Last updated on January 3rd, 2026 at 07:40 pm
Her Story – Word Game Review
Her Story is a Word/Entertainment/Adventure game from Sam Barlow, first launched in 24th June 2015.
It’s rated 17+ and currently has 570+ ratings on the App Store.
What Makes Her Story Stand Out
A real life crime story where you play detective.
Winner of 3 Bafta Awards, 2 IGF Awards, 3 GDC Awards, Best Narrative & Best Performance at The Game Awards 2015, The Grand Jury Award at IndieCade, Polygon's Game of the Year, SXSW Mobile Game of the Year, Webby Award for Best Mobile Game, 5 IMGA Awards and more!
"Her Story is one of the most entrancing experiences you can hope to find on mobile"
9/10, Pocket Gamer
"It’s a murder case where you’re in the detective’s chair, a mystery where you make the running, and an engrossing experience from start to finish. With this we should consign the term “interactive movie” to history’s dustbin, because movies can’t dream of offering audiences a narrative structure as intimate and involving as this: they’re just moving pictures. Her Story points to the future" 5/5, The Guardian
Her Story is the critically acclaimed mystery game from Sam Barlow. Playing like an interactive true crime documentary, the game lets you go hands on with a police database full of live action video footage. It stars Viva Seifert, actress and one half of the band Joe Gideon and the Shark.
How does it work?
Her Story sits you in front of a mothballed desktop computer and logs you into a police database. Search through hundreds of video clips that cover seven interviews from 1994 in which a British woman is interviewed about her missing husband. Explore the database by typing search terms, watch the clips where she speaks those words and piece together her story.
"Her Story is a beautiful amalgam of the cinema and video game formats… a remarkable achievement…" 90, The Washington Post
"Profound, gripping live-action drama… sure to be discussed for years to come" 5/5, Digital Spy
Unlike anything you've played before, Her Story is an involving and moving experience. One that asks you to listen.
This Word game offers engaging gameplay and regular updates for mobile players.
Player Feedback
As a newer release, Her Story is building its player community. Early feedback suggests .
Recent Updates & Development
Latest Update: 24th June 2015
Recent improvements include:
This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.
Minor bug fixes and performance tweaks for iPad
Download & Availability
Her Story is available through the official App Store for iOS devices.
Requirements: Requires iPhone 5s / iPad Air / iPad Air (Cellular) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina, Cellular) / iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus / iPad Air 2 / iPad Air 2 (Cellular) / iPad Mini 3 or later.
Compatible with iPhone and iPad devices.
Player Experience Highlights
Community Insight:
This game consists of watching old police videos and searching database by keywords to find clues. Easy and enjoyable. Try to figure out who did it and what the real story is.
Had to write a review. No perks to doing so like other games. We finished yesterday but we wont really be done with this story for the rest of our life. People have been debating different pieces of it for five years. Yes the setup is unconventional in a world where everyone is used to being inundated with tasks and puzzles, but the simplicity of it only increases the mental challenge. Try it.
This is so fun and unique, we love it so much! Please make another.
There arent many games like this. The developer came up with a second game with more characters but it was less involving and the story line was weaker, we thought. We really liked this game, we liked the storyline, the writing, the acting. We wish it were part of a series with the same format, one person of interest being interviewed and you comb through the fragments to piece together the truth. We really had a lot of fun with this one. Please send more.
Its a piece of art to organize the materials, leads to many possibilities, many are illustrated but one truth. However how can you tell in the end.
Interesting story line and game play. The point of the game is to learn what happened… At least what Hannah said happened. If you believe her or not…. That's an entire other discussion.
Unique, engaging, and satisfying. Its not very long but the process is enjoyable. We caught on quickly as to what was going on, BUT it took a second play through to fit all the pieces together. Interesting concept. Need more games with charm like this. 2-2 4-3 4-3 4-2 2-2 1-1 2-3 5-1.
This was interesting. Definitely well done. The acting was so believable and the soft sound fit the clips and were never annoying and loud. It was worth our money and time – kept us off our addiction to YouTube watching the stupid things Trump is doing globally! We even went back and watched every clip in sequence (shhh, theres a hack for that but if you use it you arent playing the game – why spend your money? Buy a book. You will get a better story. This. Is a game). But we played and finished the game before doing this. Our Im complaint to the developers. Your credits are artwork in itself and we would like to be able to pause so we can read them – they run by so fast Im the IOS Phone!! Im probably the only one who cares (except all those contributors moms!) but can you give us a pause featur.
Well worth the money despite its short length, with some unexpected twists thrown in. It's wonderfully satisfying piecing the mystery together from the "archive footage" the game provides, and you really have to pay attention in order to know what words to search for – we were consistently surprised by what huge plot elements were revealed from seemingly minor details.
This is by far one of the best interactive art/fiction experiences we've ever had. It draws inspiration from so many sources and puts them together masterfully.
We played this a few years ago when it first came out, bought the app version as well as the computer, and we're coming back to it now because we've been thinking about it. It's easily one of the most engaging games we've ever played, the storytelling and the acting have made such an impact on us that we still recommend this game to people on a regular basis. We would love to see a sequel someday, or at least a new game using the same premise.
This is one of the best games available for iPhone. "Her Story" is intriguing. It will leave you hooked and determined to dig deeper to find the truth behind this tragic story.
This game is excellent. We only hope that the creators of this game come out with more games! Game layout is simple yet intriguing, game play is clever and very difficult to put down, incredibly entertaining and keeps you thinking! Also love the old computer setup. We really enjoyed this game. Please keep making games.
Played with it until we ran out of battery.
Really really loved the game one of best.
The game was simple but it's story was truly captivating. We found ourselves getting deeply immersed in the thought processes and feelings of the woman being interrogated. We admire the creative innovations to launch this game and hope others come.
Different aspects get different stories.
Interesting story and unique game mechanic.
Okay, we need some more of these games. This was literally brilliant. We're a computer/PS4 gamer, and generally play AAA Titles from large Dev Teams, and we think we had more fun with this game than any of those games recently. Whoever thought of this is a genius, and you better bring more, or we'll find you! Lol.
We rarely write reviews, but we loved this game so much. It was so open ended that we haven't stopped thinking about it in days. We loved the challenge of finding new clips and the haunting plot. We would love to see more games like this, or perhaps a sequel.
But for this we had to! This is our favorite game we have ever played. Please make more like this, it is very short. Thank you, xoxo.
Really interesting story. The whole experience was like pulling the layers off an onion to discover the details. We also liked that the player could draw their own conclusions about what really happened.
Hard to put down and very refreshing to have a game that is actually interested in exploring a fascinating story of friendship/sisterhood/betrayal in a way that is led by the ideas and conceptions of women themselves rather than driven by men…Even though the dead body is that of a man, he is only a data point that allows one to dig deeper into the relationship of two women.
Intriguing mystery game! You will not be disappointed with this one.
Excellent, brief story that keeps your head turning. Very enjoyable.
Within minutes we were entranced by the story. It's intensely emotional and it unfolds in a really innovative way.
This game is truly unusual and a real treat – easy to understand, clever internal logic, intuitive controls, and striking artwork. Requires a bit of logic and a bit of strategy (and occasionally, quick reflexes) but not too hard or too easy. If we could give it six stars, we would.
If you want a great mystery detective game, then this is the one for you. It has an awesome story and will keep you hooked all the way to the end. Worth the price for sure.
We've been waiting for mobile games to branch out into more media-focused interactive tales. This is like watching a great crime drama but, unlike TV, you actually have to think a bit :) we loved it and would recommend it to anyone in games or who likes a good mystery.
We have this for our PC and we love it there and we just got this version and it's still the same and we love the style of mint. We understand why it was #2 indie game of 2015.
Never mind whether this is really a "game" in the strictest sense. We were absolutely taken in. We were visiting someone while we were in the middle of it, and we had to get on their wifi to keep trying to get those last bits. Amazing concept.
We made a note quite a while back to download this game when we could and we finally did just yesterday. The game itself is rather short but the experience, the uniqueness, it was worth it. Genuinely, and unsurprisingly, we've never played a game quite like this. We kept getting further and further into the rabbit hole and it was exhilarating! We wanted to know more and keep going. We felt like we were really putting together a puzzle, and it was incredibly satisfying. +++ for the music, mood, story.
Enjoyed trying to unravel the mystery, and even untangle our own goals in the whole thing. It's not perfect (especially the mechanic for ending), but immersive and gripping, and likely to appeal to those who don't normally play video games. Fun framing device of an old computer console gives pangs of nostalgia to some.
This was the first game of this type that we have played. It was a fun challenge! It was all the fun of watching a good procedural plus the challenge of discovery.
Our bf and we played this over the weekend, we took turn taking notes and searching the app. Keep in mind that this is not your conventional game. In a way we'd say this was the best movie we've ever played. It is morbid, well written, nicely executed, and leaves you asking questions. We can't stop thinking about it. We'd love to see more games in this format.
Not through the game yet, but it's just a wonderful piece of work. From the music to the UI to the mystery being pieced together to the acting, it's fantastically done. Please people, buy this game and support great work like this. Update: Glad to see this team got on a lot of best games of the year lists. Congrats.
Hours of play to solve it. Videos play where you have to piece the puzzle together. Best game we've bought and played so far. Worth the money.
Amazing game. We loved it and we always play it in school. It's not really a game, you're basically just watching clips and each clip gets interesting and interesting.
This is a truly unique mystery game that will leave you wondering what the truth really is. We're dying to know for certain ourselves. If you enjoy watching real life murder mysteries on TV, and trying to solve them…you will enjoy this game. But beware, the game does not tell you if you are right or wrong. We've read that the developer created this game with only one correct answer in mind, and we're glad because we don't like it being left open for interpretation. We want to know the truth.
This game pulls you into a strange story full of plot twists. It's unfortunate that there are not more ways to mark up or view the clips in succession, but the story is rich and evocative. We just wish that solving the mystery provided some payoff –> a diagram or master video or some kind of resolution.
Amazing gaming experience. Great story and highly addictive. Still thinking about it two days after finishing it.
We've never seen a game like this one. We loved playing it and we wish there were more like it. The story is handled perfectly, and the hooks, clues, and questions that draw you into it are excellent. You really feel like YOU are solving a mystery as you go deeper. A compelling story to uncover. A mystery to solve. A complicated character to learn about and understand. If that sounds interesting to you, download this game. Now.
So we love it. Five stars, looking forward to experiencing it.
Before we knew it, 3 hours had passed as we dug deeper into the mystery. There are probably still more things to uncover that we don't know about. Back to the game.
We love Her Story! Much like Device 6 and Year Walk, we lost ourselves in this game, although 'game' is not quite the right word. Immersive mystery story is a better descriptor. You are dropped into the story with no information and no instructions. Armed only with access to an old-school database of clips from police interviews and your own research skills, you must piece together the story. We must note that there is no way to 'win', although that only adds to the artistry of the game. The real point of the game is the experience of learning the story in bits and pieces and watching how your impressions change through the the experience. It leaves one wondering, both in the game and in life, do we ever truly have the full story.
A truly unique "game" with no ending, only theories and questions. It's as if Christopher Nolan and M. Knight teamed up to write a murder mystery. It's great for fans of murder documentaries on TV and the highly intelligent out there. It can seem deceptively simple – but keep digging and the mystery actually expands, rather then becoming simple. The developers have pushed the boundaries of what a "game" is. Hopefully we see more interactive fiction like this in the future.
This is a unique, subtle game that will stay with you well after you're done with it. If you're like us and you're not a huge fan of first-person shooters or other action-heavy games, try this game, a creepy, interactive murder investigation that'll depend on your ability to pay attention to the things people say.
We don't typically pay for games. This is worth it. If you like Serial podcast or 48 hour mystery you will love this game. Addictive and keeps you thinking. Binged for 3 days and was worth the $5. Just the best.
Thoroughly enjoyed this clever murder mystery and solving the case via the full motion video clips and old school computer technology. Really hope Sam Barlow creates more like this! After playing Her Story, we were thrilled to discover Contradiction, by Tim Follin, another very clever fmv mystery.
User feedback from Apple App Store
App Details
- Version: 1.1
- Size: 1,796.25 MB
- iOS: 7.0 or later
- Languages: EN
- Content Advisory: Frequent/Intense Mature/Suggestive Themes, Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References, Infrequent/Mild Sexual Content and Nudity, Infrequent/Mild Horror/Fear Themes
- Developer: Sam Barlow
Last updated: 24th June 2015 | Genre: Word, Entertainment | Developer: Sam Barlow