OpenCritic
Steam
An adventure/text game hybrid, in which you help the amnesiac Quinn. The protagonist has been most likely kidnapped and your task is to help him escape.
STAY is a unique adventure/text game hybrid with a thriller atmosphere. The PC Windows and Xbox One versions were developed by indie studio Appnormals Team, while the PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Nintendo Switch versions were created by Ratalaika Games.
Plot
The protagonist of STAY is Quinn, who apparently has been kidnapped. He wakes up in a locked room, unable to remember how he got there. Using a computer located here, Quinn contacts the player, hoping for help. Whether he escapes or not, and which of the seven endings you get to see, depends on the decisions you make during twenty-four chapters of the story.
Mechanics
The gameplay of STAY focuses mostly on talking with Quinn (which you do by choosing your answers in the in-game chat). You can tell him to perform certain actions; you can only directly control him when solving puzzles of varying difficulty.
Such an approach forces you to make the protagonist trust you, at which you can fail if you leave him on his own or if he doesn't like your answers. Quinn's relationship with you (and also his mental state) can be checked by watching him through internet cameras and by carefully reading his responses.
Technical aspects
STAY featured 2D pixel-art visuals. The grim atmosphere is further underlined by the gloomy soundtrack.
Last updated on August 6, 2018
Videos and Screens
[1:01] STAY trailer #1
The Digital Fix: 7 / 10
STAY has an interesting storyline that is very relatable and can teach individuals about emotional intelligence, human psychology and mental health. The puzzles are quite frustrating at times but this can be simply overlooked once completed and you continue with the original storyline.
NintendoWorldReport: 6.5 / 10 by David Lloyd
The most interesting segments get interrupted with puzzles that mostly feel like a way of extending the play time. I also ran into a few performance issues like puzzles becoming unresponsive which required a reboot and a chapter restart. I think the developer is on the right track but for this particular game some more polish and better or more relevant puzzles would have gone a long way at creating a more entertaining experience.
GameSpew: 6 / 10 by Kim Snaith
It's just a shame that my enthusiasm and interest was eventually fully deflated by obtuse puzzles that offer no guidance and ultimately feel superfluous to the game. Get rid of them altogether and you've got a gripping interactive story that's dying to be told. But with the puzzles as they are, STAY is reduced to feeling more like a badly-designed old-school adventure game.
STAY Summary
Platforms:
PC Windows May 16, 2018
PlayStation Vita September 12, 2018
PlayStation 4 September 12, 2018
Xbox One May 30, 2018
Nintendo Switch September 12, 2018
Developer: Ratalaika Games
Publisher: Ratalaika Games
STAY System Requirements
PC / Windows
Minimum: Intel Core i3 / AMD Phenom II X2, 4 GB RAM, graphic card 512 MB GeForce 8800 GT / Radeon HD 5670 or better, 1 GB HDD, Windows 7/8/10
Recommended: Intel Core i5-2300 2.8 GHz / AMD Phenom II X4 940 3.0 GHz, 8 GB RAM, graphic card 1 GB GeForce GTX 460 or better, 1 GB HDD, Windows 7/8/10