Gone Home

 PC
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 56 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 49 out of 56
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 56
  3. Negative: 0 out of 56
  1. Riot Pixels
    Oct 31, 2013
    73
    Gone Home is an ideological sister to Dear Esther, only not as beautiful or mysterious.
  2. PC Games
    Sep 25, 2013
    73
    This clever finger exercise in storytelling satisfies our joy of searching through the lives of others. But its narrative is not strong enough to let us overlook the simple graphics or limited depth of gameplay. But it is an enjoyable experience – especially for gaming-crowd over 30.
  3. GRYOnline.pl
    Oct 9, 2013
    70
    Gone Home is an interesting experiment, that didn't move me as much, as the developers probably wanted it to. The way of telling the story and the quality of the script seem a bit simplistic and tend to look at the gamer from a high position. Still, I think Gone Home is a step in a right direction and I really like these kinds of experiences. If only the developers had put more work into polishing the game - perhaps next time?
  5. InsideGamer.nl
    Sep 2, 2013
    70
    Don’t be misguided by the haunted house vibe: Gone Home uses traditional adventure elements to tell the tale of a young teenager. It’s an interesting and innovative combination, that is held back by conservative gameplay and storytelling.
  6. CD-Action
    Oct 16, 2013
    65
    Gone Home touches a lot of emotional subjects so it might stir up someone’s feelings, but it failed to move me. [CD-Action 11/2013, p.67]
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  7. PC PowerPlay
    Sep 25, 2013
    60
    While Gone Home must be applauded for the excellence with which its story is delivered, the central thread itself feels unsatisfying and underwhelming, a wannabe-revolutionary call to arms acknowledgeable with little more than a shrug. [Oct 2013, p.88]
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  8. Eurogamer
    Aug 15, 2013
    60
    As a statement of intent, Gone Home is laudable; as a technical exercise in game narrative, it's compromised, but it definitely has its strengths and is worthy of study. But you can't escape the sense that Gaynor, Zimonja and Nordhagen started on this project with grand designs for games as a storytelling medium, yet without a story they desperately wanted to tell.

Awards & Rankings

12
#12 Best PC Game of 2013
11
#11 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
3
#3 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 2245 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 939 out of 2245
  2. Mixed: 433 out of 2245
  3. Negative: 873 out of 2245
  1. jacquelineferre
    Aug 16, 2013
    4
    Gone Home is the perfect example of a game that shouldn't be game. It has a really good story and some interesting characters but that aloneGone Home is the perfect example of a game that shouldn't be game. It has a really good story and some interesting characters but that alone won't make a good game.
    Normally I would appreciate a game with a good narrative, I believe that the industry needs this kind of game, but a game is not a mere narrative it has to be the combination of sounds, images, story and interaction and Gone Home manages to fail in every aspect except for the story.
    Poor graphics combined with very bad textures and a terrible light effect makes the environment a lousy place to navigate through and that is a pretty important thing here since walking around the scenario 50% the game mechanic.
    The sound is average there really isn't much to complain but there is nothing to praise either.
    The gameplay, if you can call it that way, consists basically on walking around reading messages and notes.
    Gone Home is a pretty good narrative born in the wrong medium it would be a much better choice to release it as short film.    … Full Review »
  2. kckkryptonite
    Aug 17, 2013
    4
    Walkin' around a house, lookin' at scraps of papers. Openin' drawers, turnin' lights on, the end. Not quite my cup of tea for a video game.Walkin' around a house, lookin' at scraps of papers. Openin' drawers, turnin' lights on, the end. Not quite my cup of tea for a video game. Sure, it's an interesting way to deliver a story, but that's all it is, I didn't find it to be the masterpiece the critic's seem to be praising, perhaps they're just far too jaded by conventional games.

    I found the story itself and ending really underwhelming considering that was the focal point of the game; it just felt like a playable, albeit forgettable and predictable, Lifetime movie. So I just can't get on board this hype train. By the end of it, I felt like having no gameplay was more a gimmick than anything else. What happens when more "games" likes this with similarly decent stories come out? Are we still praising it with perfect 10's? It's different, I get it, but that doesn't make it a good game.    … Full Review »
  3. ALgendaryKiwi
    Aug 16, 2013
    10
    I don't usually give games a 10. In fact, there are only 2 other games that I would consider to be perfect 10s: the original portal andI don't usually give games a 10. In fact, there are only 2 other games that I would consider to be perfect 10s: the original portal and pacman ce dx. Those aren't necessarily the best games I've played, but they are the most perfect, if that makes sense. And that is a word that I would use to describe Gone Home: perfect. It is a game purely comprised of exploration and discovery, with virtually no other gameplay components with the exception of some very simplistic puzzles. And yet, Gone Home manages to make seemingly mundane exploration into some of the most engaging and emotional storytelling I have ever seen. Gone Home will be remembered for its brilliant design and execution, but also as a game that bravely led the charge in addressing contemporary social issues that have not as of yet found much representation in the medium.
    This game is not for everyone. If all you play are shooters and fast paced action games, then Gone Home will bore you. However, if you like slower games or games with interesting ways of telling stories, such as Journey, Heavy Rain, Dear Esther, or even mods like The Stanley Parable, than Gone home is certain to grab you and not let go for its 3 hour duration.    … Full Review »
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