Playing: Her Story

As part of on going research into narrative design, this month I played “Her Story” created by British game designer and writer Sam Barlow in 2015.

I have been meaning to play this interactive fiction game for a while as its one of the most celebrated FMV (full motion video) games utilising pre-recorded video footage.

Barlow is best known for interactive fiction work and Silent Hill, a horror game franchise. Her Story was his first independent game and allowed him to explore narrative, character development and player agency.

Before playing this game, I deliberately avoided searching for any information so that I was a completely blank slate. But as soon as I understood the mechanic I literally grabbed a pen and paper and began furiously writing and searching the database.

I haven't played many detective style games in the past. I think this is due to these games seeming (to me anyhow) to be very controlled or limited in my ability as a player to really conduct an investigation. I could only ever select from several questions presented on screen. And they weren’t my questions. I couldn’t explore or tease out an interesting line of questioning.

But within 10 minutes of entering the world of Her Story, I felt like a real investigator and one who might be able to solve a crime…. even if I didn’t know what crime had been committed.

Game Design

I played the game on PC which I feel is the best way, given that the interface is a computer desktop from the early 90’s. It's a very clever way to use the technological shortcomings of a computer from that era to support the game’s mechanics.

Screenshot: Her Story, Sam Barlow.

You use the mouse to click around the desktop and open applications. Readme files saved to the desktop explains how the police L..O.G.I.C database works and advises that the original police interview recordings have been lost. All that was recovered were short clips from these recordings which you can search using the database. Although you can see how many files match the keyword you’ve searched for, the results only ever shown 5 clips at a time which are presented in chronological order. In order to search the remaining clips… you have to get very clever with your keywords.

The onboarding is so clean in this game! Anyone that has used a PC understands how a desktop works. Moreover, the database is already open and the search field is pre-populated with the word “murder”. All you have to do is click “search” and watch the videos.

Screenshot: Her Story, Sam Barlow.

The design is so simple and elegant but it belies a lot of very detailed story crafting, planning and logistics. I can only imagine how difficult it was to write the interview scripts in a way that would allow them to be later dissected. And then to ensure that keywords and synonyms don’t accidentally reveal too much of the plot too early. The “crumbs” Barlow leaves, particularly during the onboarding and the first revealed recordings is masterful.

Barlow has obviously undertaken deep research and has a great understanding of interviewees and the police interview process. It was also such an interesting design choice to omit the police interviewer’s presence (and their questions) from the recordings and to focus solely on the interviewee. This creates an intimate space where the only voice that is heard is that of the interviewee. It’s just her and me in that interview room.

Aesthetics

Man, I loved the aesthetics in this game.  When it was released back in 2015, the 90’s vibe must have been a novelty but now in 2025 it taps into a deep sense of nostalgia for that time period.

The subtle visual touches such as the harsh fluorescent office lights reflected off the screen are accompanied by a faint electrical buzz. And it was only after an hour of playing that I realised that I, as the player-character was casting a shadow over the screen and later, my reflection stared back at me for a moment.

Apparently Barlow also ran the original footage through two VHS players to make it look authentic and the painstaking detail of font choice and date/time stamps really add to the experience.

Narrative

Character Development

Multiple police interviews were conducted over several days, reflected in the interview subject’s appearance changing over time (her hair, clothing and demenour) as well as the interview room.

From a narrative perspective it's really interesting to examine how this game tackles the challenge of character development when recordings are discovered out of chronological order. There are definitely character arcs but the player and their choices will decide when crucial bits of information are revealed.

British musician Viva Seifert is the game’s protagonist and the subtly of her performance brings the game to life. Every word has to express nuance because that’s how the player will engage with the game.

I don’t want to reveal any spoilers in this article but once you’ve played the game you realise how artfully Barlow has constructed the interviewee, to the extent that there are unanswered questions and even potentially multiple endings depending on how you interpret and deconstruct the interviewee’s responses.

Story plotting

I believe that whenever you find out revealing pieces of information they are incredibly impactful. Some events are foreshadowed but not from Barlow deciding when that happens (that’s beyond his control) but in his dissection of clips which are anywhere from 5 seconds to 5 minutes long.

As the player/character, my choice of keywords simulates the ability to ask questions and interrogate the interviewee. And it’s incredibly satisfying. In this respect I applaud Barlow's ability to let go of control and hand the reins over to the player.

This game reminded me of the murder mystery puzzle “Cain’s Jawbone”. Published in 1934, the book’s 100 pages have been arranged out of order. Reordering the pages correctly is crucial to identifying the murderers and even the victims so that one can “solve” the mystery.

But playing Her Story made me reflect on players’ desires when embarking on this game. Do they want to enter the world and explore it? Play the role of detective? Or solve the crime?

This creates a real tension. If you feel like you have “solved” the crime, are you compelled to explore the remaining files? For me (and many other players) the answer was yes because it’s just the beginning of the story.  

Solving the crime only tells you WHAT happened. It doesn’t tell you WHY. And there lies the driving force behind what I believe is the popularity of the true crime genre.

We hear about a real crime being committed and the perpetrator has been identified. Down the track we might read about the sentencing. And that’s it. We hardly ever get to hear about the why. And yet we yearn to understand why they committed the crime. What drove them to it? Was it a crime of passion? Did they feel betrayed? Did they want revenge? A sense of justice?

Why do we need to know? Perhaps its an attempt to prevent the same happening to us. By seeing similar traits in others. Or recognise them in the people around us. We may even question are these monsters really that different from ourselves?

Summary

In this game you are trying to solve a mystery. But the events took place decades prior so one assumes that the real crime was solved long ago. Although there is no real sense of urgency because putting away the guilty party does not hinge on your success in the game, at some point you question ‘what is the point of reopening these files’? Perhaps there’s a greater “truth” that you’re trying to find among these videos. Something that is not a black and white as guilty or not guilty. And why does that matter? That’s another layer of the mystery.

If you’re looking for a definitive ending and to be told you’ve won/solved the crime/shoot confetti canons - this game may disappoint. But if you want be a detective, understand people and their motivations better while exploring a world with beautiful attention to detail and subtlety, its wonderful.