The Beginners Guide

It’s difficult to effectively review The Beginner’s Guide, as it’s best to go in completely blind. That said, I’ll attempt to provide as much insight here without spoiling anything. The game consists of traversing through a series of small, experimental levels developed by someone named Coda, while his friend Davey narrates over your experience. These bite-sized games are essentially walking simulators developed in the Source engine. Each has an indie game jam feeling and takes 10-15 minutes to complete. The games are presented in chronological order of development and document Coda’s journey as a creator.

I found each level to have an eerie, lonely feeling, which isn’t uncommon with Source titles. Maybe it’s due to the fact that the levels are often barren, presenting brutalist architecture and maze-like levels. As you progress through these levels, things start to unravel a bit. Davey’s commentary provides background information about how the game was developed and any related personal stories from his interactions with Coda from the time period. As the player, you’re essentially learning about this mysterious Coda through Davey’s narration.

As someone who has zero game dev experience, it was quite fascinating to pick up a few tidbits of game design tricks and techniques. Learning about those isn’t really the point of this game, but as each small level offers something new and unique, I was very engaged in exploring the stages finding out what was next.

Now, a game from Davey Wreden is almost guaranteed to have some sort of twist or unique spin, and The Beginner’s Guide is no different. I don’t think it’s much of a spoiler to say things aren’t what they seem… and I’ll leave it at that. If you’re looking for an interactive storytelling experience that doesn’t require skill or endurance, then this game is for you. The total playtime is just under two hours and there’s not much of a replay factor. I believe The Beginner’s Guide is a must-play for anyone remotely interested in indie games, unique storytelling, or exploring a series of unsettling game snippets.