I purchased the 99 cent ios app Her Story by Sam Barlow for this critical play. I spent about 5 minutes waiting for the game to become unfrozen from this screen and pop up some instructions/ menu for how to start. Eventually, I tried clicking around on the screen and found that the very realistic computer screen with glare was actually interactive. Given that it looks like a video of a computer screen, I was not in the mode to interact with the screen, but other than that, the game mechanics are rather smooth. Things that looks like buttons typically work, and you can query for videos, play the videos you want, and add your own tags for personalized organization.
So far playing this “game”, I would say it’s more of an interactive novel that allows you to query for chapters and therefore presents the story in a nonlinear, user-chosen path. The central aesthetic is definitely discovery, as the game allows users to delve into the database of recorded police interviews driven by their own curiosity and desire to unravel the truth. The aesthetic of challenge shows up in this fragmented narrative structure, which can be challenging for players to carefully analyze, then properly pull and connect clues present to form a coherent understanding of the murder mystery at hand. It’s also a challenge to decide which keywords would be useful for uncovering relevant clips. The narrative of “Her Story” is embedded within the gameplay itself. Instead of following a linear storyline, players are given the freedom to explore the database and interpret the events at their own pace. The game does not provide a predetermined narrative path but rather allows players to construct their own understanding of the story.
The interface design of the game itself is rather minimal, but this does not take away from the user’s experience and immersion into the game/videos. This is an encouraging notion for the digital aspect of the escape room. I can imagine having a mini mystery to solve in a series of videos/ clues on a simple interface.
While the story does include many loops- querying for videos, adding notes, and potentially rewatching videos to reinterpret clues- I do think that the user will eventually burn through the content. The need for more content – once a video has been watched enough/a certain mystery’s already been solved – may put Sam Barlow on the content treadmill, pumping out new stories for users as soon as this narrative has been used up.
