Her Story is a game based almost entirely on the method of narrative exploration. The narrative of the game is already created and ready to be accessed by the player, as it consists of a sequence of 7 interviews split across different recordings. However, the player doesn’t know this in the beginning, and the only way the player knows to find clips is through the search button which brings up the first few videos that reference the word that is searched. This way of only showing clips under specific circumstances paired with the way the narration is written creates a game that hides the important parts until they are naturally discovered. In this way, although the narrative has already been set, the story that the player sees and experiences is unique for each individual player.
The player when interfacing with the clips, especially in the beginning, doesn’t really know what’s going on besides the README notes that they can see on the screen (as seen in screenshot below). The way in which the player needs to explore the clips and search for keywords that pop up throughout the videos they watch creates the mystery feel. This hiding of the full linear story behind cut clips that come up when searched for is a strong game mechanic that creates the mystery and weaves the narrative together.
Her Story is a series of loops and arcs that are woven together. Sometimes they are in parallel, and most of the time, you don’t know whether you’re in a loop or an arc or both. A central loop that is repeated is the search functionality which leads you to new video clips to watch which point you to new words to search, and the loop continues. This loop is started in the beginning of the game with the word murder typed into the text box, being the obvious first search. The overarching arc of the game is to find out all of the information from watching the videos in order to solve the murder. The arc is supported by the search history which is stored in the game and the clip saving feature that can help the player navigate the important parts of the game. Key moments in the arc are when important clips are watched. These clips are accompanied by music, flickering lights, or other features that highlight their importance to the story.
All in all, it was really interesting to play Her Story and see how the narrative could be so immersive and mysterious by just having it being broken up into smaller clips and shown non-linearly, in limited quantities.
