The most spoiler-free gist I can give of The Beginner’s Guide is it’s a narrative demonstration of small indie games made by one person and narrated by one of the cowriters of The Stanley Parable as they pitch to you their theory about how we can get to know a creator through their work.

While compelling in theory (And I’m not gonna ever regret experiencing this game or lament the existence of games like this), TBG is at best boring and at worst misdirected and obvious in practice, as every intriguing plot element is revealed in broad daylight to be a red herring for a far less engaging and less contentious thesis that holds your hand as tight as it possibly can while having the gall to suggest it’s up to interpretation.