When comparing Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition vs The Stanley Parable, the Slant community recommends The Stanley Parable for most people. In the question“What are the best indie games on Steam?” The Stanley Parable is ranked 11th while Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition is ranked 32nd. The most important reason people chose The Stanley Parable is:
One of the main themes of the game is the illusion of choice that's presented in games. While a player can make a vast number of decisions in the game, the narrator reminds the player he can only make decisions that the game allows him to and how the game manipulates the player into making them. The narrator points out that not just common choices such as what path to take to get from point A to point B, how to approach a certain situation or what ethical choices are available are limited to the game's designers having thought of and implemented those aspects of the game, but decisions such as purposeful suicide, not taking action, disobeying instructions and even turning off the game are only there if the game allows them to be there.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Fun fighting combo system
Attacks in Guacamelee are done with combining lots of different attacks into one devastating and fun to execute combo.
Pro Well executed pop-culture references as well as references of other titles
Pop-culture as well as other popular titles within the metroidvania and platformer genres are referenced throughout the game in various situations for comedic effect. And it's done in a very unobtrusive way as to not be annoying.
Pro Local co-op
Guacamelee has local co-op support.
Pro Game progression through new moves
Areas in the game are unlocked by performing moves on obstructive blocks, which allows your move complexity to increase proportionally with game progression.
Pro Discusses the illusion of choice in games
One of the main themes of the game is the illusion of choice that's presented in games. While a player can make a vast number of decisions in the game, the narrator reminds the player he can only make decisions that the game allows him to and how the game manipulates the player into making them. The narrator points out that not just common choices such as what path to take to get from point A to point B, how to approach a certain situation or what ethical choices are available are limited to the game's designers having thought of and implemented those aspects of the game, but decisions such as purposeful suicide, not taking action, disobeying instructions and even turning off the game are only there if the game allows them to be there.
Pro Exceptional narration
Excellently crafted, hilarious writing delivered by a well spoken, charismatic British narrator. Kevan Brighting has become somewhat of a cult success since the game due to its cult like status which just shows how deserving he is due to how well done the narration of the game is done.
Pro The game has a lot of different endings to find
There are numerous ending to the game that appear to play out even when the player makes the same choices as their last playthrough.
Pro Insightful commentary on state of game design
The game tackles topics such as ludonarrative dissonance, choice in games, narrative limitations, etc while mostly focusing on the relationship between the game and the player in terms of storytelling in a very meaningful, educated and entertaining way.
Pro Points out narrative limitations in games by encouraging breaking narrative structure through gameplay
The game encourages players to explore decisions that would change the meaning of the presented story. What if you took a left turn where the game asked you to take a right? What if you decided not to push a big red button needed to continue playing because you didn't agree with pushing the big red button? What if you died in a boss battle? How would that affect the narrative of the game?
The game rewards you for not following the "intended" narrative structure of the situation in order to point out how the structure is unavoidable in games as a whole. The process of attempting to break the structure can be highly satisfying in The Stanley Parable and can help you better notice limitations of narrative in other games.
Pro A few nods to other games can be seen throughout the game
References to other games including Half-Life 2, Portal & Minecraft can be found throughout the game.
Cons
Con Controls on the keyboard don't work that well
The game is clearly designed with a controller in mind. Specifically, a mechanic that allows throwing enemies and various objects uses the analog stick to aim. Aiming using the keyboard is limited to 8 directions and is not sufficiently precise.
Con Subpar combat system
The combat feels clunky in comparison to actual fighting games.
Con More an interactive story than an actual game
The Stanley Parable is not much of a game in the strictest sense but more an interactive story or interactive "art".