Her Story Reviews
If you're a fan of the crime genre, whether it's in videogame, television, film or book form, this is definitely a game for you. It's easy to pick up but difficult to put down and will leave you wanting to discuss and analyse it even when you're not playing.
Her Story's deep, dark story makes excellent use of old-school full-motion video.
Her Story is gripping. You won't stop until you find answers, and it leaves you thinking long after the credits roll
It's been days since I finished the game, but I can't stop thinking about it. Her Story nails the dark, voyeuristic nature of true crime and the curiosity that follows.
With its open narrative design loaded with clever corkscrews waiting to be discovered, Sam Barlow's inventive interactive tale is a pleasure to play
Her Story's '90s aesthetic makes me feel nostalgic, and hearing the old computer boot up noises and seeing my silhouette rendered on the screen were nice touches. This Google Video-esque crime game isn't for the impatient or for those with short attention spans, but it rewards those who are willing to engage with its purposely-limited but complex delivery system.
Her Story wants to be different from every other game out there and in that it succeeds. I can honestly say that I've never played anything like it. It's not text adventure, it's not something I would call an FMV game or a point & click. It's in a genre all of its own and what a grubby, welcome little surprise it is.
A bold take on the long-forgotten FMV adventure genre, Her Story might be old-fashioned and light on what some might describe as traditional gameplay, but its sophisticated narrative and entertainingly novel take on detective work both allow it to soar far beyond the zenith of its seemingly outmoded remit.
Despite a very unconventional idea, or maybe just because of it, Her Story is a game that will engulf you with its story and atmosphere. It won't let you turn off the computer until you unveil the whole mystery.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
True to this experience, Her Story finally operates with a sort of functional ambiguity under its veneer of objective presentation. The player is presented with a crime and a sole suspect. By the end, there is even a narrative of what exactly took place, but no archive is ever truly complete, and all the information is never really all the information. You will have questions at the end of Her Story. Making sure that they're the right ones may require figuring out exactly who is looking and how, though which camera and on which screen.
While the mystery and intrigue can only be obtained during the first play-through, Her Story makes use of a simplistic concept combined with FMV to create a personal and rich atmosphere.
Her Story is an enjoyable puzzle game that tells an engaging story. Despite a few minor complaints, it's worth checking out, thanks to the low price.
In Her Story, an old game mechanic has been put to captivating new use.
Her Story is a bold and largely successful experiment in interactive crime fiction.
Sophisticated, engaging, and utterly unique.
Being an unconventional indie game, 'Her Story' is like to illicit a strong response. The heavy use of FMV is also like to turn many away, and the interface isn't the friendliest. Fortunately, those that do play the game will find a special experience that easily justifies the price. This is definitely a "have you ever played it" kind of enduring title.
Like The Blair Witch Project, Her Story seems likely to foster a wave of imitators, such is its relative technical ease. However, writer Sam Barlow has certainly set the bar high with his reimagining of what a full-motion video game can be. Whatever it ushers in, Her Story is changing perceptions of what a game can be in the here and now. Case closed.
It needs something extra to it to really stand as something special, but Her Story still kept me hooked long enough to dig out its secrets, and that's definitely a success.
To summarise, the structure of Her Story can very easily lead to a disappointing experience, and by its nature a second playthrough does not solve that. Scoring this game was not easy - based solely on my playthrough, I would have to give it either two or three stars, as it was unsatisfying and I walked away feeling "Was that it....?". On the other hand, had I not stumbled onto the key information so early on, I could easily see myself loving this game and giving it an easy four stars. For that reason, I still recommend checking out Her Story, despite my grievances, but be warded that the experience may be somewhat inconsistent.
Experimental in many ways, Her Story is as captivating as any detective novel, so long as you have the patience or ability to care about the narrative.