@Clingtoascheme

I’ve always had a problem opening up to people. I tend to joke around, acting up the more “pleasing” aspects of my personality when I’m around others. And it works, people like me because of that, but when I think about how much I’m hiding from them I start to wonder if we really connect at all.

We all do this; we want connection but when it comes down to it, I think we just prefer to hide. It hurts less. It’s that struggle that is the focus of Davey Wreden’s (The Stanley Parable) new game The Beginner’s Guide which tackles that along with other issues of identity and acceptance to create one of the most unique gaming narratives of the year.

The Descent

The Beginner’s Guide follows a similar gameplay and narrative style to that of The Stanley Parable in that it a POV player character is guided by an omnipresent narrator. However, where The Stanley Parable strived for laughs, The Beginner’s Guide is firmly planted in the realm of melancholy.

Wreden himself acts as narrator this time, guiding the player through a collection of abandoned games made by a close friend of his called Coda. The objective, if there can be said to be one, is to look at these fragments of games and piece together the person that Coda was at the time he was making them.

It’s a weighty goal and as the game moves along it becomes a deeper and a more meta experience than I first expected. As The Beginner’s Guide explores issues of connection and the relationship between creator and player, the true essence of Coda and Wreden’s friendship becomes heartbreakingly clear.

To say much more would be ruining an experience that demands to be played as fresh as possible. Speaking from my own personal experience with the game I can say that it hasn’t left my mind in the hours after I’ve played it. It’s not an easy game to digest, and parts can feel too gut-wrenchingly real, but it spoke to me in a way that I haven’t experienced in a game in a while.

TL;DR

The Beginner’s Guide is a game that I would recommend to anyone, but also one I would caution anyone from approaching lightly. This is a heavy game with a deeply personal story of someone dealing all the unfortunate complexities of being a person. All the pain and sadness explored in The Beginner’s Guide comes from a real place for Wreden but also for those who experience it.

In the past few years I have played many games, but none have made me feel the way that The Beginner’s Guide has. I look forward to returning to the game every so often to see how my feelings change on the characters and narrative, but even now I’m convinced of The Beginner’s Guide greatness, and urge you to discover it for yourself too.

+ Unlike anything else you’ll play this year

+ Heartbreakingly real narrative

+ The ending

- Can be emotionally overwhelming