A puzzle game on Steam titled “Storyteller” is currently attracting a lot of attention. Less because it is an extraordinary game, but more due to a feature from Steam. You can find out why the developer walked away nearly empty-handed after 15 years of development here.
What kind of game is this? The puzzle game “Storyteller” makes you the author of a story, which is essentially realized through 3 things. These include:
- A title that indicates the type of story.
- A handful of characters that need to be staged.
- A few props that should be placed according to the situation.
The title is given to you, and you then need to fill the rest, i.e., the scenes of the story, according to the principle of “Storyteller.”
How the game works can be seen in the video. However, a Steam feature has now been shamelessly exploited by players.
What Steam feature did users exploit? Steam offers all Steam users the opportunity to return games purchased on the platform within 2 weeks if they have a playtime of under 2 hours.
Although the puzzle game “Storyteller” performed relatively well on Steam, reviews emerged that criticized the playtime for the given price of €13.99 despite the attention to detail. Many users then returned the game via the mentioned option and got their money back – for a completed game.
For example, the user nwzed praises the game on the gaming platform (via Steam): “The principle behind ‘Storyteller’ is simply great.[…]”. On the other hand, however, he concludes his comment with the following explanation:
“Unfortunately, the whole experience is short. Very short, to be precise. I took 115 minutes for 100%-completion, and for a game that costs €13.99, that is far too little content. Since I have the luxury of getting a refund, I will do that.”
The concept of ‘Storyteller’ led to a comeback on Steam
How did the game make its comeback? According to an interview with CNN Espanol (via CNN) with developer Daniel Benmergui, the concept behind “Storyteller” was both a blessing and a curse. In the interview, he stated:
We are working hard to make it accessible to people who do not play video games.[…] Overall, part of it was making the game accessible to people who do not play it, not about making a ten-hour game.
Daniel Benmergui, Interview (CNN Spain)
He aimed to avoid unnecessarily inflating his game and to focus only on the best part. Over the years, he also discarded some content. Taking this risk turned out to be the decisive factor that gave the game enough traction to get the project back on the profit track.
The developer also stated that he is now working on an update that should extend the playtime beyond the tight 2 hours with more content. Meanwhile, the puzzle game has also been released on the Nintendo Switch. You can find out here which games might interest you on the Switch.
Whether the price for the time in “Storyteller” of under 2 hours is justified is up to each person to decide. However, the game made a rounded impression on us, with a lot of attention to detail. Production costs are generally also included in the pricing, so one could certainly speak of a fair price.
Do you know the game? If so, feel free to write to us in the comments how you find it or whether you also exploited the Steam feature.
Of course, on the other hand, there are always classics on sale, like Dragon Age: Origins, which offer a lot of content for little money.
