# Her Story

> Interactive crime documentary game using a video database to solve a mystery. (iPhone/iPad app by Sam Barlow.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/her-story/id952658953 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Sam Barlow](https://appshunter.io/developer/952658952)
- Category: Games, Entertainment, Adventure, Word
- Price: $2.99
- Rating: 4.10/5 from 573 App Store ratings · 283 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 17+
- Requires: iOS 7.0 · 1.8 GB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2015-06-24
- Data updated: 2026-09-07
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/her-story/id952658953/reviews.md

## What is Her Story?

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.

## Key features

- Interactive true crime documentary
- Police database of live-action video footage
- Searchable video clips
- Piece together a narrative
- Starring Viva Seifert

## Chart rankings

- #149 in Top Paid · Adventure (US App Store)
- #10 in Top Paid · Word (US App Store)

## What do users think of Her Story?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 🚀 Unique and engaging story
- 👍 Compelling acting performance
- 💡 Innovative non-linear gameplay
- 🤔 Thought-provoking mystery

**Cons**

- 🐛 Occasional technical issues (screen orientation, crashes)
- 🤷‍♀️ Unclear objectives or lack of guidance
- ⏱️ Short playtime for the price
- 🤔 Unsatisfying or ambiguous ending

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Upside-down screen orientation on iPad
- Inability to delete or manage saved video clips

**Most requested features**

- Ability to view videos in sequential order
- More interactive elements beyond just searching
- Clearer progression or sense of completion

## Recent user reviews (10 of 283)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/her-story/id952658953/reviews.md

### 3/5 — My first App Store review

*2025-12-28, version 1.1*

I’ve never felt compelled to write a review for an app - but this one I feel like I need to in order to provide a warning to users… there is no clean ending, answers, etc. That said, within 10 mins I was able to figure out the majority of the storyline. If you’re a big true crime person, this will be a bit predictable for you.

### 3/5 — Intrigue

*2025-12-14*

fun but i got stuck after dragging the window too far up

### 3/5 — It’s okay but not great

*2025-06-25, version 1.1*

The story is unrealistic no matter how you interpret it and it’s too short. It leaves you wondering “is that all?”. It’s not challenging in any way and it just falls flat. I like the idea but the story didn’t live up to expectations. If they used the same idea for a better mystery I’d definitely give it another go.

### 2/5 — Neat Concept - Disapointing

*2025-01-19, version 1.1*

This game no doubt took some time to make and it was a fun concept. However after a while it just got old. You can only see the first five entries of the search term so if you get something with 6 or more then you have to narrow it down. There were a series of questions that were just yes and no answers and that was all that was there and I have no idea how anyone got to watch those. So many of the clips were just pointless clips to watch. There is nothing that says congratulations you solved the case or something somewhat rewarding that says you put her in jail and allows you to state your case against her. Games need some finally and something to let you know you actually solved things right. If there were more putting things together or prompts to type things you solved that would be great. 

You can put things into a cue and the database was nice to show what videos you haven’t seen. It would have been nice if you could just click on the database once you watched a video and watch things in sequential order instead of finding a website online that helps you with that. 

Clicking everytime on the keyword search was not pleasant no command+a to type again. Fun concept but needed more. Not very rewarding at all once you spent all that time watching the videos. 

Basically instead of just watching all the videos in order and figuring things out you have to type a word or phrase and put it together. Cool for about an hour maybe two but after that just repetitive and unpleasant with out makers. There are no clues or anything to help you if you get stuck and can’t find some videos either. It is not like it is practical either that you would have to search like that to watch videos from a database. 

I would do a game like this again if they gave you rewards, helped you search other things to solve stuff and made it more interactive then just typing words to find videos in a database. Thankfully it wasn’t too expensive but not worth the time and knowing what I know now I wouldn’t have started the game.

### 2/5 — Solved in 5 min

*2024-09-02, version 1.1*

Too easy. My third search and it was solved.

### 2/5 — Bof…

*2024-08-02*

Ma compagne et moi avons était déçu. Pas de fin, pas de grande révélation, juste des clips à chercher via des mots clés jusqu’à que tu sois satisfait. Je préfère regarder des vidéos de true crime. Appeler cela un jeu… je dirais plus un jouet.

### 1/5 — Not worth the money

*2024-02-06, version 1.1*

Was not what I expected!   After it’s solved then what?   It’s a waste.

### 1/5 — Pseudo-cult entediante.

*2023-11-19*

O “jogo” é 90 minutos de um filme picotado (com interpretação ruim) em trechos de 10 à 30 segundos, que o “jogador” tem que ficar procurando numa engine e assistindo fora de ordem se quiser entender a estória.
Em menos de 10 minutos eu já estava entediado.
Pra disfarçar a chatice do jogo os “fãs” e a “crítica” gostam de dizer que é um jogo único e inovador.
Não, não é inovador. Jogos do mesmo estilo já foram feitos há mais de 20 anos. Alguns exemplos são evidence: the last ritual, phantasmagoria e night trap.
Simplesmente reciclaram algo que não deu certo no passado e vendem como inovação. Porque se não fizer parecer algo intelectual ninguém vai pagar por um vídeo picotado que pode ser assistido na ordem certa no yt.

### 3/5 — No ending

*2023-03-16, version 1.1*

As others have said, there is no real ending. I wish I read the reviews before spending money but I didn’t want to come across spoilers. This could’ve been really cool but there is no closure. In the end, you’ve watched a bunch of videos and come up with an idea of what happened but you don’t get the satisfaction of finding out for sure.

### 3/5 — Kinda Disappointing

*2022-08-16, version 1.1*

As a big adventure game fan I was quite looking forward to playing this. I think perhaps this game has been too hyped up. The writing and story are very hacky, and I think people must have just been so dazzled by the presentation and nonlinear unfolding that they assumed the writing was good? It’s not, it’s very soap opera-y and has nothing much to say about the themes it tries to evoke. The character at one point says “aren’t these all just stories anyways?” which I think we’re meant to consider some kind of profound thesis statement for the game? All well and good, but the game isn’t terribly interested in exploring why people lie to each other and themselves beyond a sutface level “idk this chick’s crazy lol.” Disappointing! Runs great and the search function was a fun hook. Sadly loses its luster when it becomes clear your interpretation/understanding of the footage do not factor into any mechanical aspect.

## Frequently asked questions about Her Story

### What is Her Story?

Her Story is a critically acclaimed mystery game that puts you in the role of a detective. It functions like an interactive true crime documentary where you explore a police database filled with live-action video footage to uncover a story.

### How do I play Her Story?

You interact with a simulated desktop computer and log into a police database. You can search through hundreds of video clips by typing search terms. Watching these clips, which feature a woman interviewed about her missing husband, allows you to piece together her story.

### Is Her Story a free game?

Based on the provided information, Her Story is a paid application. It does not mention any in-app purchases or a freemium model, indicating a one-time purchase for the full experience.

### What kind of story does Her Story tell?

The game presents a real-life crime story where a British woman is interviewed about her missing husband in 1994. You must listen to her testimony across multiple video clips to understand the events and uncover the truth behind the disappearance.

### What platforms is Her Story available on?

Her Story is described as a mobile game, and its awards include "SXSW Mobile Game of the Year" and "Webby Award for Best Mobile Game." This suggests it is primarily available on mobile devices.

## Version history (last 2 releases)

### 1.1 — 2015-06-24

This update from Apple will improve the functionality of this app. No new features are included.

Minor bug fixes and performance tweaks for iPad

### 1.0 — 2015-06-01

No release notes.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-07.*