This Stanley Parable demake sends the metatextual pencil-pusher back to Quake

The Stanley Parable's double doors, in Quake
(Image credit: Id Software, modded by Jaycie Erysdren)

When Stanley approached a pair of two open doors, he took the door on his left. Except, instead of walking through the door, Stanley kicked up his legs and bunny-hopped through the office, building up ludicrous speed and whizzing past meta-textual videogame commentary as he blew down door after door with a rocket launcher.

This wasn't right at all, Stanley thought.

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That image was summoned into reality yesterday by developer and archivist Jaycie, who posted screenshots of the original 2011 The Stanley Parable (not the 2013 remake, nor this week's Ultra Deluxe re-remake), ported into the Quake engine—staring down sterile office floors with bloody shovels and rotary grenade launchers.

While Jaycie has only posted a handful of screenshots, they're a fascinating anachronism considering The Stanley Parable's place in technology. Both the original mod and its retail remake were developed in Half-Life 2's Source Engine, which was built off Half-Life 1's GoldSrc, which was itself a modified version of the original Quake engine.

In a meaningful sense, Jaycie has sent Stanley back in time, to a world long before introspective walking simulators. It's unclear whether the developer intends to fully commit to demaking The Stanley Parable, but commenters like Tyler McVicker have joked about replacing the narrator with map text.

I do hope Jaycie goes all the way with this demake, mind. It's about time the narrator faced this new, heavily-armed Stanley.

Natalie Clayton
Features Producer

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.