You Should Be Playing ‘NoStranger’

NoStranger (No Stranger)
By: Scott Mulligan

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It’s rare these days for me to feel so strongly about a game that I need to write a post just to make sure people know the game exists. But the developer of NoStranger emailed me late last night and I was curious, so I fired up the game. An hour later, I was forcing myself to stop playing so I could get some sleep. I woke up thinking about the game again.

I plan to write a proper review (spoiler-free as possible) but since I’m still playing, I’m not ready to do so. I just want everyone to play this game. It’s quite possibly the best “text message” game I’ve played. And it’s free. The one caveat is that it’s in real-time, so if you’re impatient like I am, you’ll have to watch ads to skip the waiting times. While that might break the immersion, it is a small price to pay for this fantastic game. I was lucky enough to get a code from the developer to skip ads, and they do seem to be adding an IAP for it in the future (the Android version may already have it). Even if you’re stuck with the wait times and/or ads, I highly recommend playing this game.

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The writing is natural and believable. I feel like I’m talking to a real person. I haven’t rolled my eyes once, a rarity in these kinds of games. On top of that, the game has you searching for answers on Google Maps or Tumblr, even YouTube. You have to type in URLs in a browser and then have a few minutes to solve the riddle on the screen. And the pacing (without the timers) is perfect. I’ve played other games like this that either dragged or got to the surprise ending too quickly. But I’ve spent two quality hours in-game with this already and that’s with skipping all the wait times. It has never once felt like it was dragging. I’ve just been amazed at how long it is. There is a lot of content and apparently some replay value, too. I’ll be able to talk about that more once I compete the game.

Anyway, play this game. It’s free to try so there’s no reason not to. And if you want to see what it’s like without the wait times, you can check out my gameplay video:

Download the game here and let me know what you think!

Update: I just finished the game and am working on a walkthrough here.

This Post Has 9 Comments

  1. Elizabeth Munoz

    It is only talking don’t play these kind

  2. Rachel lyons

    I’m glad it was free I don’t get your enthusiasm. It’s no better than lifeline the Martian or mr robot in fact I like those more!
    I appreciate the interactive elements but there is no real story to drive me. I don’t care about adam and what he’s doing!

    1. AppUnwrapper

      I felt it captured the feeling of just chatting with someone better than any of the other games I’ve played. It’s not perfect, but it sucked me in. Doesn’t hurt that I don’t have to wait and then end up forgetting about it. And on replaying it, I found long dialogue branches that didn’t need to be there but were entertaining to explore.

  3. Edina

    I was sucked in it, too. What a great experience it was – and the end made me cry coz Adam’s gone. He seemed so goddamn real and, to be honest, I don’t have any real friends in my life. I liked the way we talked and those things we talked about. I love deep thoughts and discussing about life, love, death, instincts and so on. The music also fitted in so good and after all I got a very melancholic and strange feeling because of this really really great game. All thumbs up!

    By the way, I am an old girl from Germany so I hope my English is okay enough for commenting. Best wishes and greetings.

    1. AppUnwrapper

      Your English is perfect!

      And yeah, things got really weird in the end, and even early on if you dig enough, but in general it felt like I was just chatting with someone.

  4. Clara

    I totally agree with you. It ‘s really a fascinating application and intrigues me a lot. Also, I do not understand the end. Maybe because I was so taken by mixed emotions at that moment … If you can explain what happened, or what you think, it would be really nice! Thanks and great blog anyway! (Sorry for any grammatical errors, but English is not my first language)

  5. Francis

    I just finished the game a couple of hours ago. I’m going to be honest, i cried. I don’t know if i get the end right. And if you’re reading this and haven’t finished the game just stop because i’m going to do a lot of SPOILER.
    Adam killed that girl? Adam killed all those persons? Adam kill himself? This game really got onto my heart. I just want to read more opinions.

    1. Nemo

      {MAJOR SPOILER A}

      Pepper committed suicide because, yes, Adam killed her father and her best friend and I guess she knew who was next if things stayed that way, because Adam had kidnapped her and had her in some kind of abandoned place until she decided to have dinner with him (having dinner = together again) but she managed to flee while he wasn’t there and die. And yes, Adam killed himself. In fact, I think he had planned his ending since the beginning, he is the man who wanted to jump from the building… D(eath)M(akes)L(ife)M(atter)…

      Sorry I’m emotional, I ended an hour ago and my English is no that good…

  6. Irfan Maulana

    do you have any recomendation for me? i reaIIy Iike this game, and i hope i can find another game which is Iike this one, you know (reaI time, feeI so reaI, mystery, ask us to do something in reaI worId Iike searching on utube and other) if u know pIs contact me to my emaiI or instagram @irfanmaulananasution

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