A police database. A woman interviewed seven times in 1994 about the disappearance of her husband. Hundreds of video clips, each a fragment of those conversations. A search field. The interface shows five results per query. No chronology. No guided playback. Only whatever word the player types next.

Her Story is a non-linear narrative investigation game played entirely through a simulated police database. The player searches for words and phrases, and the database returns up to five video clips containing that word in the interviewed woman's answers. By searching strategically and following threads of language across hundreds of short clips, the player assembles their own understanding of what happened to Simon, what Hannah knows, and what the truth might be. There is no single correct playthrough order and no objective completion condition; the game decides the player has "finished" when their own understanding reaches a certain threshold, tracked by a hidden token system. Actress Viva Seifert delivers a performance across the hundreds of clips that has been widely cited as one of gaming's greatest, nominated for Best Performance at The Game Awards. Developed solely by Sam Barlow, former lead designer at Climax Studios, Her Story won the IGF Seumas McNally Grand Prize, IGF Excellence in Narrative, BAFTA Game Innovation, BAFTA Debut Game and TGA Best Narrative in the same year. Its sequel, Immortality, expanded the format in 2022.

Key Features: • Non-linear narrative investigation: search a video database by keyword, five clips at a time • No guided playback, no completion condition: piece together the truth from fragments • Actress Viva Seifert: hundreds of unique clips spanning seven police interviews • IGF Grand Prize + Excellence in Narrative - BAFTA Game Innovation + Debut Game • Solo developer Sam Barlow - sequel: Immortality (2022)