Gone Home

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.

The story takes place in June of 1995 where Katie has just returned home from her trip overseas to find that no one is home to greet her. She must search the new house for clues of where her family has gone.

Gone Home tells a great tale through the use of clues that you find laying around the house. The controls are simple as you can pick up objects and turn them to reveal the message. Some objects are Sam's and she tells you a little bit of her story after you put the object down.

This kind of click, hold, listen is not for everyone; I myself enjoy it but even I have my limits. They could have incorporated some other kind of objective to keep it feeling fresh. After trying to find all the notes, objects and what not, I began to lose interest and just headed to the end of the story.

I still enjoyed it for the most part but if you try and finish it all at once it becomes a chore.

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.

Gone Home is a unique bizarre little creature that can be completed in less than 60 seconds, that's right the whole story finished in less than a minute.

You play the role of a girl who returns to her home to discover her sister isn't in, you wander around the house seeking clues regarding her disappearance and these come in the form of narrated journal entries and notes.

Truth is wandering around this house is scarier than many survival horror games but the beautifully written/read journal entries make the game remarkably warm and undeniably memorable.

The game (If you can call it that) is tasteful, poignant, thought provoking and a brilliant story though it's more of an experience than an actual video game.

Well worth picking up, but don't expect much replay value.

The Good:

Looks great

Powerful emotional message

Deeply creepy (Even if it's not meant to be)

Wonderfully written

The Bad:

Very short

Not much content

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.