Gone Home

this games story is like you figuring out where your family went after you took a mid day nap lol

This is one of the most beautiful, real, poignant, intelligent, human, and[i] attentive [/i]games I've ever played. It has a degree of profound interest in the mundane ephemera of life that I've simply never seen a video game have before. All you do in Gone Home is walk around and look at stuff, and lemme tell ya, I was HOOKED. That's saying something, because I'm someone that spends most of his game time on adrenaline-fueled esports titles like Rocket League and Valorant. I played it all in one session, and was at the very verge of crying copious amounts of manly man-tears by the end. The fact that it manages to be [i]this[/i] compelling, while being composed exclusively of gameplay elements that are normally considered filler — picking up notes, listening to 'audio logs' — renders it nothing short of a masterwork, from a design perspective. I am deeply grateful to all of the idiots on the internet that produced Discourse™ about this game (almost certainly without actually having played it). I likely wouldn't have ever heard of it, or gotten around to experiencing it, otherwise.

What a waste of time.

I usually never type out reviews because I cannot be bothered, but I really wanted to type one here. I remember being like... maybe 10-12 years old when my father bought this game for me saying it was a "murder mystery" only for me to play it and be absolutely floored by the ending. This was WAY before I came to terms with my pansexuality--hell, I didn't even know what bisexual was! But I remember being a little girl watching the credits fading with that illuminating font and just... silent. I didn't know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't what I got. For days, I felt so fixated on it. The raw emotions in the vocals for the credits, the intimate details of the journal entries, the desolate yet suffocating house, the motif of facades among the family, so many things that I didn't truly understand at that age. But I understood Lonnie and Sam. I certainly did. Maybe that's why I cried days later over the ending. All I could think of was "what if I ended up being 'one of those people?" I knew gay and trans people existed as a child because it was explained to me after discovering a friend's identity. But as a child, I was still terrified of being "one of those people" because all I could think of was "would my family deny my existence?" Layers upon layers of a murky revelation swirling within me. It was one of those things that you GET as a child, but you don't quite UNDERSTAND it, yet you don't want to ask your parents because it is so taboo. Between this game, Life is Strange, and The Last of Us: Left Behind, sometimes I wonder how long it would have taken me to have the epiphany that I was pansexual had it not been for these games? All that is to say, while it isn't perfect, and while it may be a let-down for SOME gamers, I personally adore this game as it explored the coming-of-age narrative through a queer lens.

+++

I found both the story and the gameplay to be uninteresting and boring. I've tried several attempts over the years to get into it and just couldn't. Finally decided to just remove it from my account as I don't think it's remotely good.

A beautiful tale of love and families struggles. I originally played this at a time when I was wrestling with some of my own issues and this game came along at the perfect time. Playing this again all these years later it still got me right in the heart. I also recommend a second go with the developer commentary on as it's a lovely insight into the behind the scenes :D

[h1]More about exploring than solving[/h1] The story isn't anything unique, but the overall theme is actually pretty good. The house design and all the assets are well made, and exploring the house feels believable. The soundtrack also does a good job of setting the atmosphere. The biggest issue is that you can interact with almost everything. You can open nearly every door, every drawer, and pick up almost every item. While that sounds great at first, for a game that's only around two hours long, it ends up making the experience feel more confusing than immersive. It's very easy to lose track of what you're actually supposed to be doing, especially if you're not following a guide. The achievements were surprisingly enjoyable to collect, and I had fun getting 100%. They encourage you to explore everything the game has to offer without feeling too grindy. Overall, I would recommend this game if you're looking for a very short experience and don't mind spending your time exploring rather than actually solving mysteries or collecting clues. Just don't expect a deep story or much gameplay beyond walking around the house. 6/10

10/10. Lesbianas y Kurt Cobain mencionado. Soy lesbiana y ojalá [spoiler]me toque una mina que me quiera abandonar para después arrepentirse y fugarnos[/spoiler]

This is a nice little walking simulator, but you have to know what you're getting into and set your expectations accordingly. It is a drama piece where your investigation unearths family stories. The game has a solid atmosphere and tapped into some nice 90s nostalgia for me. The story was interesting to discover, but a bit predictable. Like most walking sims, it's good for one time through, probably not much more. This is not a horror game, puzzle game, or anything of the sort. If you're looking for supernatural elements, an eerie story or jumpscares, you're going to be disappointed. In a way, the developers did themselves a disservice by making such a creepy atmosphere that one feels like should have at least a killer lurking in the shadows. I felt a bit led on by the occasional allusions to a mysterious, horrible backstory to the house, which later turn out to be an ancillary detail.