Gone Home

Gone Home is one of those indie gems that left me with a lot to think about long after I stopped playing. This first-person exploration game drops you into an eerily empty house in 1995 as Katie, who just returns from overseas. Right off the bat, the atmosphere hooks you-dim lighting, creaking floorboards, and the ever-present feeling that you're not quite alone in this spacious, yet intimate home. What really stands out in Gone Home is its environmental storytelling. Instead of flashy graphics or complex mechanics, it relies on the location to unfold the narrative. As you rummage through drawers, read notes, and piece together the lives of Katie's family, you start to feel a genuine connection with their struggles and triumphs. The characters, especially Katie's younger sister, Sam, feel real and relatable, making the emotional weight hit harder as the story develops.

The gameplay is pretty straightforward-there are no puzzles or overwhelming challenges, just a lot of exploration. This simplicity allows you to soak in the little details and understand the family dynamics. I found myself lingering over photos and letters, really getting immersed in the story being told. Gone Home is a well crafted experience that champions narrative over action. It's a poignant reminder of how strong storytelling can be in video games.

And intriguing concept that is more or less poorly executed on. For a game that has received overwhelming praise from critics, some calling it an "achievement in gaming", it lacks a satisfying climax and ending (Which I won't spoil here) to tie together all the suspense that it spends 2 and a half hours setting up.

What makes this game interesting is the way it plays on your expectations and horror genre clichés, which always makes sure you are engaged as a player and are paying attention to the story, but overall the entire gameplay aspect of the game becomes irrelevant which is never a good sign for a "game".

Now I'm not one of those people that say "How is this even a game", because as a general rule i like narrative based games, and for the most part enjoyed this narrative and therefore the game.

But the ending was quite possibly the worst ending for any form of fiction I have ever seen. I'm not going to spoil it, because the only reason (literally) to play through this game is the intrigue of the narrative that's it.

The reason why the ending (or later part of the game) sucks is because: -It happens too soon (The game is too short) -Unbelievably underwhelming -Makes you feel cheated for all the suspense lost -Cuts out entire aspects of the game

If I would sum up this game in 2 words it would be "Wasted opportunity"

4/10.

Gone Home is a sweet slice of life story, told through environmental clues throughout a large house. I think the marketing for this game was a bit misleading, as it gives the impression this is a suspenseful game. On the contrary, it's a relaxing experience where you get to slowly learn about a family through what they left behind in a house.

I think the game is strongest in its storytelling in objects and brief moments of dialogue. You spend the majority of the game viewing and interacting with objects in the house to learn more about the family that lives there. A lot of care and attention went into the object scattered around the house. Items ranging from books to even discarded trash subtly tell a story about each family member. It goes a step beyond the cliche video game diaries that tell stories point blank, and it feels like you get a more personal insight into the lives of family members.

Another great aspect of this game are dialogue flashbacks with an excellent narrator. They are well spaced throughout the story and offer a genuine insight into one of the main characters. Speaking of sound, the soundtrack is also great. The ambient music is relaxing, and there's a number of great music tracks you can find on cassettes throughout the house. (this family has a lot of cassette players btw)

It's not a perfect experience however. While the rooms and objects tell interesting stories, I feel like the overall design of the house feels monotonous and unnatural. The house just feels like a series of generic hallways connecting the rooms together, seeming almost maze-like at times. Walking between rooms breaks immersion because of how disjointed the house feels. It's ironic that a game titled 'Gone Home' doesn't prioritize the architecture and authenticity of the house itself.

The story also could have been expanded. There are two main "plots" occurring in the story, the main focusing on the main character's sister and there is a subplot about the parents. I feel like there should have been more interaction between the parents and sister's stories. Both stories could have interesting intersections, but the plots disappointingly have little to no overlap with each other. I also feel the character you play as (Kate) could have had a much more fleshed out storyline. All we know is that Kate came back from a trip abroad, but that's about it. It's possible the developers did this intentionally so you could more easily be immersed as Kate or to focus more on her sister's story. However, I feel the story could be much deeper if we had known how Kate impacted the lives of her parents and sister.

Finally, I think there could have been a lot more interactive elements in the environment to increase immersion. Having some puzzles or clues to mini mysteries here and there could have improved the pacing of the game overall. There is an inventory menu in this game, but it's almost never used throughout the whole playthrough which is pretty disappointing. Clues that you receive in the main plot line just show up on the map, so it sometimes feels like I'm just going through the motions rather than solving mysteries about the house.

While there is a lot to be improved about this game, I think the foundation of this game is great. I had a good time playing this game, which took about 3 hours to complete when you are not rushing through. I would love to see a remake of this game with a more authentic house design and slightly deeper storyline. As it stands, Gone Home is still a nice game if you are looking for a short and sweet interactive slice of life. I would recommend purchasing it on sale though.

It's basically just a walking-sim where you go around the house and read notes. And I loved it. This was one of the first games I ever played and what really sparked my love for games in general.

I think the game perfectly nailed the eerie and lonely atmosphere around the house. It's not a horror game and doesn't hint at it, but it sure as hell made me very uncomfortable and frightened at several points in the game.

It was also incredibly intriguing and interesting to slowly unravel the lives and stories of the characters by just simply reading notes and observing the rooms around the house. The house is also very well designed and was very fun to explore, but I guess that's a must when the whole game is centered around this one area.

If you like slow/easy progression and figuring out "stories" by yourself through exploring an immersive environment, I'd definitely recommend this game.

The story is interesting, but all too predictable. I loved the eerie atmosphere created, but personally for me there was not much to do apart from going A to B, listening and reading stuff, figuring out hidden spaces et al.

I'd compare it to something like Limbo, which is a very different game, yet gives one the wholesome experience despite not giving out any detail in spoken narrative. Here on the other hand we get a wholesome narrative, but not much going it's way otherwise.