Galactic Cafe has just announced the release date for the Deluxe Edition of its amusing meta-gameThe Stanley Parable. Asone of the most influential indie titles in recent years, this new release will give players who missed it the first time round a chance to see what all the fuss was about back in 2013. While there’s not long to wait for this latest iteration of the adventures of Stanley, there is another way for fans to re-experience the narrative-heavy story, and it comes in the form of the originalHalf-Life.
Uploading a demo a few days ago, a modder is creating a “demake” ofThe Stanley Parableusing GoldSrc, a modified version of theQuakeengine which was used by Valve to create the firstHalf-Lifegame. Given that the latter came out in 1998, it gives the former a much more retro look, rebuilding the game using assets from the classic FPS, but at the same time keeping the hilarious narration voiced by Kevan Brighting. Currently, the mod only has two maps, but the creator is looking to add to it soon, and this demo serves as a way for players to give feedback.
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It’s also a little ironic that the demake being created in this way. Originally,The Stanley Parablewas a mod forHalf-Life 2that was released in 2011 before it went on to become its own thing. With the deluxe editiondue out this month, this nearly decade-old title has gone down as one of thebest video games where player decisions truly mean something. With its branching paths that lead to all manner of dialogues featuring Brighting’s voiceover work, the game encapsulated the rise in walking simulators that began more than a decade ago with the likes ofGone HomeandDear Esther.
This latest mod is a work-in-progress and is also capitalizing on the rise of fan projects that take something modern and give it a retro look. With therecentBloodbornedemakebeing well received and other examples coming out of the woodwork, returningThe Stanley Parableto where it originally started, in a manner of speaking, seems almost like a fitting move.
Asone of the best walking simulators out there, Galactic Cafe’s multi-path title is one that gamers should consider trying out. At the very least, a demake of it made inHalf-Lifewill be a good way to sample what the original game has to offer, especially for those who are curious about the upcoming deluxe edition and have yet to play through the experience.
The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe Editionreleases for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on April 27.
