The horror genre has been a major component of the video game industry for years. Big names like Resident Evil and Silent Hill might be the first things that come to mind when one thinks about video game horror, but they’re far from the only examples. Smaller indie experiences like Stories Untold are very common, but that hasn’t stopped many of them from standing out. Indie horror developers like No Code are known for creating truly unconventional experiences. Stories Untold, which is available for PC, Switch, Xbox One, and PS4, is a very unique horror game, which has been praised for its distinctive format and storytelling. Fans of the genre who are looking for something new should definitely check it out.
Stories Untold Premise
This game is an anthology of four separate horror experiences. These four segments, The House Abandon, The Lab Conduct, The Station Process, and The Last Session, are presented episodically. While they initially seem completely separate and disconnected, over time the link between the games is revealed. Each one contributes to a larger narrative revolving around the character who is experiencing each game. The gameplay also changes between episodes. Text-based adventure gameplay mixes with first-person exploration as you attempt to survive these four frightening scenes.
Stories Untold Main Characters
The experience of playing Stories Untold is much better if you go in as blind as possible. If you haven’t played the game yet and want to give it a try, you should probably skip this section. That said, there are some central figures in the narrative that help drive it forward. Here are a few of the biggest players in the story of Stories Untold.
- James Aition: The main character of Stories Untold begins the game as a nameless proxy for the player. Over the course of the experience, however, more details begin to emerge. By the end of the game, you should have an excellent idea of who James is and why he is suffering the horrifying events of this game.
- Dr. Daniel Alexander: This mysterious scientist appears in the second episode, The Lab Conduct. He guides James through a mysterious scientific process and hints at the character’s troubled past. This makes him a key figure in sorting out the truth of Stories Untold.
Stories Untold Titles in the Series
Stories Untold is a standalone experience. You don’t need to play anything first in order to get the full story. That said, its release history is a little complicated. The first episode in the game, The House Abandon, is technically a remaster; the original House Abandon was published separately as a free to play title before Stories Untold came out. There’s no content in this original version of The House Abandon that isn’t present in the full game, though, so you don’t need to worry about playing them in order. That said, here’s the full release history of Stories Untold and its related project.
- The House Abandon (2016)
- Stories Untold (2017)
Stories Untold Cheat Codes
There are no official cheat codes available for Stories Untold. The game’s primarily narrative nature renders such an inclusion largely unnecessary. In terms of actual gameplay the most challenging content in the game is a few puzzles, and it’s easy enough to look up a walkthrough to circumvent these. Further altering the course of the game through cheat codes would simply interfere with the story the game is trying to tell. You could theoretically find third-party trainers for the game, but since there’s not much for such programs to do, it’s probably not worth the risk. Instead, here’s a full list of achievements you can unlock in Stories Untold.
- Photos of Another Time: Find the photographs.
- 1986: Find the code in The House Abandon.
- Finally: Finish episode 1.
- Heart Starter: Get things up and running in The Lab Conduct.
- The Chart: Learn more about yourself.
- Revolt: Finish episode 2.
- Correct Response: Give the correct response to the messages in The Station Process.
- Stretch Those Legs: Get out of the station in The Station Process.
- A Warm Place: Finish episode 3.
- Cleansed: Be hygiene-conscious in Ward 4 in The Last Session.
- Time to Remember: Find all recordings in Ward 4 in The Last Session.
- Stories, Told: Finish episode 4.
Stories Untold FAQ
How long is Stories Untold? Despite the broad variety of its gameplay, Stories Untold is not a large experience. The whole game can be experienced in roughly two and a half hours, according to How Long To Beat. This means that most fans should be able to play the whole experience in one sitting.
Is Stories Untold free? While The House Abandon was released as a free-to-play title in 2016, the full Stories Untold experience is currently listing for $10. That said, The House Abandon is still available free of charge. That means you can try it as a sort of demo of the anthology it comes from, and buy the full game if you want more.