Before I begin, I must say this is the most unique game I've ever played in my whole life. This is not necessarily a good or a bad thing, however it is important to emphasize that it is unique and you are likely to be confused, surprised, or potentially dissapointed. That said, lets dive into what this game actually is.
What is it?
This game is the game made by one of the individuals behind the Stanley parable game, which is another unique game among video games. The begineer's guide attempts to bridge the gap between a few things things:
- showcasing a presentation about video game development
*psychological distress/growth in an individual
*Be a mystery
*Engage in a seemingly deep, thought provoking conversation with the player
*and finally, be a video game that you can actually play
All of these somehow are accomplished. It is basically some guy telling you about this mysterious individual's life and development of video games, all the while you are playing the games this individual created a handful of years ago. None of them are objectively "fun". Do not go into this game hoping for fun gameplay, because it does not exist. However this game accomplished something that most games try and fail at: it made me think, and it made me emotionally involved. And this is why it works. Without the emotional connection, without the sense of mystery, this game would be nothing. It would be a crappy discount TED talk given by a rambling highschooler, however the purely emotional connection solidifies this game, or rather experience, as something that is worth the buy.
To sum it up:
This game is Boring, has no mechanics, the graphics are horrible, it's slow, and it's monotonous.
This experience, however, while takes a while to get through, and can drag on a bit, is fantastic and leaves you with more questions than answers. I highly suggest anyone to play this game if they can get it cheap, and push yourself to finish. Once you finish, go read some forum theories about the game on reddit or something, because people catch onto things that you might not have thought of.
Overall: Worth the buy, if you don't mind this game not being a game.