There has never beena game quite as charming, funny, and metaasThe Stanley Parable. Beginning as a uniqueHalf-Life 2mod, its popularity eventually led to a standalone release in 2013. Gamers play as Stanley, a man who shows up to work one day to find everyone missing. His journey to discover where his coworkers went is told by an omniscient Narrator; the player can either do as the Narrator commands, or disobey to discover the game’s many hilarious endings.
Nearly ten years after the original, developers Crows Crows Crows returned to the beloved title withThe Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe; a game that includes the entire original, plus loads of new content. While there are several new endings, most are alternate variations of their originals. Some change only slightly, while others are entirely different.
12Freedom Ending
The Bucket is toThe Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxewhat the Companion Cube is toPortal. Understandably, players might want a chance at freedom with their beloved Bucket.Going through the Narrator’s storywith the Bucket seems to change little at first.Players go up to the boss’s office, discover the Mind Control Facility, and turn off the machine,now with more input and emotion from Stanley’s metal companion.
Everything seems to be going well: the immense office door slowly opens, and Stanley and the Bucket are moments away from freedom. Only, the door stops suddenly. Turns out, according to the Narrator, the office refuses to let the Bucket leave. Considering how everything up until this point stayed exactly the same, this creates an unexpected turn of events at the last moment. It’s simple, but funny.
11Museum Ending
Since players can’t escape with the Bucket by traditional means, theymight as well try that hand-written sign that reads “escape.“In the original Museum ending, players got a unique behind-the-scenes look atThe Stanley Parable. Of course, simply including a behind-the-scenes look atUltra Deluxewould seem boring and repetitive.
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Instead, this may as well be the Bucket Museum, since it’s all about the Bucket. Every exhibit revolves around Buckets, and each is funnier than the last. Exhibits range from cave paintings to “dangerous” attempts to make a two-handled bucket. The conclusion to the Museum ending is still the same, however; Stanley and the Bucket still get destroyed. Not much changes in this ending, but it’s far more hilarious than the base game’s version.
10Countdown Ending
Stanley and the Bucket have followed the Narrator’s story. They went up to Stanley’s boss’s office, entered the code, and discovered the Mind Control Facility. They’re at the controls, andthe player chooses to turn the Mind Control Facility.It’s time for Stanley and the Bucket to brace for the worst.
Turns out that with the Bucket, the facility doesn’t self-destruct when turned on. Instead, it simply plays videos of silly birds for Stanley and the Bucket to enjoy. The player can flip through the countless videos of adorable feathered critters for as long as the Narrator continues narrating.In contrast to the original game’s dark conclusion in the original Countdown ending, these “silly birds” offer an unexpected alternative that is both cute and endlessly enjoyable.
9New Content Ending
After playing throughThe Stanley Parablefor long enough,an open door that reads “New Content” will appear.As one would expect, this is the way to access nearlyall of the new content in theUltra Deluxeversion. Unless the game is reset, this ending can only be completed once, as it’s what triggers the new content to appear in the new game.
After an in-game announcement that builds up the anticipation of the new content, the Narrator expresses his excitement over the new content. The first is a brand-new gameplay mechanic: jumping. It’s only allowed in the designated jumping circle, and players only get thirty-six jumps. When players further explore the area, they discover that’s everything! Don’t worry, nobody is more frustrated than the Narrator, who berates the developers for rushing out an expansion for a quick buck, then vows to tweet them about it. There’s not much in this ending, but that’s part of the point. It’s this moment that triggers the Narrator to change upThe Stanley Parable,and becomes a driving force for the rest of the story.
8Not Stanley Ending
Instead of picking up the phone, players can opt to unplug the phone.In the original, the Narrator claims that Stanley has somehow “chosen incorrectly.” But this time around, the Narrator concludes that Stanley must have missed the joke, meaning that the Narrator has messed up his comedic timing. What follows is a ridiculous old-timey instructional video on the proper way to tell a joke. Turns out telling a joke is far more complicated than anyone would have thought, including bathroom breaks, surveys, and ending with the phrase: “I’m doney with the funny.”
Most of the rest of the ending plays out like usual, though the map never deteriorates like in the original. While the second half of this ending is somewhat mundane due to how little it actually changes, the first half almost beata the original’s in its parody of old instructional videos.
7Mariella Ending
Walking downstairs in the originalStanley Parableleads both Stanley and the players to the conclusion that Stanley must be crazy,and while that stays true with the addition of the Bucket, the results become a lot more absurd. Stanley comes to the conclusion that the Bucket isn’t actually his Bucket, so he discards it as he wanders through the various rooms. However, it turns out that Stanley really did need his Reassurance Bucket, as he now begins to hallucinate.
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When the Mariella cutscene begins, everything is exactly the same, except now she has a Bucket as well. She comes to the same conclusions that she does in the original ending, though now blames Stanley’s insanity on the fact that he didn’t have a Bucket, before doing backflips on her way to work. This ending keeps the spirit of the original Mariella ending, though somehow manages to add a new level of absurdity.
6Apartment Ending
In the original game,riding the entire cargo lift and picking up the phonemeant being greeted by Stanley’s wife at his apartment, only it turns out Stanley never had a wife. This time, however, Stanley dedicates his life to the Bucket. He repeatedly switches from his office to his apartment and finds the Bucket in various places, while the Narrator describes how Stanley spent his entire life obsessed with the Bucket.
At first, the Narrator wants to help Stanley, but he eventually wants to take the Bucket for himself, causing him to fight with Stanley. This ending still keeps the principle ideas of the original but changes much, adding more interactivity. Players can explore Stanley’s apartment and imagine a life with the Bucket. The execution and delivery of the humor is just as excellent as the rest of the game.
5Confusion Ending
The Confusion ending is one of the most memorable endingsof the originalStanley Parable.WhileUltra Deluxe’s version is much shorter, it still lives up to that reputation.Once players take the lift down to trigger the ending, they’ll be met by their favorite characters from the original:the mannequin, the fern, the baby, and others. It turns out that the Narrator has staged an intervention for Stanley, feeling that he has been spending too much time with the Bucket.
The Narrator then introduces the player to a new character: the Bucket Destroyer. The Bucket Destroyer has one singular character trait: to destroy buckets. The Narrator urges Stanley to destroy the Bucket, but destroying it is impossible for the player. Eventually, the Bucket Destroyer destroys itself due to the lack of buckets it’s been able to destroy. This ending is hysterical and creative, as the “intervention” is so unexpected but also fitting for the Narrator. It would have been nice to have the option to destroy the Bucket, but the ending still stands as a worthwhile one.
4Skip Button Ending
Feeling nostalgic? The Narrator sure is.After becoming disappointed with the “new content” offered inUltra Deluxe, he lures the player away from the office and invites them to explore “the Memory Zone.“He leads the player to a triangular house where he keeps all the glorious memories ofThe Stanley Parable. Acting as a sort of museum, it holds screenshots and artifacts related to both the original mod and the official release ofThe Stanley Parable, as well as one hilarious fake award.
If the player keeps exploring, they’ll discover an abandoned part of the map that contains the Narrator’s worst nightmare: Steam reviews. He understandably becomes infuriated by negative user reviews and decides to incorporate a “skip” option for the narration. He introduces the player to the “skip button”, which jumps the player ahead in time. By using it over and over, the Narrator will eventually disappear, the room will fall apart, and nature will reclaim the building as Stanley seems to be the last survivor on Earth.This ending is jam-packed with easter eggs and references, as well as commentary on nostalgia and critical self-reflection. But the ending never sacrifices the clever humor that makesThe Stanley Parablespecial.
3No Buckets Ending
Trying to get to the red and blue doors is impossible with the Bucket, as a sign indicates that no buckets are allowed in the area. However, the Narrator is unsure if the player even knows what a bucket is in the first place. To solve this issue, the Narrator introduces the player to an all-new game show titledIs This a Bucket?The goal of the game is simple: the Narrator showcases an item, and all the player has to do is declare whether the item is a bucket.
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It seems simple enough, though even players trying to purposefully guess incorrectly will find themselves stumbling a couple of times. Like in all endings inThe Stanley Parable, this one eventually falls apart for the Narrator, who eventually comes to the stark realization that everything must be a bucket. This is one of the most unexpected and surprising endings in the game, and one that manages to deliver even on multiple playthroughs.
