What would it be to reinvent the games industry? That's something the Her Story creator Sam Barlow was likely asking himself when they put together this new title, driven by your own intrigue and passion for story through gameplay that's not been utilised on this level before.
Thrust in front of an in-game computer screen, you're invited to discover the story of a woman interviewed seven times about her missing husband in 1994. She's not an animated character, but instead actress and singer Viva Seifert, stepping into what many will view as a first-of-its-kind role.
What players will soon realise is that the computer you're granted access to is actually a police database, full of live action video footage of interviews with this woman, and it certainly doesn't take long to start thinking as you believe a detective on the case would think.
It's a game hard to talk about without spoiling the narrative for newcomers, but what we can say about Her Story is that there are many paths and avenues you can go down for two to three hours, investigating when you think you've found a lead only to then feel the gut punch when you realise you were wrong all along. Her Story is the game for all those people watching police procedurals at home, commenting on the developments of the case and working out the mystery before the episode's over.
But here's the kicker - a colleague played Her Story in the same time period and we both walked away with mostly different interpretations of exactly what it was that happened with this woman. That begs the question, is this really a game telling 'her story', or is it one where you're given little pieces of information to instead craft your own?
Beyond the brilliant gameplay there are little touches and fine attention to detail which really help elevate the title and bring it to life. Typing in the game will deliver in-game taps of the keyboard you'd be typing on if indeed you were sat in front of the in-game computer. Sirens will occasionally blare out as a police van drives past your window, at which point there are blink-and-you-miss-it moments of your reflection being shown on-screen. There's even a game stored in a secret location on the computer which the workers on this computer have hidden to play when their bosses aren't looking. Every action the player takes is rewarding in so many different ways.
Sam Barlow is quite clearly a man who enjoys telling a great story, but what he's done here is really something magical. Giving the player the choice to progress through the story as they wish was always going to be a risky move, but one that pays off in spades.
In short: Her Story is not only one of the most exciting titles of the year so far, but perhaps one of the most exciting of the past decade.
Her Story is available now on PC, Mac, iPad and iPhone.