The Beginner's Guide (PC) - Review

by Adrian Andrews , posted on 05 October 2015 / 5,058 Views

Would you like my advice? Well, I guess that's why you are here, isn't it? My advice is simple. Do not read this review. Why? Because, well, what is the point? The latest game from The Stanley Parable creator, Davey Wreden (which was announced out of nowhere and released a few days later), is not a game you can really review.

Because, if you are critical as a reviewer should be, then it's a compilation of unfinished, broken games which last a mere 90 minutes and consist of no objectives, no real gameplay aside from one mediocre puzzle and some conversations which change nothing, and which suddenly end. In short, The Beginner's Guide is not worth the entry fee because it doesn't function as a game.

But then again, that's exactly it. It's because it doesn't function as a game and it does so much more in its short running time that I can't stop thinking about it. It is for this, then, that The Beginner's Guide is very much worth the entry fee. The only issue is, I can't really tell you what that experience is, because then you won't have it. The only way to properly experience it is to play it, and that makes a review almost redundant.

What I wrote earlier should be starting to make just a little more sense now.

I guess a good place to start would be with what the game is actually about, but even that is fraught with danger. A good way to put it is to say that this is nothing like The Stanley Parable, aside from the fact that there's very little gameplay and your experience is dictated by a narrator that you never actually meet.

The narrator is Wreden himself, which he makes very clear immediately. This means that there's never an opportunity for the fourth wall to be broken down because it is never constructed in the first place. The Stanley Parable plays around with this idea but be under no illusion, The Beginner's Guide follows a very clear and very thoughtful, linear plot that offers no deviation. Once again, though, saying any more would ruin the point of the game itself.

Gameplay, for what it's worth, is very similar to The Stanley Parable in that you spend the vast majority of the game just walking. The difference here is that, whilst that 2011 title was about branching paths and taking a satirical view of the gaming industry itself, the message is different. And I'll get on to that in a moment.

Oh, you can shoot in a couple of the games too. The game is made up of around 18 shorter games, each of which lasts between 15 seconds and 10 minutes (though most settle in at around the 5 minute mark). They range from only being able to walk backwards, to auditioning for a role in a theatre, to house cleaning and much more. There is a clear point and a definitive narrative behind the whole thing, but that's only really clear after you've done it all and look back to reflect on it. Again, a surprise I won't spoil here, other than to say it's well worth the journey.

So we get to the actual story. Which is really 99% of the reason you're playing the game in the first place. I'll try to not go into too much detail but it's a very, very, very personal story which becomes clearer and clearer as time goes by. The game feels like a diary and you do get attached to the two characters in it (Davey and Coda, who made the games), and I really felt for them. I'm still thinking about it now and I will likely still be thinking of it for some time to come. Odds are, I will play through it again now I know the outcome just to see what I missed before and to feel it all again.

It's probably going to make a different impression on everyone who plays the game, but this is a title which really resonated with me. The story in particular is quite apt. I have been in the process of numerous changes, some small but many large, and it's hard to not feel a little alone in the world from time to time. It's also hard to know whether or not the work you are doing is really worthwhile, or indeed if things will really improve with time. There was quite a good example of that for me just two days ago, and it was after that experience that I stumbled upon the game and felt as though it really did speak to me. It isn't a happy tale, but then again is life really a happy tale?

These are the sorts of questions which I find myself asking now that I have played The Beginner's Guide and it's these thoughts and considerations which make the 90 minute journey through the game pretty meaningless in the grand scheme of things. That really is just the beginning. The effect will last for much, much longer.

Have you just scrolled straight down to the bottom? Have you read the whole review? Any sort of formal classification or answer to the question "Should I buy this game?" feels a little redundant, I'm afraid. But, if it helps, it resonated with me. And it seems to resonate with most people that have purchased it. If you want to play a game, then don't buy this. If you want to experience something, to really feel something and do something new, though... well, you couldn't really spend 90 minutes better.

This review is based on a digital copy of The Beginner\'s Guide for the PC

Read more about our Review Methodology here

10 Comments

Jizz_Beard_thePirate (on 05 October 2015)

Pretty good review! I played this game a couple of days ago and I enjoyed it quite a lot although as you mentioned, its not really a game per say but rather a pretty well done story that can be completed in one sitting which has a pretty great impact on people that experienced similar things

Goodnightmoon (on 08 October 2015)

I just finished it, what an amazing experience, it made feel and think so many things in so little time I can´t believe it. This man works are incredibly fascinating.

PieToast (on 06 October 2015)

Good read. This sounds like something I'd be absolutely interested in. I'm one of the people who argue that games can be the most powerful story telling medium. But , even though the player's interactions with the game in The beginners guide might be minimal, it's still crucial for the whole experience.

Conegamer PieToast (on 06 October 2015)

Quite right. It is definitely a difficult one to explain and, whilst you could easily watch the game on YT it would still lose something, that personal little touch and energy that you inject into it.

If every game was the same, the world would be a boring place.