History NightmareFuel / TheStanleyParable

* For the most part, the Stanley Parable Reassurance Bucket is an [[{{Aversion}} aversion,]] serving as NightmareRetardant for most of the endings due to [[SeriousBusiness how far the Narrator is willing to take it seriously]] as well as generally making most of the endings goofier in some capacity. Other times, though? Other times it feels like a damn [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Wiki/SCPFoundation ''SCP.'']]

* During the ''Confusion'' ending, the Narrator attempts to fix the breaking of the story by the use of ''The Stanley Parable Adventure Line'', which is supposed to lead you down the proper path, but the Line itself starts swerving in unexpected directions. The finale to this ending is a room with a schedule board with the description of all five false restarts so far and three additional restarts that are supposed to occur afterward, beginning with the Narrator forgetting about the previous restarts and ending with the Narrator's disappearance as well as Stanley's death. The Narrator objects to his memory being erased and seems to successfully abort the plotline altogether, but the game is violently restarted against his will. This ''is'', however, a completely fresh start, but if you choose to go through the door on the right at your first choice and look through some windows in the hallway, [[ParanoiaFuel you'll see the Adventure Line rambling its way around the interior of the room]].

-->''''' 'Happily ever af-' ''''' ''(Explosion)''
** The cherry on top of this is when the last 30 seconds remain (after the Narrator adds time). You hear the first explosions rocking the facility, that persist until the timer hits zero. To reiterate: the countdown isn't when the nuclear detonators go boom, but when said booms reach your area.

** The ''Countdown'' ending from the original mod takes it UpToEleven.
-->'''Narrator''': I'll be here to watch every second of your inevitable life, from the time we fade in, until the moment I say
-->''''' 'Happily ever af-' ''''' ''(Explosion)''

** When the Steam community dissected the inner workings of the ending, they found fine print in the ending's room and console errors that indicate two things: One, the Narrator needs to be present for the pod to launch (he isn't, hence the silence.) Two, the bugs that trigger the console errors are intentional and more or less boil down to the game being unable to handle the Narrator straight-up ditching Stanley. That's right - he up-and-front ''abandons'' you [[{{Hypocrite}} over the same conditions that trigger the Cold Feet ending.]] Many speculate that the Escape Pod ending could have been a GoldenEnding, had the Narrator simply stuck with Stanley. (It is indicated that the Narrator is trapped in the Boss' Office during the entire ending, though the truth remains ambiguous.)

* During the ''Confusion'' ending, the Narrator attempts to fix the breaking of the story by the use of ''The Stanley Parable Adventure Line'', which is supposed to lead you down the proper path, but the Line itself starts swerving in unexpected directions. The finale to this ending is a room with a schedule board with the description of all five false restarts so far and three additional restarts that are supposed to occur afterward, beginning with the Narrator forgetting about the previous restarts and ending with the Narrator's disappearance and Stanley's death. The Narrator objects to his memory being erased and seems to successfully abort the plotline altogether, but the game is violently restarted against his will. This ''is'', however, a completely fresh start, but if you choose to go through the door on the right at your first choice and look through some windows in the hallway, [[ParanoiaFuel you'll see the Adventure Line rambling its way around the interior of the room]].

* During the ''Confusion'' ending, the Narrator attempts to fix the breaking of the story by the use of ''The Stanley Parable Adventure Line'', which is supposed to lead you down the proper path, but the Line itself starts swerving in unexpected directions. The finale to this ending is a room with a schedule board with the description of all five false restarts so far and three additional restarts that are supposed to occur afterward, beginning with the Narrator forgetting about the previous restarts and ending with the Narrator abandoning Stanley until he dies. The Narrator objects to his memory being erased and seems to successfully abort the plotline altogether, but the game is violently restarted against his will. This ''is'', however, a completely fresh start, but if you choose to go through the door on the right at your first choice and look through some windows in the hallway, [[ParanoiaFuel you'll see the Adventure Line rambling its way around the interior of the room]].

** When the Steam community dissected the inner workings of the ending, they found fine print in the ending's room and console errors that indicate two things: One, the Narrator needs to be present for the pod to launch (he isn't, hence the silence.) Two, the bugs that trigger the console errors are intentional and more or less boil down to the game being unable to handle the Narrator straight-up ditching Stanley. That's right - he up-and-front ''abandons'' you [[{{Hypocrite}} over the same conditions that trigger the Cold Feet ending.]] Many speculate that the Escape Pod ending could have been a GoldenEnding, had the Narrator simply stuck with Stanley.

-->'''Narrator''': Oh, dear me, what's the matter, Stanley? Is it that you have no idea where you're going or what you're supposed to be doing right now? Or did you just assume when you saw that timer that something in this room was capable of turning it off? (...) [[ArmorPiercingQuestion Why would you think that, Stanley?]] That this video game can be beaten, won, solved? Do you have ''any'' idea what your purpose in this place is? [[OminousAdversarialAmusement Hahaha, heh, Stanley...you're in for quite a disappointment]]. But here's a spoiler for you: that timer [[TimedMission isn't a catalyst to keep the action moving along.]] [[WhamLine It's just seconds ticking away to your death]]. You're only still playing instead of watching a cutscene because I want to watch you [[ControllableHelplessness for every moment that you're powerless]], to see you made '''humble'''. This is not a challenge. It's a tragedy. You wanted to control this world. That's fine. [[IfICantHaveYou But I'm going to destroy it first, so you can't.]]

Beneath its comedic exterior, ''VideoGame/TheStanleyParable'' is rife with both NightmareFuel and ParanoiaFuel with its surprisingly excellent use of NothingIsScarier and ControllableHelplessness.

-->'''Narrator''': Oh, dear me, what's the matter, Stanley? Is it that you have no idea where you're going or what you're supposed to be doing right now? Or did you just assume when you saw that timer that something in this room was capable of turning it off? (...) [[ArmorPiercingQuestion Why would you think that, Stanley?]] That this video game can be beaten, won, solved? Do you have ''any'' idea what your purpose in this place is? [[OminousAdversarialAmusement Hahaha, heh, Stanley...you're in for quite a disappointment]]. But here's a spoiler for you: that timer [[TimedMission isn't a catalyst to keep the action moving along.]] [[WhamLine It's just seconds ticking away to your death]]. You're only still playing instead of watching a cutscene because I want to watch you [[ControllableHelplessness for every moment that you're powerless]], to see you made humble. This is not a challenge. It's a tragedy. You wanted to control this world. That's fine. [[IfICantHaveYou But I'm going to destroy it first, so you can't.]]

* [[CruelTwistEnding The Apartment ending]] is particularly disturbing because the game ceases commenting on game conventions and begins commenting on free will as it pertains to the real life of the player. Stanley returns home from work to find that his wife is a mannequin and in fact doesn't exist as a person (much to the Narrator's mirth, as he suddenly enters full sadism mode). Coercing Stanley into entering the apartment, the Narrator smugly states that Stanley [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything sits behind his screen all day wishing he was on fantastic adventures that "will never happen".]] The game forces you to press buttons with instructions such as "Press O to go out with the boys", "Press V to tell your wife you love her" and "Press H to go to sleep.", implying everything the player does in their real life is completely meaningless and predictable. The level also confines you to a TINY room, barely able to move as it morphs back to Stanley's office. This [[SarcasmMode pleasant experience]] concludes with the game simply telling you [[FissionMailed "PLEASE DIE"]] as the Narrator [[AndIMustScream begins to loop]]. It's one heck of a PlayerPunch and comes across as genuinely fatalistic and unnerving.

* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF1L2LSP4eY "Sneak Peek" trailer]], which starts out looking like a LetsPlay until the Let's Player (WebVideo/ChilledChaos) gets stuck in a dead end, at which point he seems to start losing his mind before the screen cuts to black and [[BigBad the Narrator]] starts delivering a chilling monologue. The end of his speech is just the cherry on top of it all.

-->'''Narrator''': Soon, ''you'' will be the one to walk. The controls will be the ones in your hands. And we'll see if your friends turn and laugh at you as they did with him. [Laughs] Oh, I think I'm going to enjoy this. When you find out how alone you truly are, I will be laughing more than anyone. Very soon, now. The end is nearly here. Let's play, everyone. '''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis Let's. All. Play.]]'''

** Not to mention the [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/thestanleyparable/images/4/47/Fx_confusionrestartalarm.oga/revision/latest?cb=20200122061850 JARRINGLY loud noise that cuts into the Narrator's speech at the end,]] followed by a hard [[SmashToBlack cut to black.]]

-->'''Narrator''': Oh, dear me, what's the matter, Stanley? Is it that you have no idea where you're going or what you're supposed to be doing right now? Or did you just assume when you saw that timer that something in this room was capable of turning it off? (...) [[ArmorPiercingQuestion Why would you think that, Stanley?]] That this video game can be beaten, won, solved? Do you have ''any'' idea what your purpose in this place is? [[OminousAdversarialAmusement Hahaha, heh, Stanley...you're in for quite a disappointment]]. But here's a spoiler for you: that timer [[TimedMission isn't a catalyst to keep the action moving along.]] [[WhamLine It's just seconds ticking away to your death]]. You're only still playing instead of watching a cutscene because I want to watch you [[ControllableHelplessness for every moment that you're powerless]], to see you made humble. This is not a challenge. It's a tragedy. You wanted to control this world. That's fine. [[IfICantHaveYou But i'm going to destroy it first, so you can't.]]

** Occasionally, the narrator will give different voiced lines when Stanley leaves his office, ranging from Stanley's inner monolouges and thoughts to the narrator telling Stanley that [[ParanoiaFuel he is being followed by someone]]. Considering that this only occurs after quite a bit of gameplay where the player�s only artificially human contact is a single voice, this can be quite paranoia inducing.

** [[DownerEnding The original "Pawn" ending]] is another creepy variant, where the Narrator restarts the story and changes it so that the monitor commanding Stanley never shuts off to give him an opportunity for escape. Thus, he is left a mindless slave as it dictates his every action, while the Narrator creepily describes how it's all hopeless and how Stanley will never escape, and then the monitor suddenly displays "Please die" and [[FadedToBlack everything goes black...]]

* [[https://tcrf.net/index.php?title=File%3AThe_Stanley_Parable-Narrator_con22.ogg A bit of narration that appears in the dark echoey room of the Museum]] implies the Confusion Ending would originally have closed with the narrator realizing [[AndIMustScream he's only a disembodied voice incapable of deviating from the game's script]], and frantically pleading Stanley to tell him where (and who, and ''what'') he is, only for his words to start cutting off, leaving him incapable of speaking more than disjointed single syllables before the last reset.

* During the ''Confusion'' ending, the Narrator attempts to fix the breaking of the story by the use of ''The Stanley Parable Adventure Line�'', which is supposed to lead you down the proper path, but the Line� itself starts swerving in unexpected directions. The finale to this ending is a room with a schedule board with the description of all five false restarts so far and three additional restarts that are supposed to occur afterward, beginning with the Narrator forgetting about the previous restarts and ending with the Narrator abandoning Stanley until he dies. The Narrator objects to his memory being erased and seems to successfully abort the plotline altogether, but the game is violently restarted against his will. This ''is'', however, a completely fresh start, but if you choose to go through the door on the right at your first choice and look through some windows in the hallway, [[ParanoiaFuel you'll see the Adventure Line� rambling its way around the interior of the room]].

** When the Steam community dissected the inner workings of the ending, they found fine print in the ending's room and console errors that indicate two things: One, the Narrator needs to be present for the pod to launch (he isn't, hence the silence.) Two, the bugs that trigger the console errors are intentional and more or less boil down to the game being unable to handle the Narrator straight-up ditching Stanley. That's right - he up-and-front ''abandons'' you [[{{Hypocrite}} over the same conditions that trigger the Cold Feet ending. Many speculate that the Escape Pod ending could have been a GoldenEnding, had the Narrator simply stuck with Stanley.]]

* [[CruelTwistEnding The Apartment ending]] is particularly disturbing because the game ceases commenting on game conventions and begins commenting on free will as it pertains to the real life of the player. Stanley returns home from work to find that his wife is a mannequin and in fact doesn't exist as a person (much to the Narrator's mirth, as he suddenly enters full sadism mode). Coercing Stanley into entering the apartment, the Narrator smugly states that Stanley [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything sits behind his screen all day wishing he was on fantastic adventures that "will never happen". The game forces you to press buttons with instructions such as "Press O to go out with the boys", "Press V to tell your wife you love her" and "Press H to go to sleep.", implying everything the player does in their real life is completely meaningless and predictable. The level also confines you to a TINY room, barely able to move as it morphs back to Stanley's office. This [[SarcasmMode pleasant experience]] concludes with the game simply telling you [[FissionMailed "PLEASE DIE"]] as the Narrator [[AndIMustScream begins to loop]]. It's one heck of a PlayerPunch and comes across as genuinely fatalistic and unnerving.]]

** Not to mention the [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/thestanleyparable/images/4/47/Fx_confusionrestartalarm.oga/revision/latest?cb=20200122061850 JARRINGLY loud noise that cuts into the Narrator's speech at the end, followed by a hard [[SmashToBlack cut to black.]]]]

-->'''Narrator''': Oh, dear me, what's the matter, Stanley? Is it that you have no idea where you're going or what you're supposed to be doing right now? Or did you just assume when you saw that timer that something in this room was capable of turning it off? (...) [[ArmorPiercingQuestion Why would you think that, Stanley?]] That this video game can be beaten, won, solved? Do you have ''any'' idea what your purpose in this place is? [[OminousAdversarialAmusement Hahaha, heh, Stanley...you're in for quite a disappointment]]. But here's a spoiler for you: that timer [[TimedMission isn't a catalyst to keep the action moving along. [[WhamLine It's just seconds ticking away to your death]]. You're only still playing instead of watching a cutscene because I want to watch you [[ControllableHelplessness for every moment that you're powerless]], to see you made '''humble'''. This is not a challenge. It's a tragedy.]] You wanted to control this world. That's fine. [[IfICantHaveYou But i'm going to destroy it first, so you can't.]]

-->'''Female Narrator''': But listen to me. This story is not over. You can still save these two. You can stop the program before they both fail. Push escape, and press quit. There's no other way to beat this game. As long as you move forward, you'll be walking someone else's path. Stop now, and it'll be your only true choice. Whatever you do, don't let time choose for you! Don't let time'''''[[SmashToBlack SMASH''''']]

* [[CruelTwistEnding The Apartment ending]] is particularly disturbing because the game ceases commenting on game conventions and begins commenting on free will as it pertains to the real life of the player. [[spoiler: Stanley returns home from work to find that his wife is a mannequin and in fact doesn't exist as a person (much to the Narrator's mirth, as he suddenly enters full sadism mode). Coercing Stanley into entering the apartment, the Narrator smugly states that Stanley [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything sits behind his screen all day wishing he was on fantastic adventures]] that "will never happen". The game forces you to press buttons with instructions such as "Press O to go out with the boys", "Press V to tell your wife you love her" and "Press H to go to sleep.", implying everything the player does in their real life is completely meaningless and predictable. The level also confines you to a TINY room, barely able to move as it morphs back to Stanley's office. This [[SarcasmMode pleasant experience]] concludes with the game simply telling you [[FissionMailed "PLEASE DIE"]] as the Narrator [[AndIMustScream begins to loop]]. It's one heck of a PlayerPunch and comes across as genuinely fatalistic and unnerving.]]
** [[DownerEnding The original "Pawn" ending]] is another creepy variant, where the Narrator restarts the story and changes it so that [[spoiler:the monitor commanding Stanley never shuts off to give him an opportunity for escape. Thus, he is left a mindless slave as it dictates his every action, while the Narrator creepily describes how it's all hopeless and how Stanley will never escape, and then the monitor suddenly displays "Please die" and [[FadedToBlack everything goes black...]]]]
* If you wait to or don't enter the code in the boss's office, the Narrator gets impatient. What differentiates this from his other, humorous tirades is the fact that a while in, [[spoiler:his subtitles [[TranquilFury turn red]]]]. This is one of the few times in the game this happens, and it's probably the first one you'll come across, so it really takes you off guard.

* The "Museum" ending where you end up trapped in a cage and slowly move towards a crusher, [[spoiler:while the second narrator cuts in and begs you to take control away from the game by exiting it, her voice growing increasingly desperate, and then is suddenly cut off by the crusher smashing into you.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Female Narrator''': But listen to me. This story is not over. You can still save these two. You can stop the program before they both fail. Push escape, and press quit. There's no other way to beat this game. As long as you move forward, you'll be walking someone else's path. Stop now, and it'll be your only true choice. Whatever you do, don't let time choose for you! Don't let time'''''[[SmashToBlack SMASH]]''''']]
* The gradual realization that [[spoiler:the ''Countdown'' ending is [[UnwinnableByDesign unwinnable]]]], when you first play it.

-->'''Narrator''': Oh, dear me, what's the matter, Stanley? Is it that you have no idea where you're going or what you're supposed to be doing right now? Or did you just assume when you saw that timer that something in this room was capable of turning it off? (...) [[ArmorPiercingQuestion Why would you think that, Stanley?]] That this video game can be beaten, won, solved? Do you have ''any'' idea what your purpose in this place is? [[OminousAdversarialAmusement Hahaha, heh, Stanley...you're in for quite a disappointment]]. But here's a spoiler for you: [[spoiler:that timer [[TimedMission isn't a catalyst to keep the action moving along]]. [[WhamLine It's just seconds ticking away to your death]]. You're only still playing instead of watching a cutscene because I want to watch you [[ControllableHelplessness for every moment that you're powerless]], to see you made '''humble'''. This is not a challenge. It's a tragedy.]] You wanted to control this world. That's fine. [[IfICantHaveYou But i'm going to destroy it first, so you can't.]]

* In the HD Remake, when [[spoiler:unplugging the telephone]], the room you were in starts glitching up and deteriorating from "Narrative Contradiction" after the Narrator forces you to watch a video about choices. When he redirects you back to the room with the two doors and instructs you to go left like normal, going through the right door [[spoiler:leads you into a glitched dead end. After going back left, the meeting room has glitched. After going back to the room with two doors, the glitching and deteriorating further spreads until the Narrator shuts the game down and everything goes black, and then the room reappears again except dark and completely destroyed]].

* During the ''Confusion'' ending, [[spoiler:the Narrator attempts to fix the breaking of the story by the use of ''The Stanley Parable Adventure Line™'', which is supposed to lead you down the proper path, but the Line™ itself starts swerving in unexpected directions. The finale to this ending is a room with a schedule board with the description of all five false restarts so far and three additional restarts that are supposed to occur afterward, beginning with the Narrator forgetting about the previous restarts and ending with the Narrator abandoning Stanley until he dies. The Narrator objects to his memory being erased and seems to successfully abort the plotline altogether, but the game is violently restarted against his will. This ''is'', however, a completely fresh start, but if you choose to go through the door on the right at your first choice and look through some windows in the hallway, [[ParanoiaFuel you'll see the Adventure Line™ rambling its way around the interior of the room]]]].
** Not to mention [[spoiler:the [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/thestanleyparable/images/4/47/Fx_confusionrestartalarm.oga/revision/latest?cb=20200122061850 JARRINGLY loud noise]] that cuts into the Narrator's speech at the end, followed by a hard [[SmashToBlack cut to black.]]]]

* Sometimes in the HD Remix, on rare occasions, [[spoiler:you can see another person walking through the hallway through a window. Using cheats, the Steam community have discovered that he uses the same model as Stanley; therefore, this is happening over. And over. And over. And over. And over. [[AndIMustScream And over. And over. And over]]]].
* The concept of the game as a whole. Essentially, the message of the game is that not only do you have no control over anything that happens in your life, [[spoiler:neither does the one controlling you in the first place]]. If you don't hold the power, [[spoiler:and the puppeteer pulling your strings doesn't hold the power,]] ''[[FridgeHorror who does?]]''

** When the Steam community dissected the inner workings of the ending, they found fine print in the ending's room and console errors that indicate two things: One, the Narrator needs to be present for the pod to launch (he isn't, hence the silence.) Two, the bugs that trigger the console errors are intentional and more or less boil down to the game being unable to handle [[spoiler:the Narrator straight-up ditching Stanley. That's right - he up-and-front ''abandons'' you [[{{Hypocrite}} over the same conditions that trigger the Cold Feet ending.]] Many speculate that the Escape Pod ending could have been a GoldenEnding, had the Narrator simply stuck with Stanley.]]

** Occasionally, the narrator will give different voiced lines when Stanley leaves his office, ranging from Stanley's inner monolouges and thoughts to the narrator telling Stanley that [[ParanoiaFuel he is being followed by someone]]. Considering that this only occurs after quite a bit of gameplay where the player’s only artificially human contact is a single voice, this can be quite paranoia inducing.

* The original "Real Person" ending happens when [[spoiler: Stanley unplugs the ringing phone. The Narrator gets to the conclusion that if Stanley did such a non-intuitive choice there must be a real person (you, the player) controlling him and then he removes you from Stanley's control. The last scene is a view from the ceiling in the room where Stanley has the choice to pick a door, with the Narrator desperately begging him to go the left door, realizing that he can't tell his story because without the player Stanley can't do anything.]] Quite unsettling. This is also the true ending of the game. [[spoiler:As, without a player, a game isn't a game. Therefore, with the player gone, the game is over and the narrator is trapped forever with unresponsive Stanley in a AndIMustScream scenario.]]

-->'''Narrator''': Oh, dear me, what's the matter, Stanley? Is it that you have no idea where you're going or what you're supposed to be doing right now? Or did you just assume when you saw that timer that something in this room was capable of turning it off? (...) [[ArmorPiercingQuestion Why would you think that, Stanley?]] That this video game can be beaten, won, solved? Do you have ''any'' idea what your purpose in this place is? [[OminousAdversarialAmusement Hahaha, heh, Stanley...you're in for quite a disappointment]]. But here's a spoiler for you: [[spoiler:that timer [[TimedMission isn't a catalyst to keep the action moving along]]. [[WhamLine It's just seconds ticking away to your death]]. You're only still playing instead of watching a cutscene because I want to watch you [[ControllableHelplessness for every moment that you're powerless]], to see you made '''humble'''. This is not a challenge. It's a tragedy.]]

** There is no ambient music.

* Sometimes, [[spoiler:instead of starting the game with his normal narration about how no one is there, [[ParanoiaFuel he'll say you're being followed.]]]]
-->'''Narrator''': [[spoiler:Someone was following Stanley, he was sure of it. If he checked over his shoulder now, he would surely catch them, it was only a matter of time.]]

** The narrator's voiceover changes.

** Occasionally, the narrator will give different voiced lines when Stanley leaves the room.
*** [[https://steamcommunity.com/app/221910/discussions/0/792924412096120381/ A certain frightening line from the narrator]] can trigger when leaving the office, telling Stanley that someone is following him. Considering that this only occurs after quite a bit of gameplay where the player’s only artificially human contact is a single voice, this can be quite paranoia inducing.

** Not to mention [[spoiler:the [[ScareChord JARRINGLY loud noise]] that cuts into the Narrator's speech at the end, followed by a hard [[SmashToBlack cut to black.]]]]

* The concept of the game as a whole. Essentially, the message of the game is that not only do you have no control over anything that happens in your life, [[spoiler:neither does the one controlling you in the first place]] If you don't hold the power, [[spoiler:and the puppeteer pulling your strings doesn't hold the power,]] ''[[FridgeHorror who does?]]''