Gone Home

For a game that took me just under an hour and a half to beat, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a walking simulator so if you aren't into those you won't end up liking this game, but for those who do like walking sims, this one definitely is worth playing. Although, I'd get it on sale as $15 for under 1.5 hours of game play is kind of silly. Gone Home does beautifully at making this seem like a real family and you get to see all the struggles each character deals with despite not actually meeting any of them. The way you start piecing together more about who these people really are is beautifully done in my opinion. It's a lovely one-time experience.

Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 78: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆☆☆ (6/10) [i] Gone Home [/i] might be a landmark for the “walking sim” genre, but revisiting it today feels underwhelming. It's short, simple, and emotionally sincere but lacks the richness and interactivity of the games it helped inspire. A product of its time more than a timeless experience. You play as Kaitlin Greenbriar, returning home from a trip abroad to find your family’s house mysteriously empty. Through reading notes, examining objects, and exploring the house room by room, you uncover the story of your younger sister Sam and her journey of self-discovery. [i] Gone Home [/i] deserves respect for pioneering the walking sim genre and centering a LGBT love story at a time when that was rare in gaming. But playing it now, over a decade later, it’s hard not to see it as a proof of concept that’s since been outdone. Emotionally earnest, but narratively and mechanically thin. If you’re curious about game history, it’s worth experiencing once—but newer titles have taken its foundation and built far stronger houses. [b] 🏡 Pros: [/b] [list] [*] Quiet, sincere LGBTQ+ narrative. Sam’s story was groundbreaking in 2013: tender, personal, and refreshingly human in a medium filled with grand spectacle and violence. [*] Environmental storytelling. The game doesn’t tell you the story: it shows you, through cluttered desks, scribbled notes, forgotten mixtapes, and family photos. It invites player interpretation (though perhaps not as much as later games would). [*] Nostalgic 90s setting. The house is a time capsule, full of analog tech, riot grrrl music, and teenage angst. If you grew up in that era, the atmosphere might really resonate. [/list] [b] 🏚️ Cons: [/b] [list] [*] Overrated due to historical context. In 2013, [i] Gone Home [/i] was revolutionary—but today, it feels more like a stepping stone than a masterpiece. Many other narrative games [i] (Life is Strange, [/i] [i] Tacoma, [/i] [i] Firewatch) [/i] have expanded on its ideas with more polish and complexity. [*] Very limited interaction. You’re mostly just walking and reading. Even by walking sim standards, there’s little gameplay depth. [*] The mystery fizzles out. The game opens with an eerie, almost horror-like tone only to reveal something far more grounded. That tonal mismatch can be disappointing, especially on a first playthrough. [*] Extremely short. The $15 price tag doesn't match the hour-long experience. [/list] [hr] If you enjoyed this review, please check out my curator page to find more: [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45814768-Verdict-Play-or-Pass/]Verdict: Play or Pass. [/url] Also, please leave a like and visit [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Indie_Gems]IndieGems[/url] and our YouTube channel for more reviews like this one. [/hr]

First off, this is not a horror game, but the dread throughout the entire game is completely intentional. Some people don't seem to get that but that's how being queer is. This story cuts deep especially for queer people. This story is supposed to make you uncomfortable, sad, angry, and sick. And if you feel nothing from this game; did you even pay any attention? If you don't feel anything or don't see the world differently because of this game, go take a long hard look in the mirror.

I had fun, but Gone Home is a really specific kind of game that is difficult to recommend generally. I don't think this holds up anymore in an age when much more compelling walking simulators exist. I like the low-stakes nature of the game, but the mystery here just isn't that interesting.

Атмосферная игра, очень крутой ПАНК РОК - слушала до конца. Игра про настоящую женскую дружбу! У мужланов нет прав!

the entire game is walking and reading but the movement is laggy and sometimes you have to read bad cursive. and the voiceover sounds sanctimonius.

给我玩无语了，又是打雷又是下雨，营造这么个诡异气氛说找出家人不见的原因，明明这么吸引人的题材，最后跟我说父母出去度蜜月了。

Though the game was short, I enjoyed Gone Home. I liked the general atmosphere: the music, the creaking wood, dimly lit hallways. It took a bit of brainpower, but I did enjoy piecing together who was who, and uncovering the family dynamic. I also enjoyed learning about Katie and her relationship with Lonnie. The progressive unfolding of the narrative was logical to me and made sense as you explored the house. By the end, it all came together nicely. I did find that taking a couple of breaks was helpful, as it was a lot of reading. Based on some of the reviews of this game I read, it seems like some folks fixated on the LGBTQ themes. To be honest with you, I didn't personally have an issue with it. The narrative felt convincing/compelling enough to me, and I enjoyed learning about Sam's/Lonnie's relationship. I personally dislike it when stuff like identity is shoehorned into movies/games and beats you over the head with it. I much prefer when a game treats its characters as real life people, with flaws, interests, and compelling backgrounds. Their identity is only one small part of them, not the whole story. This makes them relatable. Being a lesbian is besides the point here - it's about the Ouija board, the punk zines and music, the sleepovers, ghost-hunting, and much more. I thought the game did a good job of communicating this without needing to make some grand statement. In the end, [spoiler] Sam pursued love, which is perhaps not compelling in some big sexy finale kind of way, but I don't think it needed some huge payoff, either. It's a nuanced ending, and I was fine with that. [/spoiler] Other things I enjoyed: the level of detail all over the house. There are labels, books, playing cards, all which are not really integral to the story, but it is such a pleasure to just see high texture items, and to be able to read labels on the fridge. I know it's besides the point, I just enjoyed that attention to detail. It made the story feel more real, like everything was focused and clear instead of inaccessible and blurry. Most games shy away from too much detail, but this game is all about it. My only criticism of the game is that it sets up a pretty spooky atmosphere, which is fundamentally misaligned with the ending of the game. You arrive in a house, on a rainy day, and the first thing you see is a note from Sam saying, "don't look for me." I fully expected a suicide story, that Sam offed herself due to heartbreak. Without going into detail, that is not what happened, but I did have to save and quit, and look up whether this was a horror game. All in all, Gone Home is a neat little narrative experience. It's not perfect, but it has heart and it's clear the developers are human beings with emotions and feelings.