Hannah's answers are transcribed, and the player find clips by searching in the database for words from the transcriptions, attempting to solve the case by piecing together information. As the player selects clips, they can enter user tags, which are then available as searchable terms. One of the files on the desktop is a database checker, which allows the player to review the number of clips that have been viewed; as a clip is viewed, the red box in the database checker changes to green. The desktop also features the minigame Mirror Game, based on the strategy board game Reversi.
Plot
The interview tapes feature a woman who introduces herself as Hannah Smith (Viva Seifert), whose husband, Simon, has gone missing, and is later found murdered. Hannah admits that she and Simon had a difficult relationship, but has an alibi placing her in Glasgow at the time after an argument. As more pieces of the interviews are discovered, it is claimed that "Hannah" is actually two women: Hannah and Eve, identical twins separated at birth by the midwife, Florence. Florence was the widow of a war veteran who desperately wanted to have kids, but did not believe in remarrying, so she faked the death of one of the twins to claim one for herself. Florence deliberately keeps Eve indoors as much as possible, much to the latter's frustration. The twins were unaware of each other's existence until years later, at which point they decided to act as a single person, keeping a common diary and a set of rules defining their actions as "Hannah". When Eve wanted to conduct independent activities, she would wear a blonde wig.
Hannah eventually began dating Simon, whom she met at a glazier where they both work. Despite their rules, Hannah sleeps with Simon and becomes pregnant, which upsets Eve, who makes an effort to get pregnant but is unable to do so; Hannah miscarries in the eighth month, much to Eve's relief. Years later, Simon meets Eve in a bar. The two begin an affair, and Eve becomes pregnant; by this time, Hannah is infertile. On their birthday, Simon gives a handmade mirror to Hannah, but they have an argument, and Hannah reveals that she has a sister who is pregnant; Simon realises he is the father. The following day, Hannah has an argument with Eve over the matter and the latter flees to Glasgow. Hannah, wearing Eve's wig, confronts Simon. Unaware that she is Hannah, Simon gifts her another mirror, stating his desire to be with Eve instead of Hannah. Hannah becomes furious, shattering the mirror and slicing Simon's throat with a piece of it, killing him, though this is said to be accidental. When Eve returns, the two agree to hide Simon's body, and use Eve's trip to Glasgow as an alibi. At the end of the interview, Eve says that Hannah is "gone", asks to speak to a lawyer, and cryptically says that "...all these stories we’ve been telling each other… just that… stories." It is not entirely clear if Eve's story of being an identical twin is true, an intentional fabrication meant to confuse the police, or a case of split personality.
As the player uncovers enough of the story, a chat window appears asking if they are finished. Upon answering affirmatively, it is revealed that the player is Sarah, Eve's daughter. The chat asks Sarah if she understands her mother's actions, and asks to meet her outside.
Reception
Critical reception
Her Story was well received by critics. Review aggregator Metacritic calculated an average score of 91 out of 100 based on 10 reviews for the iOS version, indicating "universal acclaim", and 86 out of 100 based on 49 reviews for the Windows version, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Metacritic ranks the game within the top 20 iOS and Windows games released in 2015, and GameRankings ranks Her Story within its top 100 iOS games of all time. Praise was particularly directed at the game's narrative, Seifert's performance, and gameplay mechanics. IGN's Brian Albert called Her Story "the most unique game I've played in years", and Steven Burns of VideoGamer.com named it "one of the year's best and most interesting games". Adam Smith of Rock, Paper, Shotgun remarked that it "might be the best FMV game ever made"; Michael Thomsen of The Washington Post declared it "a beautiful amalgam of the cinema and video game formats".
Critics lauded the game's narrative. Edge considered it "a superlatively told work of crime fiction." Kimberley Wallace of Game Informer wrote that the "fragmented" delivery of the story "works to its benefit". She appreciated the subtlety of the narrative, and the ambiguity surrounding the ending. Polygon's Megan Farokhmanesh noted that Her Story "nails the dark, voyeuristic nature of true crime". Chris Schilling of The Daily Telegraph was impressed by the coherence of the narrative, "even when presented out of order". Eurogamer's Simon Parkin found the effects of the narrative to be similar to well-received HBO thrillers, particularly in terms of audience attention. Stephanie Bendixsen of Good Game was disappointed that large plot points were revealed early in the game, but attributed this to the uniqueness of each players' experience.
Seifert's performance in the game received high praise from reviewers. GameSpot's Justin Clark felt that the performance "anchored" the game. Katie Smith of Adventure Gamers wrote that Seifert is convincing in the role, particularly with small details such as body language, but was startled by the lack of emotion. Game Informer's Wallace echoed similar remarks, noting that Seifert "nailed the role". Rock, Paper, Shotgun's Smith wrote that "the whole thing might collapse" without Seifert's "convincing" performance. IGN's Albert named the acting "believable", stating that Seifert's performance is "appropriately both grounded and absurd". Joe Donnelly of Digital Spy wrote that Seifert's performance has the potential to inspire similar games, and Andy Kelly of PC Gamer called the performance "understated, realistic, and complex". Burns of VideoGamer.com felt generally impressed by Seifert's performance, but noted some "occasional bad acting".
The unconventional gameplay mechanics also received positive remarks from critics. Destructoid's Laura Kate Dale felt that the game's pacing and structure assisted the narrative, and Wallace of Game Informer found that making a connection between key points in the narrative was entertaining. Burns of VideoGamer.com praised the game's ability to make the player realise their own biases, and challenge their "sense of self". Albert of IGN felt that the searching tool was "gratifying", and positively contributes to the pacing of the game, while The Washington Post's Thomsen wrote that the database mechanic created "contemplative gaps between scenes", allowing for "poignance and power" within the narrative. Edge thought that by having game mechanics which require the player to deduce the story through investigation and intuition, Her Story was one of few games "that truly deliver on the foundational fantasy of detective work." Bendixsen of Good Game described the desktop as "appropriately retro", noting that she was "drawn in immediately".
The game sold over 100,000 copies by 10 August 2015; about 60,000 copies were sold on Windows, with the remaining 40,000 sold on iOS. Barlow stated that the game's instant popularity surprised him, as he had instead expected the game to slowly spread by word of mouth "and maybe over six months it would pay for itself."
