Stories Untold Review Summary

Good varied puzzles and an immersive 1980s aesthetic are offset by a cliche story, lack of localization, and need for a guide, though engaging twists add interest.

Engaging story with twist: The narrative is praised for being compelling and building up to a satisfying plot twist that rewards the player.

Good puzzles with variety: Players find the puzzles well-designed, fair, and enjoyable, with a good diversity that keeps gameplay interesting.

Immersive 1980s aesthetic: The nostalgic 80s visual and sound design is widely appreciated for creating an immersive and atmospheric setting that resonates with players.

Excellent sound design and music: Players consistently praise the high-quality sound design, voice acting, and soundtrack, which greatly enhance the overall experience.

Impressive atmospheric tension: The combination of atmosphere, sound, and music creates a dense, suspenseful environment that players find highly effective.

Cliche and predictable story: The story is described as cliche, predictable, and unoriginal, especially the conclusion. Some players found the later chapters disappointing and the final episode forced.

Lack of localization: The game is only available in English and lacks translations for languages such as French, Spanish, and German. Non-English speakers struggle to understand the story or progress.

Requires guide to progress: Many puzzles are very specific, obtuse, or impossible to figure out without a guide. Players often had to consult external help to proceed.

Poor text parser: The text parser requires exact commands and does not recognize synonyms. It is compared unfavorably to classic Zork-style games and is frustrating to use.

Waste of time: Some players feel the game is a complete waste of time, with tedious gameplay, poor design, and a feeling of wasted effort.

Text-based adventure gameplay: The core gameplay is a text-based adventure where players type commands to interact with the game world. Multiple clusters describe this as requiring specific keyword inputs or verb-noun parsing.

Four-episode anthology structure: The game is composed of four episodes or chapters that form a complete story. Players note the episodes may have different mechanics but are connected by a shared narrative.

Puzzle solving elements: The game includes puzzle-solving mechanics that require logic and text-based commands. Some puzzles involve completing text or using specific English words.

Retro 80s aesthetic: The game features a strong retro 80s computer aesthetic, reminiscent of the Commodore 64 or Spectrum era. This includes old-school interface design and soundtrack.

Horror and suspense atmosphere: The game has a psychological horror theme focused on suspense and atmosphere. Puzzle elements are presented within a thriller or horror narrative context.

General technical polish lacking: Multiple users cite poor technical performance, optimization issues, and resolution problems. The game feels unpolished across various hardware configurations.

Frequent crashes and freezes: Multiple users report crashes and freezes that force chapter restarts and cause progress loss. This is a critical stability issue affecting gameplay.

Poor performance on low-end hardware: The game runs at very low frame rates (12-20 FPS) on integrated graphics like Intel UHD 620, even at the lowest settings and resolution. This indicates severe optimization issues for low-end systems.

Lighting bugs in chapters: A specific lighting bug occurs in chapters 3 and 4, breaking visual immersion. This is a reproducible graphical glitch.

Ultrawide monitor issues: On 3440x1440 ultrawide monitors, cutscenes do not fill the screen and visible artifacts appear. This indicates poor ultrawide support.

Buy on deep discount: Many reviews strongly advise waiting for at least a 70-90% sale before purchasing. The game is considered fun but not worth its full asking price.

Recommended for text game fans: The game is frequently recommended to players who enjoy text-based adventures, narrative experiences, or classic 80s text adventures specifically.

Strongly recommended overall: A significant number of reviews give the game a blanket recommendation, calling it a must-play or a worthwhile experience for anyone.

Requires good English skills: A strong command of English is essential to fully appreciate the game, as there are no translations. Non-English speakers are actively discouraged from buying.

Best experienced blind: Multiple reviews emphasize going into the game with as little prior knowledge as possible to maximize the suspense and surprise.

Community fair range: $4.99 - $7.99.

Game completion: 4.0h.

Story completion: 4.0h.

Session length: 1.0h.

Stories Untold hooks players with a strong first episode but loses momentum in later episodes, leading to a fun-then-drops experience where early engagement gives way to tedium.

Friction: no tutorial; tedious typing sections; repetitive unskippable cutscenes; trial and error gameplay; inconsistent pacing across episodes.

Unlock drivers: engaging story progression; superb pacing and suspense; tactile feedback and aesthetic precision; unique gameplay hook.

Immersive Story Explorer: Slow, immersive, one episode per sitting, with headphones in a dark room, avoiding spoilers. Motivation: Experiencing a unique, atmospheric narrative with meta-elements. Stance: buy.

Old-School Text Adventure Enthusiast: Methodical, patient with text input, enjoys typing commands and exploring old-school interfaces. Motivation: Nostalgia for text-based adventures and appreciation for the command input mechanics. Stance: buy.

Cautious Value-Conscious Gamer: Waits for sales, plays short sessions, may aim for achievements, avoids full price unless deeply interested. Motivation: Getting good value for money, considering length and replayability. Stance: deep sale.

Steam Deck: Game is functional but has notable friction on Steam Deck due to small UI text, reliance on keyboard input, and a Linux-specific invisible cursor bug.

External guides: Players consistently report needing external walkthroughs to solve puzzles, especially in later chapters, due to obtuse design and lack of in-game guidance. This creates a significant dependency on external instructional data.

Flashing light warning needed: Players report intense flashing light sections in the game that could be harmful to photosensitive individuals. A prominent warning is recommended to prevent discomfort or health risks.