The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe can now (sort of) play itself with its new auto-walk toggle
The latest update also adds a swathe of other accessibility options
With the games release schedule starting to ease up a bit, I've finally found some time to really dig into The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe. I've enjoyed revisiting this meta first-person puzzler, but sometimes I can only manage small chunks before its endlessly repeating corridors start to feel like they're bearing down on me a bit. Thankfully, its latest quality of life update might just be the thing I need. As well as introducing a swathe of new accessibility features, its auto-walk function now has a toggle option - and as developers Crows Crows Crows have noted on Twitter, this means that "so long as you're in a straight corridor it allows the game to play itself!" Magic.
Of course, the main reason behind the new toggle feature is to help aid players who find it difficult to hold down buttons for extended periods of time, rather than accommodate lazy bones like myself. Still, I'm a big fan of auto-walk/run features in general, especially when you're traversing big, wide open maps when you're on foot, or on the back of the horse in an RPG, say. Sure, you sometimes run the risk of running straight into a tree (or in Ultra Deluxe's case, probably a photocopier or edge of a desk, oww) every now and again because your mind is elsewhere, probably focused on that weird-looking rock formation in the distance, but I do appreciate just being able to drink in the scenery a bit more instead of always having my camera trained on where I'm heading.
Clearly, there aren't as many 'incredible landscapes' to admire in The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe, but this update has made me eager to take another run through its office corridors to see if it makes them more digestible.
The auto-walk toggle isn't the only new addition. The Quality Of Life update also introduces the option to permanently enable a crosshair in the middle of the screen, complete with size, opacity and cursor type settings, and the option to disable some motion elements related to its #newcontent. A Low Dexterity Mode can be enabled as well to give players more breathing room to complete time-sensitive button inputs.
These are just the headlines, though. The full details can be found in the complete patch notes, which also teases the next "even larger patch", which will include translations for Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Ukrainian, plus a "few extra surprises and secrets".
The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe is out now on Steam for £20/$22/$25.