I’m not sure if STAY satisfies the creepy voyeur or the empathetic aspects of my soul more. STAY was an amazing change of pace for me as I haven’t been playing anything remotely close to it recently. It is unique in many aspects; I’d even go out on a limb and say it’s one of the most unique titles on the Nintendo Switch right now. However, this doesn’t mean the game is infallible. It’s far from perfect and I found myself force-closing the game numerous times and putting it down out of frustration. But, listen here: STAY is one-of-a-kind and the journey is worth it in the end if you can make it. Confused? This will all will make sense soon.

Developer: Pqube

Publisher: Appnormals Team

7 Hours Played // Review Copy Provided // $11.99

STAYing Unique

In STAY, you find yourself connected to a man named Quinn. You can communicate with Quinn through a shared chat room that only he and you are in. Neither of you knows how or why Quinn was put in this room, but a few things are certain. Quinn is scared and he doesn’t appear to be the most stable person. Quinn desperately needs your help finding a way out of the house he has found himself in.

Confusion, anger, sadness, and frustration are all built into this game. I know I just said feelings are built into a video game, which probably seems strange. However, you should trust me on this one. You are put into the shoes of the only person that can help Quinn, who appears to be at the end of their rope. STAY will test the limits of your empathy if you STAY with Quinn.

It is here, in a lonely room of desperation and fear, where you start your journey helping Quinn. STAY plays like an old-school choose-your-own-adventure novel by having you communicate with Quinn through a chat room while making decisions through dialogue choices. Do you tell Quinn to go out that window into the dark or do you tell him to head back downstairs? The amount of choice and the storytelling wrapped around these decisions is hands down the best aspect of the game. Additionally, the soundtrack complements the tense decision-making moments with highs and lows. Altogether, it is fitting for a game of this nature.

Conversation Webs

There are numerous branching webs of conversation, which makes subsequent playthroughs interesting. Quinn’s journey and end result remain the same with multiple playthroughs. It’s the dialogue choices and conversations you have with Quinn that will vary based on your combined decisions. If you don’t usually replay games, you might want to re-think that stance for STAY. There are a total of seven different endings, each providing a short but different insight into Quinn and how he got there.

Painful Puzzling

Between the game’s dialogue choices and cutscenes, Quinn will encounter puzzles that he needs your help with. The puzzles vary in difficulty. There are easy puzzles, such as re-assembling broken plates, to more complicated puzzles, unique to STAY, that I had never seen before. One of these is the chess piece puzzle pictured above.

It is within these puzzle-solving moments that you truly assume the role of Quinn; you take control of him and solve the puzzles in order to move on and continue the journey. If that makes sense, you can begin to understand why the Appnormals Team chose to do puzzles this way. Quinn is stuck and alone in a house and made to solve puzzles. It’s no wonder the player is made to feel frustrated and angry that the game did this to them; they did it to Quinn too!

Some of the puzzles are easy enough to complete on your own while others require you to reach out for additional help on the internet, such as you would if you really were talking to a trapped Quinn.

Timeliness Is Key

STAY also adds a bit of a twist to the age-old choose-your-own-adventure format. The amount of time you spend away from Quinn really impacts his decisions, mood, and your relationship with him as well. How would you like to be stranded in an unknown room for days by yourself with no-one to talk to?

Numerous interludes (cut-scenes) are thrown into the game with a warning of “leave at your own risk”. During these interludes, Quinn searches out new rooms or completes some task. It is up to you whether or not you STAY with Quinn and watch, or leave and come back later. You just might find Quinn has lost all hope and decides to leave, permanently. If you’re lucky enough that he has STAYed, be on the lookout. Quinn might not be too happy with you for leaving him to his own devices for 41 hours.

The Promise of STAY

I’ve obtained two of the seven possible endings in STAY so far and the ending has punched me in the feels both times. During the first playthrough, I felt a real drive to march on and see where this journey leads Quinn. I also felt like the puzzles detracted from the whole experience, as I just wanted to get back to talking with Quinn and progressing through the story. I couldn’t solve them fast enough. There were times where I was entirely fed up and left Quinn to play something else. I can see many others making this same mistake. However, on additional playthroughs, the Appnormals Team has added the ability to speed up dialog as well as skip puzzles you have already solved. This is a great addition which makes the choice on whether or not to play three or four times easier.

Promise to STAY with Quinn and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Take the time to STAY with Quinn. Remember to listen and respond. I think you’re in for one of the most unique experiences on the Nintendo Switch yet.

I haven’t played all the games on the Nintendo Switch so feel free to hit me up on Twitter with your “more unique than STAY” opinions; I’d love to hear them. If you’re planning on playing this game, please join the Appnormals Team or Nindie Nexus Discord. I think you will be needing help along the way. If you need more reading, another Nindie author just reviewed The Gardens Between, which is an impeccable review for what seems like a really great game.