Hannah Smith (portrayed by Viva Seifert), whose husband, Simon, has gone missing and is later found murdered. Hannah admits that she and Simon had argued, but has an
alibi An alibi (, from the Latin, '' alibī'', meaning "somewhere else") is a statement by a person under suspicion in a crime that they were in a different place when the offence was committed. During a police investigation, all suspects are usually a ...
placing her in
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
when Simon disappeared. As more pieces of the interviews are discovered, it is claimed that "Hannah" is actually two women: Hannah and Eve,
identical twins Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of Twin Last Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two e ...
separated at birth by the midwife, Florence. Florence desperately wanted to have kids but did not believe in remarrying after her husband died, so she faked the death of one of the twins to claim one for herself. Florence deliberately kept Eve indoors as much as possible and the twins were unaware of each other's existence until years later. When Florence died, Eve secretly moved in with Hannah and they decided to act as a single person, keeping a common diary and a set of rules defining their actions as "Hannah". Hannah's parents were oblivious, assuming Eve was Hannah's imaginary friend. Hannah eventually began dating Simon, whom she had met at a
glazier A glazier is a tradesperson responsible for cutting, installing, and removing glass (and materials used as substitutes for glass, such as some plastics).Elizabeth H. Oakes, ''Ferguson Career Resource Guide to Apprenticeship Programs'' ( Infoba ...
where they both worked. Despite their rules to share equally, Hannah slept with Simon and became pregnant. She gradually became possessive of Simon and forbade Eve from interacting with him. Because of the pregnancy, Hannah and Simon were married and moved in together while Eve moved out to her own apartment and began wearing a wig. Hannah miscarried in her eighth month and believed she was
infertile In biology, infertility is the inability of a male and female organism to reproduce. It is usually not the natural state of a healthy organism that has reached sexual maturity, so children who have not undergone puberty, which is the body's sta ...
afterward. Some time later, Simon encountered Eve in a bar she was singing at. Smitten by her resemblance, the two began an affair. Eve became pregnant but never told Simon and hid the identity of the father from Hannah. On their birthday, after Simon gifted Hannah a handmade mirror, she revealed the existence of Eve and her pregnancy. Hannah realised Simon was the father of Eve's child. After kicking Simon out of the house, she argued with Eve over the affair, causing the latter to leave for Glasgow. Simon returned and, thinking Hannah was Eve, gifted her a similar handmade mirror and professed his desire to be with Eve instead of Hannah. Hannah became furious and revealed her identity. She later claims that, as they fought, she shattered the mirror and inadvertently cut Simon's throat with it while fending him off. When Eve returned, she found Hannah sitting next to Simon's lifeless body. Agreeing that Eve's baby was the priority, they hid Simon's body and agreed to use Eve's trip to Glasgow as an alibi. At the end of the final interview, Eve says that Hannah is "gone ... and she's never coming back" but mockingly asks "can you arrest someone who doesn't exist?". She then requests a lawyer, and says that her comments are just "stories". It is unclear if Eve's story of being an identical twin is true, an intentional fabrication meant to confuse the police, or a case of dissociative identity disorder, with pieces of evidence lending credence to each theory. As the player uncovers enough of the story, a chat window appears asking if they are finished. Upon answering affirmatively, it is revealed that the player is Sarah, Eve's daughter. The chat asks Sarah if she understands her mother's actions, and asks to meet her outside.


Development

''Her Story'' was developed by Sam Barlow, who previously worked on games such as '' Silent Hill: Origins'' (2007) and '' Silent Hill: Shattered Memories'' (2009) at
Climax Studios Climax Studios is a British video game developer based in Portsmouth that is best known for their work on the 2004 action role-playing game '' Sudeki'' and the 2007 and 2009 survival horror video games '' Silent Hill: Origins'' and '' Silent H ...
. Barlow had conceived the idea of a police procedural game while working at Climax Studios, but decided to become
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
to create the game, in order to develop a game that is "deep on story". He became frustrated by publishers rejecting game pitches for being "too kitchen sink ealism in favor of video game tropes like a "cyborg assassin from the future", and found that becoming independent allowed him to create his own game of the sort. He also wished to become independent after playing games like ''
Year Walk ''Year Walk'' is an adventure game developed and published by Swedish mobile game developer Simogo for iOS devices in 2013. The game is loosely based on an ancient Swedish tradition called "Årsgång" (pronounced oːʂgɔŋ "Year Walk"). Th ...
'' (2013) and '' 80 Days'' (2014). Barlow avoided development until he had an idea that was possible to execute. "I could probably quite easily have gone and made an exploration horror game ... but I kind of knew that there would be big compromises there because of budget," he said. Barlow spent his savings to work on the game, allowing him a year of development time. He followed through with the concept of ''Her Story'', as it focused on an "intimate setting, dialogue and character interaction", which he found was often dismissed in larger titles. Barlow felt particularly inspired to develop ''Her Story'' after seeing the continuous support of his 1999 game ''
Aisle An aisle is a linear space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, in buildings such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parliaments, courtrooms, ...
''. When referring to how ''Her Story'' challenges typical game conventions, Barlow compares it to the
Dogme 95 Dogme 95 (; Danish for "Dogma 95") was a Danish avant-garde filmmaking movement founded by Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg, who created the "Dogme 95 Manifesto" and the "Vows of Chastity" (). These were rules to create films based on the t ...
filmmaking movement, and
Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...
's 1948 film ''
Rope A rope is a group of yarns, Plying, plies, fibres, or strands that are plying, twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have high tensile strength and can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger ...
''. ''Her Story'' was approved through
Steam Greenlight Steam is a digital distribution service and storefront developed by Valve. It was launched as a software client in September 2003 to provide video game updates automatically for Valve's games and expanded to distributing third-party titles in l ...
, and was
crowdfunded Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance, to fund projects "without standard financial ...
by
Indie Fund The Indie Fund is an organization created by several independent game developers to help fund budding indie video game development. The Indie Fund was created in early 2010, its purpose aimed "to encourage the next generation of game developers" ...
. It was released on 24 June 2015 for
iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
,
OS X macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...
, and
Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
. Barlow wanted to launch the game on all platforms simultaneously, as he was unsure where the audience would be. "If I'd just gone for just one I'd have lost a lot of the potential audience," he commented. Barlow found that playing ''Her Story'' on mobile devices is a "'sofa' experience". He also noted that it felt "natural" for it to be released on mobile devices, as they are regularly used to watch videos and search the internet; similar tasks are used as gameplay mechanics in ''Her Story''. The
iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...
's smaller pixel size of 640×480 as opposed to 800×600 led to Barlow's doubts of a release on the platform, but he was influenced to release it upon receiving positive feedback through
testing Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film) ...
. As development neared completion, the game underwent testing, which allowed Barlow to "balance some aspects" and "polish items together". An
Android Android most commonly refers to: *Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), a mobile operating system primarily developed by Google * Android TV, a operating system developed ...
version was released on 29 June 2016. ''Her Story'' runs on the
Unity Unity is the state of being as one (either literally or figuratively). It may also refer to: Buildings * Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building * Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper * Unity Buildings, Liverpoo ...
game engine A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games which generally includes relevant libraries and support programs such as a level editor. The "engine" terminology is akin to the term " software engine" u ...
.


Gameplay design

Barlow described the game as a "desktop thriller". His immediate idea was to create a game involving police interviews, but he "didn't know exactly what that meant". He then conceived the idea to involve real video footage, and the ability to access the footage through a database interface; he described the interface as being "part
Apple II Apple II ("apple Roman numerals, two", stylized as Apple ][) is a series of microcomputers manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. from 1977 to 1993. The Apple II (original), original Apple II model, which gave the series its name, was designed ...
, part Windows 3.1 and part Windows 98". The interface design was inspired by Barlow's appreciation of the police procedural genre, commenting that "the conceit of making the computer itself a prop in the game was so neat". He also compared the searching mechanic to the
Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...
search engine, and wanted to "run with the idea" that the player is "essentially Googling". The game's concept was inspired by the TV series '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' (1993–1999), which Barlow found depicted police interviews being a "gladiatorial arena for detectives". Barlow intentionally made the game's opening screen to be "slightly too long", to immediately notify the player of the slow pacing that would follow. Inspiration to work on ''Her Story'' stemmed from Barlow's disappointment of other detectives games: he felt that '' L.A. Noire'' (2011) never allowed him to feel like "the awesome detective who was having to read things and follow up threads of investigation", and he called the ''Ace Attorney'' series (2001–present) "rigid". When Barlow began development on ''Her Story'', he added more typical game aspects, but the game mechanics became more minimalist as development progressed. The initial plan for the game was for the player to work towards a definitive resolution, ultimately solving the crime. However, when Barlow tested the concept on pre-existing interview transcripts of convicted murderer
Christopher Porco On August 10, 2006, 23-year-old Christopher Porco (born July 9, 1983) was convicted of second-degree murder for the axe murder of his father, Peter Porco, and second-degree attempted murder after a similarly brutal attack on his mother, Joan Porco, ...
, he began to discover themes surfacing within the interviews, particularly relating to the concept of money, which was ultimately a large factor in Porco's trial. He took this concept of recurring themes and threads, and decided to "move beyond the clearly scripted stuff" when developing ''Her Story''. Barlow felt that the story's appeal was the ambiguity of the investigation, comparing ''Her Story'' to the podcast '' Serial'' (2014–present), which he listened to late in development. He found that the attraction of ''Serial'' was the lack of a definitive solution, noting that "people lean towards certain interpretations ... what makes it interesting is the extent to which it lives on in your imagination".


Story and characters

Barlow decided to feature live action footage in the game after becoming frustrated with his previous projects, particularly with the technical challenge of translating an actor's performance into a game engine. Barlow set out to work with an actor on ''Her Story'', having enjoyed the process while working at Climax Studios, albeit with a larger budget. He contacted Viva Seifert, whom he had intermittently worked with on '' Legacy of Kain: Dead Sun'' for a year, before its cancellation. He felt that Seifert is "very good at picking up a line and intuitively pulling a lot of the subtext into her performance", which led him to believe that she was "perfect" for the role in ''Her Story''. When Barlow asked Seifert to audition, he sent her a 300-page script, which he managed to reduce to 80 pages, by altering font size, as well as some dialogue; she accepted the role. Seifert began to feel pressure midway through filming, when she realised that "the whole game is hinging" on her performance. She described the shoot as "intense" and "rather exhausting", and felt as if she was "subtly being scrutinised" by Barlow, which helped her performance. Barlow also felt that the intensity helped Seifert's performance, taking cues from director Alfred Hitchcock, who would upset his actors in order to achieve the greatest performance. Seifert felt that there were small nuances in her performance that may have "added some twists and turns" for the player that Barlow had not anticipated. The game's seven police interviews were filmed roughly in chronological order over five days, in a process that Barlow called "natural". Like Seifert though, Barlow thought the shoot was intense, remarking "at the end of the shoot, it was just a huge relief it was all over and we hadn't forgotten to record or anything." Barlow travelled to Seifert's home county of
Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
to film. He felt that finding the locations for the interrogation rooms was the simplest part of production, because "everywhere has crappy looking rooms", with footage being recorded in a council building in
Truro Truro (; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England; it is the southernmost city in the United Kingdom, just under west-south-west of Charing Cross in London. It is Cornwall's county town, s ...
. When filming was complete, Barlow wanted to give the impression that the videos had been recorded in 1994, but found
digital filter In signal processing, a digital filter is a system that performs mathematical operations on a Sampling (signal processing), sampled, discrete-time signal to reduce or enhance certain aspects of that signal. This is in contrast to the other ma ...
s were unable to capture this time frame appropriately. Instead, he recorded the footage through two
VHS player A videocassette recorder (VCR) or video recorder is an electromechanical device that records analog audio and analog video from broadcast television or other AV sources and can play back the recording after rewinding. The use of a VCR to reco ...
s to create imperfections in the video before digitising the video into the game. Barlow played the part of the detectives during filming, asking scripted questions to Seifert's character, but is never featured in ''Her Story''. When watching police interviews for research, Barlow found himself empathising with the interviewee, which inspired him to exclude the detective from the game. He stated that the interviews typically feature "double betrayal", in which the detectives are "pretending to be the best friend". Barlow felt that removing the detective from the game empowers Seifert's character, allowing the player to empathise. When conducting research for ''Her Story'', Barlow looked at the case regarding the
murder of Travis Alexander Travis Victor Alexander (July 28, 1977 – June 4, 2008) was an American salesman who was murdered by his ex-girlfriend, Jodi Ann Arias (born July 9, 1980), in his house in Mesa, Arizona while in the shower. Arias was convicted of first-degree ...
, which made him consider the manner that female murder suspects are treated in interrogations, stating that they "tend to be fetishised, more readily turned into archetypes". This was further proved to Barlow when studying the interviews of
Casey Anthony Caylee Marie Anthony (August9, 2005 – June2008) was an American toddler who lived in Orlando, Florida, with her mother, Casey Marie Anthony (born March19, 1986), and her maternal grandparents, George and Cindy Anthony. On July15, 2008, Cayle ...
and
Amanda Knox Amanda Marie Knox (born July 9, 1987) is an American author, activist, and journalist. She spent almost four years incarcerated in Italy after her wrongful conviction in the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher, a fellow exchange student, with w ...
; he found that media commentary often ignored the evidence of the investigation, instead focusing on the expressions of the suspects during the interviews. Barlow conducted further research by studying texts about
psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
, and the use of language. After conceiving the game's main mechanics, Barlow began developing the story, conducting research and "letting he storytake on a life of its own". To develop the story, Barlow placed the script into a
spreadsheet A spreadsheet is a computer application for computation, organization, analysis and storage of data in tabular form. Spreadsheets were developed as computerized analogs of paper accounting worksheets. The program operates on data entered in c ...
, which became so large it often crashed his laptop upon opening it. He mapped out every character involved in the investigation, including their backstories and agendas. He spent about half of development creating detailed documents charting the story's characters and events. He also determined the dates on which the police interviews would take place, and what the suspect was doing in the interim. Once he had determined the game's concept more precisely, Barlow ensured the script contained "layers of intrigue", in order to interest the player to finish the game. Barlow often replaced words of the script with synonyms, to ensure that some clips were not associated with irrelevant words. When writing the script, Barlow generally avoided
supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...
themes, but realised that it would involve a "slight dreamlike surreal edge". Working on the script, he often found that he was "very much in the moment, writing from inside the characters' heads". He found it difficult to create a new idea for the story, as detective fiction has been explored many times before.


Audio

When searching for music to use in ''Her Story'', Barlow looked for songs that sounded "slightly out-of-time". He ultimately used eight tracks from musician Chris Zabriskie, and found that his music invoked nostalgia, and had a "modern edge". He felt that the music "highlights the gap between the 'fake computer world'" and the game. The "emotional intensity" of the clips also influences the music changes in ''Her Story''. Barlow also intended to feature a song for Seifert to sing in some of the clips that fit within the game. He settled on the murder ballad "
The Twa Sisters "The Two Sisters" (also known by the Scots title "The Twa Sisters") is a traditional murder ballad, dating at least as far back as the mid 17th century. The song recounts the tale of a girl drowned by her jealous sister. At least 21 English va ...
", which he felt would trigger the mythical elements of the game. Seifert and Barlow both altered the ballad, to fit the game. Barlow intended for the sound design to be "all about authenticity". He used an old keyboard to provide sound effects for the computer, using
stereo panning Panning is the distribution of an audio signal (either monaural or stereophonic pairs) into a new stereo or multi-channel sound field determined by a pan control setting. A typical recording console has a pan control for each incoming source chann ...
for the keys to have the correct 3D position in playback.


Sequel

''Telling Lies'' was Barlow's
spiritual sequel A spiritual successor (sometimes called a spiritual sequel) is a product or fictional work that is similar to, or directly inspired by, another previous product or work, but (unlike a traditional prequel or sequel) does not explicitly continue th ...
to ''Her Story''; rather than focusing on one central character, it features live-action footage from the video conversations of four characters (played by
Logan Marshall-Green Logan Marshall-Green (born November 1, 1976) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his roles in the television series '' 24'', ''The O.C.'', '' Traveler'', '' Dark Blue'' and ''Quarry'', as well as his roles in the films ''Devil'', ...
,
Alexandra Shipp Alexandra Shipp (born July 16, 1991) is an American actress and singer who rose to prominence for portraying singer Aaliyah in the Lifetime television film '' Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B'' (2014) and Kimberly Woodruff in the film ''Straight Ou ...
,
Kerry Bishé Kerry Bishé is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Donna Clark in the AMC period drama series '' Halt and Catch Fire'' (2014–2017) and Lucy Bennett, the lead/narrator in the final season of the ABC medical sitcom '' Scrubs'' ...
, and
Angela Sarafyan Angela Sarafyan (), sometimes credited as Angela Sarafian, is an American actress. She has appeared as a guest star in several television series and has acted in the feature films: '' Kabluey'' (2007), '' On the Doll'' (2007), '' A Beautiful Life ...
), and requires the player to piece together events by searching the video clips to determine why these characters were under surveillance. The game was published by
Annapurna Interactive Annapurna Games, LLC (trade name: Annapurna Interactive) is an American video game publisher and developer. The company is a division of Annapurna Pictures, and was founded in 2016, and has focused on publishing innovative and emotive indie games ...
on Windows and macOS systems on 23 August 2019.


Reception


Critical reception

''Her Story'' received "universal acclaim" for the iOS and "generally favorable" reviews for Windows, according to review aggregator
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
. Praise was directed at the narrative, gameplay mechanics, and Seifert's performance. ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
''s Brian Albert called ''Her Story'' "the most unique game I've played in years", and Steven Burns of ''VideoGamer.com'' named it "one of the year's best and most interesting games". Adam Smith of ''
Rock, Paper, Shotgun ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' is a British video game journalism website. It was launched in July 2007 to focus on PC games and was acquired by Gamer Network, a network of sites led by ''Eurogamer'', in May 2017. History ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' ...
'' remarked that it "might be the best FMV game ever made"; Michael Thomsen of ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' declared it "a beautiful amalgam of the cinema and video game formats". Critics lauded the game's narrative. ''
Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
'' considered it "a superlatively told work of crime fiction." Kimberley Wallace of ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'' is an American monthly Video game journalism, video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and video game console, game consoles. It debuted in August 1991, when the video game reta ...
'' wrote that the "fragmented" delivery of the story "works to its benefit". She appreciated the subtlety of the narrative, and the ambiguity surrounding the ending. ''
Polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure made up of line segments connected to form a closed polygonal chain. The segments of a closed polygonal chain are called its '' edges'' or ''sides''. The points where two edges meet are the polygon ...
''s Megan Farokhmanesh noted that ''Her Story'' "nails the dark, voyeuristic nature of true crime". Chris Schilling of ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' was impressed by the coherence of the narrative, "even when presented out of order". ''
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network. In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. Fr ...
''s Simon Parkin found the effects of the narrative to be similar to well-received
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
thrillers, particularly in terms of audience attention.
Stephanie Bendixsen Stephanie Claire Bendixsen (born 31 March 1985) is an Australian video game critic, author, and is best known as one of the former presenters of the video game television programs '' Good Game'' and '' Good Game: Spawn Point'', where she went b ...
of '' Good Game'' was disappointed that large plot points were revealed early in the game, but attributed this to the uniqueness of each player's experience. Seifert's performance in the game received praise. ''
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
''s Justin Clark felt that the performance "anchored" the game. Chris Kohler of ''
Wired Wired may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Wired'' (Jeff Beck album), 1976 * ''Wired'' (Hugh Cornwell album), 1993 * ''Wired'' (Mallory Knox album), 2017 * "Wired", a song by Prism from their album '' Beat Street'' * "Wired ...
'' similarly described Seifert's performance as "so captivating that I couldn't imagine this game working any other way". Katie Smith of ''
Adventure Gamers ''Adventure Gamers'' is a computer game website created by Marek Bronstring in March 1999 dedicated to the genre of adventure games. It publishes reviews and previews of adventure games, as well as opinion articles and interviews with game de ...
'' wrote that Seifert is convincing in the role, particularly with small details such as body language, but was startled by the lack of emotion. ''Game Informer''s Wallace echoed similar remarks, noting that Seifert "nailed the role". ''Rock, Paper, Shotgun''s Smith wrote that "the whole thing might collapse" without Seifert's "convincing" performance. ''IGN''s Albert named the acting "believable", stating that Seifert's performance is "appropriately both grounded and absurd". Joe Donnelly of ''
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'' wrote that Seifert's performance has the potential to inspire similar games, and Andy Kelly of ''
PC Gamer ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games m ...
'' called the performance "understated, realistic, and complex". Burns of ''VideoGamer.com'' felt generally impressed by Seifert's performance, but noted some "occasional bad acting". Rich Stanton of ''
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'' wrote that "Seifert's delivery is usually matter-of-fact and emotionally convincing". ''Polygon'' named Hannah among the best video game characters of the 2010s, dubbing Seifert's performance as "superbly". The unconventional gameplay mechanics also received positive remarks from critics. ''
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''s
Laura Kate Dale Laura Kate Dale is an English video game journalist, author and activist. She is known for writing about the transgender and autism communities in relation to video games and for her video game industry leaks. Many of her topics tackle access ...
felt that the game's pacing and structure assisted the narrative, and Wallace of ''Game Informer'' found that making a connection between key points in the narrative was entertaining. Burns of ''VideoGamer.com'' praised the game's ability to make the player realise their own biases, and challenge their "sense of self". Albert of ''IGN'' felt that the searching tool was "gratifying", and positively contributes to the pacing of the game, while ''The Washington Post''s Thomsen wrote that the database mechanic created "contemplative gaps between scenes", allowing for "poignance and power" within the narrative. ''Edge'' thought that by having game mechanics which require the player to deduce the story through investigation and intuition, ''Her Story'' was one of few games "that truly deliver on the foundational fantasy of detective work." Bendixsen of ''Good Game'' described the desktop as "appropriately
retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from the past, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. It has been argued that there is a nostalgia cycle in popular culture. Definition The term ...
", noting that she was "drawn in immediately". The game sold over 100,000 copies by 10 August 2015; about 60,000 copies were sold on Windows, with the remaining 40,000 sold on iOS. Barlow stated that the game's instant popularity surprised him, as he had instead expected the game to slowly spread by word of mouth "and maybe over six months it would pay for itself."


Accolades

''Her Story'' has received multiple nominations and awards from
gaming publications Video game journalism (also called games journalism or video game criticism) is a specialized branch of journalism that covers various aspects of video games, including game reviews, industry news, and player culture, typically following a core ...
. It won
Game of the Year Game of the Year (GotY) is an award given to a video game by various award events and media publications that they feel represented the pinnacle of gaming that year. Events and ceremonies British Academy Games Awards (BAFTA Games Awards) ...
from ''Polygon'', as well as Game of the Month from ''Rock, Paper, Shotgun'' and GameSpot. It received the Breakthrough Award at the 33rd
Golden Joystick Award The Golden Joystick Awards, also known as the People's Gaming Awards, is a video game award ceremony; it awards the best video games of the year, as voted for originally by the British general public, but is now a global event that can be vote ...
s, Debut Game and Game Innovation at the
12th British Academy Games Awards The 12th British Academy Game Awards awarded by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, is an award ceremony that was held on 7 April 2016 at Tobacco Dock in London. The ceremony honoured achievement in video gaming in 2015 and was host ...
, the award for Most Original game from ''
PC Gamer ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games m ...
'', and the
Seumas McNally Grand Prize The Seumas McNally Grand Prize is the main award given at the Independent Games Festival (IGF), an annual event that takes place during the Game Developers Conference, one of the largest gatherings of the indie video game industry. It was first aw ...
at the
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Awards. At
The Game Awards 2015 The Game Awards 2015 was an award show that honored the best video games of 2015. It was produced and hosted by Geoff Keighley at the Microsoft Theater The Peacock Theater, formerly Nokia Theatre and Microsoft Theater, is a music and theat ...
, ''Her Story'' won Best Narrative, and Seifert won Best Performance for her role in the game; she also won the Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game at the 5th Annual
New York Game Awards The New York Game Awards is an annual award show honoring video games by nonprofit New York Videogame Critics Circle (NYVGCC). The first awards were held in 2012, honoring previous year's contributions to the video game industry and showcases ...
. ''Her Story'' won Best Emotional Mobile & Handheld at the Emotional Games Awards 2016, Mobile Game of the Year at the
SXSW Gaming Awards The SXSW Gaming Awards were awards given to video games during the annual South by Southwest Festival (SXSW), held in Austin, Texas typically in March of that year. The Awards were part of the SXSW Gaming Expo which is part of the SXSW Interactive ...
, Mobile & Handheld at the British Academy Games Awards, and awards for excellence in story and innovation at the International Mobile Gaming Awards, while ''The Guardian'' named it the best iOS game of 2015, In 2015, ''
Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
'' ranked ''Her Story'' as 94th in their list of the greatest videogames of all time.


References


External links

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