Her Story
Her Story is the new video game from Sam Barlow, creator of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories and Aisle. A crime fiction game with non-linear storytelling, Her Story revolves around a police database full of live action video footage. It stars Viva Seifert, actress and one half of the band Joe Gideon and the Shark.
What it feels like
An enigmatic pull of secrets gradually revealed: the woman's story unfolds in fragmented, non-linear pieces that the player must assemble. The game invites unhurried reflection as the player pieces together testimony, interprets contradictions, and sits with ambiguous details. A grave, subdued tone pervades the interviews: a serious crime, a woman under interrogation, and the weight of disclosed truths.
What it's about
Unraveling the hidden truth of a woman's story through detective work and investigation is the central structuring principle. The player takes on the role of an investigator sifting through police interview footage to solve the mystery of what happened. A crime serves as the backdrop: the player investigates a criminal case through police interviews and evidence.
How it plays
The entire game revolves around watching and analyzing branching interview conversations to uncover different perspectives and truths. Interface-driven interaction: clicking hotspots in the video database and typing search queries to navigate and uncover content. Finding and discovering specific video clips within a vast database by forming search queries mirrors the core puzzle of locating hidden information.
How it looks and sounds
The entire experience centers on live-action video footage of a fully-voiced actress being interviewed across seven sessions.
How it's structured
The game is explicitly designed as a solo experience with no multiplayer component, emphasizing personal discovery through individual investigation. Core to the design: the player chooses which video clips to search for and in what order, constructing the narrative through non-linear exploration of the database. While non-linear in player choice, the game does have an authored arc culminating in understanding the woman's story—a bounded narrative experience.
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