Gone Home

 PC
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

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  1. HapexIndustries
    Aug 18, 2013
    7
    Certainly enjoyable, an excellent example of adventure gaming in first person, and a decent story but... 2 hours of gameplay? Zero replayability? That's fine too, for 5-10 bucks, but 20$ is just too much for a one time experience like this. Amnesia (or the sequel) is the same price and offers so much more, as do many other first person or adventure games.

    I liked this game, I really    Certainly enjoyable, an excellent example of adventure gaming in first person, and a decent story but... 2 hours of gameplay? Zero replayability? That's fine too, for 5-10 bucks, but 20$ is just too much for a one time experience like this. Amnesia (or the sequel) is the same price and offers so much more, as do many other first person or adventure games.

    I liked this game, I really did, and I don't want to come down on it too hard, but... again, two hours of non-replayable gameplay is just not enough for the price tag. I hope the developers make more games like this; maybe they can release them cheaper using the same engine? I hope so because I will not be purchasing any of their releases at full price after this.    … Expand
  2. nutcrackr
    Aug 18, 2013
    7
    Gone Home is not a traditional game. Much like Dear Esther, it is a story experience. You return home after a trip abroad to find your parent’s house empty. Only by rummaging through items and letters will you reveal more about the Greenbriar family. Flickering lights and scratching behind walls produces an unsettling atmosphere. Gone Home allows your imagination to run wild with theories,Gone Home is not a traditional game. Much like Dear Esther, it is a story experience. You return home after a trip abroad to find your parent’s house empty. Only by rummaging through items and letters will you reveal more about the Greenbriar family. Flickering lights and scratching behind walls produces an unsettling atmosphere. Gone Home allows your imagination to run wild with theories, but the revelations are far less memorable. The experience takes 2-3 hours and there is little reason to revisit it. It is an intriguing premise, but one that does not reach excellence.… Expand
  3. Rtheom
    Jan 11, 2016
    7
    I wouldn't say this is worth the full $20 that's usually charged, but it is worth at least half that. It's short, there isn't much to it, and honestly I would have said stay away except for one particular story twist that really got to me. There are very few games (or otherwise) that can make me flip-flop from absolute dread to breathless excitement so quickly. I would say more, but itI wouldn't say this is worth the full $20 that's usually charged, but it is worth at least half that. It's short, there isn't much to it, and honestly I would have said stay away except for one particular story twist that really got to me. There are very few games (or otherwise) that can make me flip-flop from absolute dread to breathless excitement so quickly. I would say more, but it would give away one of the only powerful moments in the game. If you play it, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.… Expand
  4. thenthomwaslike
    Nov 28, 2014
    7
    It was a nice game, well paced, with obsessive attention to detail. It gave me a nice fuzzy feeling, some nostalgia, and a hefty dose of melancholy. Every character is flawed and has a subplot worth uncovering. Worth checking out and getting through in one go, which takes a couple hours.
  5. Discordy
    Sep 27, 2013
    7
    A unique experience. Past games taught me to be afraid of dark, empty houses, and at first I was expecting monsters to jump at me from around the corners. By the end of the first half-hour, though, it's clear that this is about exploration and story, told through all mediums: text, audio, and graphical notes.

    It's a shame the story wasn't better...
  6. fartheststar
    Dec 17, 2014
    7
    I enjoyed the game alot. If you like just exploring a world, and letting the world tell its story, then you should like this game. There's also more going on than the main storyline if you let yourself soak in the story. It's a story about family and family history. There's a lot been written, but I found myself engaged the entire way through, and felt the pacing and development were spotI enjoyed the game alot. If you like just exploring a world, and letting the world tell its story, then you should like this game. There's also more going on than the main storyline if you let yourself soak in the story. It's a story about family and family history. There's a lot been written, but I found myself engaged the entire way through, and felt the pacing and development were spot on.

    It's not a scary game. I don't like scary/tense games. This is not like that. Don't let concerns like that bother you. It's atmospheric - stormy night, big empty old unfamiliar house... but nothing there is gonna eat you!

    Other games that might have similar gameplay experience. Dear Esther (I liked Gone Home better than Dear Esther) and perhaps Lifeless Planet (which I really enjoyed). To The Moon is probably a similar experience (but different art aesthetic.)

    If this sounds the least bit interesting, I suggest you give it a try. I'm glad I played    … Expand
  7. Kenmei
    Aug 18, 2013
    7
    Be prepared for what you're getting into here. This is not a game. It's an interactive story and a very good one at that. I very much enjoyed the subject matter and the direction the game went. I won't spoil anything here but know that there will be quite a few people who won't agree with where this game went. That's just human nature. But you'll know going into, if you have a faint ideaBe prepared for what you're getting into here. This is not a game. It's an interactive story and a very good one at that. I very much enjoyed the subject matter and the direction the game went. I won't spoil anything here but know that there will be quite a few people who won't agree with where this game went. That's just human nature. But you'll know going into, if you have a faint idea of what the game is about, if you'll like this game or not. I do feel like this "game" is a bit overpriced at 20 bucks as it's literally just a story and nothing else, especially for the length (barely an hour and a half long). But it's a very nice, thought provoking story. It's truly a nice surprise to see how far media has gone in the last few years when dealing with certain kinds of subject matter and this is no different. However, this is still being billed as a "game" when it should have been more of a book than anything else. I can't give anything about a 7 to something that pretends to be a game and isn't one.… Expand
  8. UjuidarEhcram
    Nov 6, 2013
    7
    Gone Home is an adventure game where you play as someone coming home to a new house after spending time in Europe, only to find that nobody's home to greet you. The dark house with creaky floorboards and faulty electrical wiring makes it pretty spooky, and sets a dark tone that makes you wonder: was everyone just busy that night, or is there something happening in the shadows? As youGone Home is an adventure game where you play as someone coming home to a new house after spending time in Europe, only to find that nobody's home to greet you. The dark house with creaky floorboards and faulty electrical wiring makes it pretty spooky, and sets a dark tone that makes you wonder: was everyone just busy that night, or is there something happening in the shadows? As you explore the house, checking out objects and reading letters, you start to catch up on what happened in the year the protagonist missed, leading up to the secret behind the empty house.

    Maybe I'm overselling it. I certainly enjoyed exploring the house and piecing together the puzzle, but this is definitely an artsy sort of game, and it's definitely not for everyone. The game is slow, and you do little besides explore and read. But, the story is itriguing and the house is pretty realistic, so if you do enjoy exploring and reading, you may really enjoy this game.

    The controls are done well. There's generally no music, though you can listen to a few casettes you find along the way. The sound is pretty creepy between the thunderstorm and the house's noises. The entire experience is really short; I finished it in 2.5 hours.

    For such a short game, I don't think I could recommned it at all for $20, but this would be a great game to pick up on a Steam sale. I enjoyed it, and fans of exploration-based games will enjoy it, but Gone Home won't be worth it to you if you are impatient or have a short attention span.    … Expand
  9. akarnokd
    Aug 17, 2013
    7
    The story is good, the exploration is exciting, but at the end, it just ends. It reminds me of Dear Eshter, but with more paths and more things to interact with. With so much stuff laying around, this could have been a first person adventure game with puzzles and secrets. Anyway, it feels like a good experience and a bit overpriced.
  10. PeterRJG
    Aug 22, 2013
    7
    Great story, like most people say, but it's too short and for about three hours play time at maximum (to say nothing of the lack of replay value), it's not worth $17.95 or whatever Steam wanted for it. For $5 like Dear Esther was, then yes, this game would rate a 9 or a 10. But yes, if you like stories of empowerment and self-discovery, this game is right up there.
  11. Jacer200
    May 17, 2014
    7
    This is a good little interactive story. The graphics are good and the single voice actor gives her character some soul. In my opinion interactive stories are a genre of gaming like RTS or RPG to first person shooters. But it is very niche. Only buy this game at under $10 because of the length per dollar you get.
  12. Diablo92
    Sep 29, 2013
    7
    Its got alot of hidden secrets but not as many as i expected.. I expected it to be the game itself to be a whole lot longer and with more storyline to it but i guess this is it! It's a nice game, dont get me wrong but i could'nt have hurt to put in more to make the story go deeper and the game be alot longer.

    When i started playing it.. I could already tell within just an hour of play    Its got alot of hidden secrets but not as many as i expected.. I expected it to be the game itself to be a whole lot longer and with more storyline to it but i guess this is it! It's a nice game, dont get me wrong but i could'nt have hurt to put in more to make the story go deeper and the game be alot longer.

    When i started playing it.. I could already tell within just an hour of play that the game could be ran through but i don't run through things. I go back and pick up the peaces like the stuff that i have'nt yet discovered or had a glance at yet. The creators were aiming towards a good direction, should'v kept going.. Still good however and with some interest. 7/10 since my experience in gameplay and the fun i had exploring was pleased.    … Expand
  13. Darthghost1
    Oct 28, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Wow

    Its been a good two months since I first played this game the day it was released, and let me just tell you I was surprised the community was so divisive over it. I decided to wait for the hype to wear off before I wrote anything.
    I paid 18 dollars for this game. I did not get my money worth. Do not get me wrong, the actual game (if you still want to call it that) is incredible. Engaging story, well-rounded characters, and a sense of discovery that rarely comes in games anymore. However, this whole "adventure" took me only 90 minutes. That's it. 18 bucks for 90 minutes. I don't care what I am playing, that is an absurd asking price. My advice to potential consumers? Wait for the price to drop. Or even better, wait for a steam sale. I just saw it go for 5 bucks last weekend and that my friend is a steal.
    I think everyone should try out this fresh take on storytelling from the people behind Bioshock 2: Minerva's Den. Just wait for the right price.    … Expand
  14. NickPreveza
    Jan 30, 2014
    7
    You either love it or hate it . For me , the game contains a beautiful story ... the price is unreasonable though ... just buy it on sale , like i did . Its about 45 minutes long , and you explore a house uncovering the life of your smaller sister ... Just this...and its sooo beautiful... .
  15. SweetrollJim
    Mar 12, 2014
    7
    Good game but definitely NOT worth 20 dollars. hour and a half worth of playtime at most so get it on sale or free even. Fairly interesting story but kind of a let down at the end, it will leave you wanting more. All in all: worth the experience but I'd never play it again.
  16. Genesis2010
    Sep 13, 2013
    7
    The people saying Gone Home is not a game failed to describe what "is" a "game". When Cinema began it has no sound and color, and then it has no computer generated content and so one. Now Cinema is a whole different thing than it was in the beginning of the 20th century. Video game is a new medium and no one know what will be a game tomorow. I need to applause to this studio to bringing usThe people saying Gone Home is not a game failed to describe what "is" a "game". When Cinema began it has no sound and color, and then it has no computer generated content and so one. Now Cinema is a whole different thing than it was in the beginning of the 20th century. Video game is a new medium and no one know what will be a game tomorow. I need to applause to this studio to bringing us a non-violent experience. I myself dont like the LGBT agenda being put everywhere but still i liked the story, it remind me of my teen years.… Expand
  17. Rem
    Jul 10, 2015
    7
    Gone Home presents a clear divide between gamers on it being a piece of art that represents the best of video games, while being rectified for being too much of an interactive novel. Gone Home achieves neither of these, but instead carves out a unique identity of its own, catered to the most patient and open of gamers who are willing to look past a few design flaws. You play as KatieGone Home presents a clear divide between gamers on it being a piece of art that represents the best of video games, while being rectified for being too much of an interactive novel. Gone Home achieves neither of these, but instead carves out a unique identity of its own, catered to the most patient and open of gamers who are willing to look past a few design flaws. You play as Katie Greenbriar an older sister who returns from her round trip around Europe back to her home in Boston to find the house completely empty. The sole mechanics of this game include walking and picking up items to inspect them. Each item is terribly mundane, but it adds charm to a setting in the 90s where Street Fighter 2 was still a thing. Gone Home really makes you feel lonely and exploring the ridiculously large house uncovering the story of your absent sister is pleasing, despite the only real piece of story bits coming from Sam's voiceovers. Her story that unfolds is beautiful and captivating, but I can't shake the feeling that this was charged for 20 dollars. It's a clear experience, but I feel it would have been more powerful if you had more interactivity with how you went about, but what's there is serviceable to the plot. It's interesting to explore the Greenbriar's residence, but the experience is over before you can say "lesbians". It's captivating, but the feeling is fleeting.… Expand
  18. preetamchan217
    Sep 3, 2013
    7
    This game is an intense story-telling experience. If you are interested in story based games rather than shoot'em up games then it is definitely for you. My rating is just 7 because i was expecting even more from this game after i reached the end.
  19. p1menta
    Jun 9, 2019
    7
    too many bad reviews for an okay game. i wonder if it is related to the story being about a lesbian teen couple instead of hetero-broken-hearted-man's-self-pity
  20. WesZerker
    Aug 19, 2013
    7
    Gone Home was a fun experience but lacking enough content to make me feel its not really worth $20 us. The story got me involved, I wanted to find out what was going on. Even felt like everything that was happening was my characters fault. But it all only too me about 5 hrs and I took my sweet time. Its to short. The story focuses to much on one member of the family in theGone Home was a fun experience but lacking enough content to make me feel its not really worth $20 us. The story got me involved, I wanted to find out what was going on. Even felt like everything that was happening was my characters fault. But it all only too me about 5 hrs and I took my sweet time. Its to short. The story focuses to much on one member of the family in the progression of the game. Despite the fact all the family members have allot going on. Wouldn't have cost much and added much needed overall play time, If ALL the family members had a voiced part in the story.

    Another thing I though could have been better is the atmosphere. While its pretty decent as is, it could have been way better. Lighting is already a big part of the feel, why not use the lighting and shadows to cause a few jumpy moments?

    The house has no mirrors, even in places that should like bathrooms. (A mirror in a bathroom is even mentioned in the story but its not there.)

    Its a good enough game just wait for it to go on sale.    … Expand
  21. davidfon
    Aug 20, 2013
    7
    Gone Home is a fantastic story told through the medium of a video game. Be forewarned, the primary focus of Gone Home is the story. There are no real game elements other than exploration, reading, and listening as the story unfolds. If you're looking for a challenge or looking to engage your logic or reflexes, look elsewhere. Gone Home is a unique storytelling experience that really drawsGone Home is a fantastic story told through the medium of a video game. Be forewarned, the primary focus of Gone Home is the story. There are no real game elements other than exploration, reading, and listening as the story unfolds. If you're looking for a challenge or looking to engage your logic or reflexes, look elsewhere. Gone Home is a unique storytelling experience that really draws you in. Atmospheric sounds, great 90's references, and excellent voice-work accompany you on your journey through the house to discover why the home you've come home to is vacant. I only have one real criticism (be warned, my criticism does not reveal any plot points, but it does regard the general mood at the end of Gone Home). The story is fantastic, but I couldn't help feeling like the ending was too cathartic for all parties involved.… Expand
  22. MaskedMetal01
    Aug 23, 2013
    7
    This game could have easily scored a perfect 10/10. The atmosphere is great, the sounds, graphics and overall has a spooky feeling to it. The story was nice and the voice acting was good.
    The game doesn't have much content though. It just lasted an hour for me, and I'm quite sure a speed run would only take a few minutes Like I said, the content is pretty tight. There were times I got    This game could have easily scored a perfect 10/10. The atmosphere is great, the sounds, graphics and overall has a spooky feeling to it. The story was nice and the voice acting was good.
    The game doesn't have much content though. It just lasted an hour for me, and I'm quite sure a speed run would only take a few minutes Like I said, the content is pretty tight. There were times I got startled even for the most littlest of things. And most of the stuff you find around in this game are useless and is just to kill time. But for the price, this game ain't worth it. A game that just lasts for half an hour or more, shouldn't be priced this high. I'm going with a 7/10 for Going Home.    … Expand
  23. simmins5467
    Aug 25, 2013
    7
    For me I thought it was Okay.
    Not great, but also not the abomination people are trying to make it out to be.
    Other than the main journal story which came across as underdeveloped, cliché, and uninspired, I actually found the house engrossing to search and read through and explore. I thought it was pretty atmospheric, additionally, I actually liked the supplemental material about the    For me I thought it was Okay.
    Not great, but also not the abomination people are trying to make it out to be.
    Other than the main journal story which came across as underdeveloped, cliché, and uninspired, I actually found the house engrossing to search and read through and explore.

    I thought it was pretty atmospheric, additionally, I actually liked the supplemental material about the father, and mother and was more invested in the notes left behind about the father, his failing career as a writer and possible hints at a past affair with another woman.

    It's a shame the whole thing got bogged down in a side story about her sister, that may have been interesting as a side story, but not the main story.

    I also didn't see the point of setting the game in the middle of a severe storm, it didn't add tension and was a major missed opportunity for dramatic tension.

    As a game it could have worked if the house was more complex and the focus being changed in the story.

    If game developers and gamer really wish to elevate the medium to the level of art it takes a level of seriousness in the story. This has been done maybe one or two times in the history of the medium. but this is not one of those occasions. For any game like this that wishes to be taken in as an experience and wants to tell a story, these should all be viewed under a light similar to a movie. And in that regard, this was a very bad made for TV movie. It's great that devs are trying to push the medium in new directions, but these devs clearly need to take some of those creative writing classes that were being advertised to the main characters sister.

    As for gamers, and I think this is true in this case on Metacritic, really need to stop loving something just for the sake that it's doing something different. Different good, and this is true in the case of Gone Home

    Better writing would have definitely saved this game, but as it stands it's just a sub-standard video game plot trying to pass it self as some Higher Art.

    Pros:
    Good atmosphere
    Side plot very interesting
    Interesting house to play around in

    Cons:
    Simplistic Main Plot
    Lack of Complex Puzzles    … Expand
  24. bellygod
    Aug 30, 2013
    7
    This is an interactive story that lasts only an hour. It is not really a computer game in the sense you normally think. The story is about solving a mystery all set in a house that is abandoned and quiet, and quite creepy.There are some nicely forbodding moments as you explore, and pick up clues.

    You can interact with lots of stuff but only key items advance the game--notes    This is an interactive story that lasts only an hour. It is not really a computer game in the sense you normally think. The story is about solving a mystery all set in a house that is abandoned and quiet, and quite creepy.There are some nicely forbodding moments as you explore, and pick up clues.

    You can interact with lots of stuff but only key items advance the game--notes pictures and music of really bad garage bands. It's all set in the nineties, which really doesn't matter at all.

    The solution to the mystery is politically correct for these times, and may turn some off.
    On the other hand, it is GUARANTEED TO BE OVERRATED by the critics because it's politically correct.
    worth the money for such sliver of a story? Good question.    … Expand
  25. johanneskloiber
    Sep 15, 2013
    7
    You are Katie Greenbriar, an independent-minded 20 year old student who has just arrived home from a self-discovery trip through Europe. But where is everybody? Mom and Dad are gone, your younger sister Sam nowhere to be found and she left a note on the front door that gives the impression something worrisome has happened. A storm is raging outside, thunder rumbles, lights areYou are Katie Greenbriar, an independent-minded 20 year old student who has just arrived home from a self-discovery trip through Europe. But where is everybody? Mom and Dad are gone, your younger sister Sam nowhere to be found and she left a note on the front door that gives the impression something worrisome has happened. A storm is raging outside, thunder rumbles, lights are flickering...an eerie atmosphere is created that immediately draws you in. It is now your job to find out what happened and to reconstruct the lives of the Greenbriar family via means of exploration. Opening drawers, cabinets, going through personal belongings, reading letters, documents, viewing photos and listening to their music. Soon you realize that the picture which is slowly forming is utterly mundane and every sense of menace a red herring. You will read about Mom's upwards career in the forestry department and her failed advances towards "Ranger Rick", some kind of idealized male object of sexual desire. The story of the previous inhabitant: the paedophile, remorseful Uncle, who has passed away and bequeathed the mansion to Katie's father. The fluctuating career of Dad who is a drunkard-loser-failed-sci-fi-writer. And of course the centerpiece story of Sam, a highly intelligent, creative and rebellious mind who is in a troubled friendship with another girl. Or is it more than just friendship?
    Yet even though it becomes apparent relatively early what the story is all about, the game still managed to glue me to my seat until the very end. So captivating and effective are the voyeuristic means of telling this story through discovery, so compelling the atmosphere, so engaging the act of empathizing with the family members that it was impossible to stop playing.
    Gone Home manages something no game has ever done before: To masterfully tell a story that is ultimately generic, contrived, cliché and anticlimactic.    … Expand
  26. matthew11
    Nov 13, 2013
    7
    Explore a great personal story on your own. Peacefully evoke the atmosphere of the second half of 90s. Full of nostalgia. Little bit of tension in each of your proceed in game. Interesting experiment, pity it's so short. 70/100
  27. TheDavyStar
    Aug 30, 2015
    7
    Gone Home, like all of them other games where the act of walking advances you further into the game, is a weird one. It's obviously not a game in the sense that there is a challenge, or that you play to have fun. Instead, Gone Home puts you in the role of Katie, a young woman who returns home after traveling around Europe. When she finds nobody home and a suspicious note on the door, KatieGone Home, like all of them other games where the act of walking advances you further into the game, is a weird one. It's obviously not a game in the sense that there is a challenge, or that you play to have fun. Instead, Gone Home puts you in the role of Katie, a young woman who returns home after traveling around Europe. When she finds nobody home and a suspicious note on the door, Katie finds she hasa lot of catching up to do. From here you proceed to walk around, looking at various items around the house. It sounds unexciting, but the subtlety that comes with it helps you get really immersed in Gone Home's lovely setting. You can feel for how human each character is, despite never physically manifesting in the actual game.

    I would mark this game down, however, on the basis that the ending is just a bit too sudden and open-ended for my tastes. I came back to this game after misplacing my laptop for a whole month, and when I came back to it I didn't realise I was so close to the end. Additionally, it's too expensive for its length - 2 hours. It's a great 2 hours, but na pricey 2 hours nonetheless.

    If you don't mind spending a fair amount of cash on a 2-hour game, it's fair to say that Gone Home will be worth your while. The open-endedness of it and its rather abrupt ending may put off some, but the brilliant, subtle storytelling and character development will make sure that you come back from this game enlightened at what the art of videogames can be.    … Expand
  28. SimonhutsGaming
    Oct 11, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Gone home is one of the best story telling games that i have played since the walking dead, when i started playing this games i was very jumpy and i was moving slowly around the house waiting for something to jump out at me. When i got to the end of the game i instantly restarted the game just to find all the secrets and all the awesome tapes.

    Overall
    if you have £15 spare i suggest to buy gone home and play through the story twice. Thanks for reading my review    … Expand
  29. voronois
    Oct 18, 2013
    7
    The story was captivating; I lost sense of time while playing. Music was a treat, art was great, voice acting was creepily believable. I wish there had been some puzzle features or replayability factors for the price, but overall worth playing and will probably play through again in a year or two.
  30. Avodeskorm
    Feb 27, 2017
    7
    Walking simulators have been done better, but this is one of the first good ones that came out. This is much harder to get into with games being focused on story becoming much more popular.
  31. Noxzoul
    Nov 1, 2013
    7
    The game is well done from the voice acting to the graphics. It is very original and is able to keep you hooked until the very end. However, is it a very short game. I had 1.6 hours of game play. Personally I feel this is over priced for a game that is this short. I would give this game a better score if it was longer or cheaper.
    I cannot say I was mislead when purchasing this game,    The game is well done from the voice acting to the graphics. It is very original and is able to keep you hooked until the very end. However, is it a very short game. I had 1.6 hours of game play. Personally I feel this is over priced for a game that is this short. I would give this game a better score if it was longer or cheaper.
    I cannot say I was mislead when purchasing this game, because they did not really give any direction. However, it was not what I expected. Without giving away spoilers, they cannot do a better job describing this game.    … Expand
  32. DuskSnare
    Nov 2, 2013
    7
    The game "Gone Home" was fairly interesting. I managed to beat it within 2-3 hours, so I do warn you, its short. Anyway, this game wont be for everyone. It's an interactive story, similar to games like "Dear Esther".
  33. DatGamingCritic
    Nov 17, 2013
    7
    When I played this I was scared. I know there, well I don't think there is any ghosts but I was scared. Like really really scared. The games gameplay is scary/creepy and the graphics look cartoony. I only got to the boy or girls bedroom I was confused on who sleeps there but does it matter?

    Overall:
    -Seems scary
    -Bit too dark
    -Cartoony graphics
    Score: 78/100
  34. mhogarth
    Dec 17, 2013
    7
    “Gone Home,” a game created by the Fullbright Company, which was formed by three ex staff from the Bioshock video game franchise, is a new type of narrative adventure in the gaming world. You start the game in a rainy, dimly lit atmosphere on the front porch of a mansion you have seen for the first time in your life. Your name is Katie Greenbriar and you are all alone after being away from“Gone Home,” a game created by the Fullbright Company, which was formed by three ex staff from the Bioshock video game franchise, is a new type of narrative adventure in the gaming world. You start the game in a rainy, dimly lit atmosphere on the front porch of a mansion you have seen for the first time in your life. Your name is Katie Greenbriar and you are all alone after being away from home for a year in Europe. Your mission throughout the game is to find out what happened to your family, but along the way you also find out who they really are.
    I studied and played this game in my grade 12 English class at Royal St. George’s College. I was assigned three characters to track, and to find out as much about them as possible. I found that tracking the characters enhanced my overall game experience by prompting me to look deeper into an already rich narrative.
    The narrative involves many major and minor characters whose stories explain the family’s past and present. Although the graphics in “Gone Home” are not as advanced as they are in popular first person shooter games such as Call of Duty and Halo, this augmented the narrative even more. This is because, instead of being captivated by state of the art graphics, the player can focus much more on the narrative story, with fewer visual distractions. For example, the only thing visible through the windows is a pitch-black night sky.
    “Gone Home” introduced me to a new type of gaming experience. Although I enjoyed the experience, I personally prefer the high intensity of sports video games or first person shooters. In these games, the objective is to overcome opponents, whether by killing them or scoring more points. This gets me more involved and focused on the game. In contrast, I found I got bored quickly with the few objectives presented to me in “Gone Home” finding codes for locks and a few secret doors. Although it’s great that “Gone Home” can be used in a classroom environment and it is a very innovative genre of gaming, it could be improved be making it a little more exciting. The demographic groups targeted by this game people in their late teens and early 20s generally want a livelier experience.
    Overall, the positives of this game outweighed the negatives. I enjoyed the new gaming experience even without the fast-paced action and advanced graphics. In this day and age most people believe that a game needs the most action and the best graphics to be popular. The Fullbright Company proved everyone wrong with the success they are having in “Gone Home.” I recommend this game for people who want to try a whole new kind of gaming experience.    … Expand
  35. DrGloom
    Jan 14, 2014
    7
    Is it possible to be very excited and disappointed about a game at the same time? I guess it is.
    "Gone home" is a refreshing approach to storytelling, leaves you on your own in the game, lets you explore your character's an her family's recent past at you own pace. The story is driven forward by searching for clues in the new family home, reading documents, notes, letters. And there are    Is it possible to be very excited and disappointed about a game at the same time? I guess it is.
    "Gone home" is a refreshing approach to storytelling, leaves you on your own in the game, lets you explore your character's an her family's recent past at you own pace. The story is driven forward by searching for clues in the new family home, reading documents, notes, letters. And there are plenty items to examine. The setting includes numerous hints to the 90's pop culture that are a delight to discover.

    The good: The game touched me in a way that usually only books or sometimes movies can. This is one of the biggest compliments I can give to storytelling for a video game so far. Many games are astonishing , fun and exciting but rarely the story of a games gets really through to me. This one did! The coming of age background is fun and dramatic, and even if the pace is your own, the story took me on an emotional roller-coaster ride at one point even worrying about another character.

    The bad: Unfortunately the setting of the house does not fit. It is simply implausible and unbelievable that a house looks the way it does, regarding the characters described in the game. Some clues that you find, seem to be placed on the spots because of the timing of the story, because the time-line needs you to find them in that particular order. To me the look of the house does not fit the personalities involved which is a major turn-down. This might be a cultural thing related, architecture and mid-class social behaviour being different on different continents, but nevertheless I didn't buy it.

    The ugly: The point that disappointed me the most is the fact that the game only uses a fifth of it's potential. Exploring the house, means exploring the life of your family and in this setting the history of the house. I do understand that the focus had to be put on one characters story, but in the end there are too many open ends. Too many questions remain unanswered. There is so much more I wanted to know about characters and my own characters past after finishing the game. It would be ok in a chapter based game with more DLC.

    And for the price of 20€ I expected more depth and content.    … Expand
  36. moomon
    Jan 15, 2014
    7
    Gone Home is among the pioneers of the story exploration game genre. Story exploration games focus gameplay on a story as opposed to other game mechanics such as puzzles. Gone Home is set in 1995, the player character is a girl named Katie Greenbrair who returns home to an old mansion her family inherited from her uncle while she spent a year abroad. It quickly becomes evident that theGone Home is among the pioneers of the story exploration game genre. Story exploration games focus gameplay on a story as opposed to other game mechanics such as puzzles. Gone Home is set in 1995, the player character is a girl named Katie Greenbrair who returns home to an old mansion her family inherited from her uncle while she spent a year abroad. It quickly becomes evident that the house is vacant. It is the player’s mission to rummage through miscellaneous artifacts littered throughout the mysterious house to piece together hints to discover the whereabouts of the rest of the Greenbrair family. The artifacts found around the house expose three major plot lines, which revolve around Terrence, Katie’s father, Janice, Katie’s mother and Sam, Katie’s younger sister.

    The high points of the game are the visual realism of the house and the game’s sound effects. The well-designed rooms around the house containing various artifacts create a lived-in atmosphere. For example the kitchen is realistically disorganized and Sam’s bedroom feels like the bedroom of an angsty teenager. Not only are the rooms realistic, the artifacts within them are equally real. These artifacts include a variety of detailed notes, full length short stories, telephone messages, documents and diary entries. The voice acting and writing done for these artifacts has such attention to detail that it feels like you are actually reading a note written by a 17 year old girl or hearing about her private feelings in her diary. The ambient sounds of the game, such as the soothing yet chilling sound of a thunderstorm, along with the eerie sound of the house creaking accents the mysterious tone of exploring the so called haunted house. Furthermore the variety of Riot Grrrl hits (played by putting found cassettes into tape players) shows Sam’s “stick it to the man” attitude. For example in Sam’s room there is a cassette with the song “Cool Schmool” by Bratmobile which speaks to Sam’s situation with lyrics such as, “I don't wanna hear how many friends you have cause I don't have any.” These lyrics speak directly to Sam’s situation when she first moved into the house as she was having trouble making friends.

    The negative aspects of the game are the price of the game, the game’s controls and repeated artifacts. Although exposing the game’s story line is rewarding, at a cost of $20 for 2-3 hours of gameplay is not great value as there are numerous other games you could get much more playtime out of for the same price. Secondly not being able to run in the game although not necessary was an inconvenience while trying to search for a specific artifact or travel across the house. Lastly there were many artifacts that were repeated throughout many rooms such as the same tissue box, the second edition of Terrence’s novel and inoperable three ring binders scattered around the house.

    Having not remembered the 90’s due to my age I was not able to experience the nostalgia from the 90’s culture references. For this reason I would recommend this game to anyone who lived through the 90’s, as I do not believe it is worth the $20 for 2-3 hours of gameplay if you cannot fully relate to the culture of the atmosphere.    … Expand
  37. JNecov75
    Feb 17, 2014
    7
    This is a game that probably won't feel like a game for most. The voice acting was great and the story itself is one that I've never encountered in another game. While it was quite short (I beat the game with 101 minutes played on steam), it managed to have a few points where I wish there would have been less walking or backtracking, but this is really a minor complaint. The writing pullsThis is a game that probably won't feel like a game for most. The voice acting was great and the story itself is one that I've never encountered in another game. While it was quite short (I beat the game with 101 minutes played on steam), it managed to have a few points where I wish there would have been less walking or backtracking, but this is really a minor complaint. The writing pulls you in with several side stories, some of which you have to infer their meaning on your own. Even the main story may require some interpretation. I'll just say that everything isn't directly given to you, story-wise, if you don't pay attention to detail.

    The game play consists of traveling through the house and examining letters and other items. These things trigger audio messages of the player's sister and each one builds upon the last. By the end, I felt a series of emotions and had a few questions that the game just won't directly answer. But now I'm thinking about it and looking for other people's opinions. If a story having that kind of effect on someone doesn't make it a good story, then I don't know what does.

    That being said, there was probably ways that this could have been wrapped up tighter to my liking, but I'm sure that's not what the creators were going for anyway. All in all, it was a good use of 101 minutes.    … Expand
  38. sarahsometimes
    Mar 1, 2014
    7
    How well do you really know the people closest to you? When Kaitlin Greenbriar returns home from a gap year in Europe to find her entire family gone, it’s up to her to uncover the secrets that didn’t make it into those long-distance letters.

    Picking up the threads of her family’s lives, the player must explore the colossal house they have since moved into, examining letters, newspaper    How well do you really know the people closest to you? When Kaitlin Greenbriar returns home from a gap year in Europe to find her entire family gone, it’s up to her to uncover the secrets that didn’t make it into those long-distance letters.

    Picking up the threads of her family’s lives, the player must explore the colossal house they have since moved into, examining letters, newspaper clippings and, if one so chooses, the hundred thousand other details that make up a life. If it’s the people, and not the house, that make a home, then this game shows how each individual has inhabited every room with their cares, uncertainties and basic humanity.

    From hastily scrawled notes passed between friends during class, to adult magazines buried under work documents, Gone Home is teeming with meticulously authentic details of family life that the player is at liberty to snoop through, turning each find over to yield further hidden notes or features.

    Read the full review at: http://inkysquiggles.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/gone-home-review-house-is-not-home.html    … Expand
  39. SuperkenGaming
    Oct 4, 2017
    7
    Gone Home
    A Nostalgia Trip
    Gone Home is a 2 hr long walking Simulator where you play as Kaitlynn return home from Europe after studying abroad.. you come home to find a note from your little sister sam and an empty house you spend these 2 hours finding out where everyone went… the game is set in the mid 90s, it does a decent job at setting the house with nostalgic items like board    Gone Home
    A Nostalgia Trip
    Gone Home is a 2 hr long walking Simulator where you play as Kaitlynn return home from Europe after studying abroad.. you come home to find a note from your little sister sam and an empty house
    you spend these 2 hours finding out where everyone went…
    the game is set in the mid 90s, it does a decent job at setting the house with nostalgic items like board games, answering machines, vhs tapes, cassettes and game cartridges, though as a 90s kid myself.. none of this really hit me and brought me back…
    the house didn’t really feel 90s to me as everything sortve felt like decoration, the house didn’t really feel lived in to me…
    You can interactive with practically everything in the game, rotate items to inspect them, and the occasional note and letter will give more insight into what exactly happened, and who her parents were and what they did and their own problems theyre dealing with..
    Im not going to spoil the story, ill just say its really touching and heartbreaking at times..
    listening to the occasional voiced dialog while you explore this house is the best part of the game…
    however I feel this game is a tad bit overrated and I cant really go into why without spoiling the story…
    But once you play it I think the reason for this game getting such high scores will be fairly apparent..
    as the experience isn’t really that special… youre just looking through things, and stumbling on the occasional secret until you’ve found what you needed for the end game…
    I didn’t find game progression to be clever, I just felt my heartstring pulled on a little bit here and there…
    Gone Home is a good experience..
    but it isn’t this masterpiece you’ve been hearing about for years
    I give Gone Home
    a 7/10    … Expand
  40. GrahamTrusler
    Dec 11, 2014
    7
    Gone Home is the story of the Greenbriar family, who have inherited a house while the playable character, Katie, was hiking in Europe for a year. The story revolves around discovering where your family is, which gradually reveals itself as you work your way around the large house. Gone Home utilizes audio journals, ambient noise, and music in order to develop a vibrant atmosphere withinGone Home is the story of the Greenbriar family, who have inherited a house while the playable character, Katie, was hiking in Europe for a year. The story revolves around discovering where your family is, which gradually reveals itself as you work your way around the large house. Gone Home utilizes audio journals, ambient noise, and music in order to develop a vibrant atmosphere within the game. The audio is high quality, and often prompted by certain events within the game, especially in regards to the audio journals and music, which often play at the same time. The game utilizes ambient noise when no other is present, in order to make the game feel confortable to the player. Due to the budget, small team, and time restraints, the graphics in Gone Home are not comparable to most modern, big budget, AAA titles. Instead, the developers chose to use somewhat simple graphics, but amplify their effect by including an astounding amount of detail, specifically in the interactive objects around the house. The graphics are passible, but are by no means excellent. However, they do feel appropriate with the general tone of the game. What allows the game to be so special is the richness of the story, and the potential discoveries the player can make while exploring the house. Although not always expansive, the back-stories behind established characters gradually reveal. The game format allows the player to discover what they want to discover, giving the player the allowance of playing just through the main story, or to dig through every piece of information, to draw a full conclusion in regards to the entire story of the family. When playing through, the gameplay sometimes felt slow, and somewhat boring. This was due to the inability to sprint, or jump. Sprinting/jogging should have been added into the game, but jumping is a somewhat redundant mechanic. Another issue with the gameplay and visuals was the lack of light in certain rooms, which could make it frustrating to turn a light on. Although the game received critical reviews, as a gamer, it is not a good investment. The gameplay is often slow and boring, but is made up for due to its fantastic voice acting and story. The visuals fall somewhere in the middle, as they are neither good nor bad. My score for this game is a 7/10, as I recognize the effort and time that went into completing it.… Expand
  41. rossf
    Dec 14, 2014
    7
    Gone Home is an interactive story game that focuses on exploration to progress through the story. The game is played from a first person point of view as you take control of Katie Greenbriar as she returns home from a year abroad and arrives at her new inherited home to find her family isn’t there. Gone Home is based around exploring this mansion and learning about what has happened there.Gone Home is an interactive story game that focuses on exploration to progress through the story. The game is played from a first person point of view as you take control of Katie Greenbriar as she returns home from a year abroad and arrives at her new inherited home to find her family isn’t there. Gone Home is based around exploring this mansion and learning about what has happened there.
    Gome Home is an indy game which focuses on telling a compelling story over high action gameplay, large open worlds and incredible graphics. Gone Home is a great example of how less is often more and how the little things matter. An example of this is the setting for the game, which is a large mansion that Katie’s parent’s inherited while Katie was abroad backpacking around Europe and the entirety of the game in played in the house. While the house is large, keeping the entire game in this house allows for smaller details to not be overlooked. Details such as being able to interact with things that don’t have any effect or importance to the story adds to the realism of the house and forces the player to explore the house more extensively, never knowing when they may come across something important.
    As for things I didn’t like, my main complaint with the game is the fact that it arguably not a game. In my opinion Gone Home is an interactive story and not so much a game. Your actions in the game only affect the order in which you receive information and how deeply you choose to learn about the characters. There are no consequences, positive or negative, to your actions and outcome of the game is always the same no matter what.
    In conclusion Gone Home is an interactive story game that focuses on little details opposed to high action gameplay to tell a compelling story. While I don’t feel Gone Home is a game in the traditional sense, I still enjoyed the experience and those who value a compelling story over graphics and action will enjoy it.    … Expand
  42. didthisforclass
    Dec 15, 2014
    7
    Gone Home is a game created by the upstart Fullbright Company, a newcomer to the gaming community made up of former BioShock employees. It is as much an interactive story as it is a video game, and is a new experience in first person gaming.
    Since 2012, the year Gone Home was released, it has garnered positive reviews in the gaming world and even won a few awards, most recently the 2014    Gone Home is a game created by the upstart Fullbright Company, a newcomer to the gaming community made up of former BioShock employees. It is as much an interactive story as it is a video game, and is a new experience in first person gaming.
    Since 2012, the year Gone Home was released, it has garnered positive reviews in the gaming world and even won a few awards, most recently the 2014 BAFTA Games Award for Debut Game. The story focuses on a rainy night in June 1995, when Kaitlin Greenbrier arrives home from a year backpacking through Europe to find a new house all moved into but with no one in it. The only clue you begin with is a note on the door from her sister Sam, telling Katie not to go looking for her.
    The game then becomes what you make of it, as you are free to explore the house at your liberty. The game does have a plot line, but following the story is contingent on you finding the clues found around the household. The story does take shape in the form of Sam’s journal entries, which can be found by interacting with the many objects strewn about the house. The house is full of mysteries, and it is up to you to unlock them.
    What I really enjoyed about the game was the fact that you control what you find and when you find it. You find things in no particular order, and it forces you to formulate the story on your own. While rummaging around the house, you find many old family heirlooms, you uncover family secrets and you find out who the family is. What really brings you into the story is the familiarity of what you find in the house and how it can relate to your own family.
    I would say the graphics of the game are more than decent, even good, yet the lighting of the game is poor in some respects. It is used effectively to convey certain tones, but it is really irritating to not be able to see what is around you. You are blind to many things in this game, in more respects than just visually.
    The game is set in 1995, which may not seem like an important fact, but it provides the groundwork for Gone Home. It provides the perfect chronological setting for Katie to be out of the loop in terms of her family matters, and allows the whole game to exist. The social movement of that time and other factors from the mid 90’s allow the narrative of the game to exist as it is and become what it does.
    Why would you want to play this game you may ask? If I had to pick a singular reason, it would be that the story will captivate you and make you want to play and finish the game. It is less of a game then an interactive story, but is that not what video games are? I find that you either really enjoy Gone Home or not at all, and I greatly enjoyed it. So if you have a few hours to kill, open up your computer and play it, you might enjoy it.    … Expand
  43. rwynn29
    Dec 15, 2014
    7
    The game “Gone Home” developed by The Fullbright Company uses a complex and developed story line as its main attraction. Players walk in the footsteps of Kaitlin Greenbriar as she comes home from a yearlong trip to find the new house, into which the family had moved into, empty. Through the course of the search through the house the character and player begins to uncover the events of theThe game “Gone Home” developed by The Fullbright Company uses a complex and developed story line as its main attraction. Players walk in the footsteps of Kaitlin Greenbriar as she comes home from a yearlong trip to find the new house, into which the family had moved into, empty. Through the course of the search through the house the character and player begins to uncover the events of the past year, a year she has missed. The discoveries slowly piece themselves together to explain the reason for her sisterís and parentsí apparent disappearance from the house.
    As a rule most games no matter how well designed have both their good and bad aspects, Gone home is no exception to this. The aspects that add to the game and make it an interesting run through are; the gameís interactive story, voice-overs and tangent stories. The game, which is centered on a rich and interactive story line, truly benefits from it. By generating a story line that can be revealed and played through in a few different ways but still leads to the same overall ending gives the player a feeling of greater control. To add to the experience the ways in which the voice overs which occur periodically at strategic points gives the game a more realistic feel as if the characters were real people enhancing the game play and overall story line. These aspects are then combined with a series of tangent stories that take place alongside the main story and can be unearthed and furthered throughout the course of the game. This I believe truly makes the game fun because it adds a series of extra layers that give more life to the game and donít truly end with a concrete answer keeping the player continuously guessing to their true meaning. Most important of all is that they do not clutter or subtract from the main story line of the game. The intriguing story and strategic use of voice-overs make the game a truly fun experience.
    Unfortunately there are some aspects to the game that are less than to be desired. Two specific things come to mind that are worth negatively critiquing; the brightness settings and the end of the game. Yes it is true that brightness settings can always be adjusted but overall the game has a rather dark vibe to it that understandably plays into the story thematic and adds to the game but it seems that at times even with higher brightness settings its difficult to see. Due to the difficulty of seeing objects I found that at times it was a chore trying to find objects in the semi darkness of the house. The second part that I found to be rather disappointing was the end. For such a build up in the game and all of the assumptions that one makes by the end, the ending chosen by the creators was rather bland and uninteresting. In my opinion the game could have been further enhanced with a more dramatic end, one that I was certain would happen when I reached the attic, but I wonít spoil the ending for you by telling you what doesn't happen. If the above listed things were to have been improved upon the game would be in my opinion a truly masterful work of digital and gaming art.
    Overall the game was fun and I enjoyed it. Though different from your everyday shooter with fast case action the story line was well thought out and interesting. I would recommend it to those that are more interested in the content of the game rather than looking for a way of killing a few hours with mindless game play due to the format of the game. If it were ever on sale I would tell people to try it out for they might like it, or not. The game is very specific in nature and hard to compare with an existing game due to its rather new look at what games should be and whatís more important, action and an okay storyline or a slower game with a well thought out story line.    … Expand
  44. melia
    Dec 15, 2014
    7
    Gone Home is a first-person, single player, point and click, search and discover game where the player explores a storyline and eventually solves a mystery. The player enters the game, or interactive story, in the year 1995, from the narrative point of view of Katie Greenbriar, a 21-year-old who has just arrived back to Portland, Oregon from a backpacking trip in Europe, only to discoverGone Home is a first-person, single player, point and click, search and discover game where the player explores a storyline and eventually solves a mystery. The player enters the game, or interactive story, in the year 1995, from the narrative point of view of Katie Greenbriar, a 21-year-old who has just arrived back to Portland, Oregon from a backpacking trip in Europe, only to discover that her family appears to be missing from their gloomy, newly inherited mansion. Finding nobody home, it is up to Katie to discover what has transpired over the last year. The player begins the task of piecing together clues which objects around the mansion reveal. Some surprising details reveal the main plot while others simply enrich the background stories of the characters’ pasts and their intentions for the future.

    Gone Home was developed in 2013 by The Fullbright Company, which is owned and operated by three developers who had previously worked on a downloadable content expansion pack for BioShock Infinite owned by 2K, a big budget gaming developer. Such gaming developers typically produce games that are online multiplayer, involving leaderboards, high quality graphics, and which usually have a first-person shooter aspect to them. Gone Home is a completely different type of game where the focus is on a memorable storyline and the objective is to explore the lives and actions of the story’s characters to the point where you reach the conclusion of the story and thus the end of the game.

    The gameplay in Gone Home consists of self-determined exploration of different rooms where, for example, the gamer examines notes, objects, and audio journals spoken in the voice of Katie’s sister, Sam. Uncovering these well-thought-out details was the most captivating part of the whole game and did peek my curiosity as to what they would reveal about the story. Simulated ambient noises and audio effects were well done and professionally produced creating a realistic environment.

    A drawback and ultimate frustration about the gameplay was the complete focus on the steps of point, click and examine in order to make discoveries and keep the game going. There was a monotony to the clicking of a mouse in order to reveal the information the objects contained. The graphics fairly were fairly simple when compared with the photorealistic graphics of other games today, but it is what to expect from an indie game. Another downside for me was the fact that my actions did not determine any different outcome to the story, rather I was only making discoveries. The fact that the game has an ending that takes roughly two-hours to complete does not lend itself to being a good value for $20, especially as it has little to no replay value. On a final note, I had been hoping the story was going to make a turn into the occult or supernatural genre, and had thought that this was a possibility based on the creators’ past involvement with such genres in BioShock.

    Finally, I would give Gone Home a 7 out of 10 and would recommend it if you are looking for an interesting story exploration game, otherwise the gameplay format could leave you disappointed.    … Expand
  45. brendan1717
    Dec 16, 2014
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After a year abroad in Europe, Katie Greenbriar returns to the new house that her family has just moved into. Upon her arrival, she finds a note on the front door from her sister Sam, warning her not to go searching for the family. Once in the house, it is clear that there is nobody home. From this point on, it is Katie’s mission to find out where her family has gone.
    Overall, I believe that the greatest strength of this game is its plot. I thoroughly enjoyed looking through the various rooms and finding numerous clues that led me to the end of the game. I think that the allusion to external video games and significant figures makes the story more intertwined with the real world, causing the game to seem more realistic. Furthermore, I believe that although the game has a limited amount of story driven gameplay, it compensates through the various Easter eggs (such as the purple basketball) and deviating plotlines, which lead you to consider controversial theories. For example, consider the theory that Uncle Oscar abused his nephew Terrence, who is the father of Katie and Sam. Though never directly stating this theory, the creators of the game are able to lay the foundations for the player to make this interpretation.
    The mechanics of the game are actually quite good. Although the graphics are not amazing, they are sufficient for the user to easily play through the game without any issues. I don’t really think that it is necessary for the game to have top of the line graphics and visuals because aside from making the game more realistic, they don’t really serve a purpose. One of the stronger mechanical aspects of the game is the audio. Throughout various point in the game, you come across journal entries written (and dictated) by Sam. Instead of just finding pieces of paper with what Sam wrote in her journal, small sections are dictated after finding something relevant to that entry in the game. This is helpful because it adds emotion to the information Sam is providing.
    One of the weakest aspects in the game is the ending. I believe that the plot of the game is genuinely strong, and so the ending should do the plotline justice. However, I believe this is not the case. In my opinion, the ending should instill excitement in the player, especially since the game is based on the premise of mystery. I was left with a feeling of disappointment when I realized what had actually happened to the family, not due to the fact that they had been harmed, but due to the fact that the majority of the plot, including the link to Oscar, was of no relevance.
    Overall I enjoyed playing Gone Home and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in the mystery genre. The plot has extreme depth considering the total playtime given to the player, and the mechanics of the game are quite strong. With the exception of the ending, it is a great game.    … Expand
  46. Daftshadows
    Jan 15, 2015
    7
    Gone home is a first person, interactive game, where you, the main character, searches through the house your younger sister and parents moved into, while you were away traveling. You go through the house and learn the secrets that each family member has. Although there are many different stories the main one you follow, about her younger sister, is the most interesting.

    In gone home    Gone home is a first person, interactive game, where you, the main character, searches through the house your younger sister and parents moved into, while you were away traveling. You go through the house and learn the secrets that each family member has. Although there are many different stories the main one you follow, about her younger sister, is the most interesting.

    In gone home you first find a note your sister (Katie) has left on the front door saying “Please, please don’t go digging around trying to find out where I am.“ Of course you ignore that and enter the house ready to do some of the best snooping possible. As you begin your raid you learn about the family and where they work and some simple things, nothing juicy. Although the game starts off pretty slow you quickly start ripping apart drawers and find some interesting yet confusing photos, articles and notes. You quickly get into the rooms and find out that everyone is being a little bit of snake. If you take the opportunity to sift out every little note, crumpled piece of paper and anything you can read or even just look at the game gets a lot richer.

    The game does a great job of giving you the basic premise of what is going on in each family members life. They leave enough room for interpretation that you can draw your own conclusions with the satisfaction of labeling everyone a snake with significance evidence supporting it. With this being said I would have loved to know what happened to the “Good ol’ Christmas Duck” The house itself gives you a very creepy vibe and adds to the suspense of what will happen next. As the floors creek and your fear has you peaking around every corner the anticipation of a jump-scare enforces the steady pace you should have when playing.

    The game was entertaining enough to play again even after knowing the outcome of all the characters. Also I found that there was always something new each time I went back. I recommend this game for those who love games that have a wonderful story.    … Expand
  47. frozen_flame123
    Jun 8, 2015
    7
    Gone Home is an interactive story where you play as Kaitlin, a girl who comes back from Europe to visit her family and her childhood home, only to find that her parents and sister Samantha are gone. The rest of the game is spent trying to piece together clues about where your sister is. You find, I forget, but I think it is 7 notes throughout the game. These 7 notes are the things thatGone Home is an interactive story where you play as Kaitlin, a girl who comes back from Europe to visit her family and her childhood home, only to find that her parents and sister Samantha are gone. The rest of the game is spent trying to piece together clues about where your sister is. You find, I forget, but I think it is 7 notes throughout the game. These 7 notes are the things that progress the story. Each note tells a different part of Sam's life. The game has very good atmosphere, it's not a horror game, but it has almost a creepy atmosphere. It's made on the Amnesia engine, so that probably has something to do with it. A lot of log hallways and big rooms with very dim lighting.

    What this game does very well, better than virtually all game out there, is environmental storytelling. The only character in the game is you, and there is no other dialogue with any other character. The story moves along as you find clues. As you find more and more clues, you really get a good feel for the world that you are in. Games do not do this enough.

    However, GH's biggest problem is that environmental storytelling is ALL that it does. In a story driven game character interactions are very important because it can give the characters more dimensions. All of the characters are very one dimensional. You don't ever go into any depth to find out the motivations or the facets of their characters. This is why you can't build a game around environmental storytelling. Environmental storytelling paired with dialogue can turn one dimensional characters into three dimensional characters. If the game allowed you to talk to Sam, your parents, or Lonnie, it could give you better insight into the personalities of each of them, allowing for a stronger story.    … Expand
  48. Jaran
    Dec 6, 2015
    7
    “Gone Home” is a story game that is all about exploring what has happened to your little sister, Samantha Greenbriar. In the game you play as Kaitlin, Sam’s older sister, and you have just returned to an empty house after having spent the last year in Europe.

    The story takes place in USA in 1995, and the Greenbriar family has just moved to a new place. Sam is the main character in the    “Gone Home” is a story game that is all about exploring what has happened to your little sister, Samantha Greenbriar. In the game you play as Kaitlin, Sam’s older sister, and you have just returned to an empty house after having spent the last year in Europe.

    The story takes place in USA in 1995, and the Greenbriar family has just moved to a new place. Sam is the main character in the game, and as Kaitlin you discover what has happened her while you’ve been away. You explore the house and find notes, letters, pictures and other objects that give you information about Sam and your parents. Picking up certain items will also trigger Sam’s journals. In her journals, she talks about what has happened to her at school, and with her parents and friends. Other items you find, for example keys, can open up new areas in the house to explore.

    While you play as Kaitlin you have a first-person view, and you can examine items closer by picking them up. There aren’t any specific objects in “Gone Home” and you are free to explore the game by yourself. The graphics in the game are good, and the background sound of lightning and thunder creates a dreary atmosphere.
    The story stands out compared to other games I’ve played, because you can move around freely and decide for yourself what you want to explore. The game doesn’t tell you what to do, unlike games like Assassins Creed where you have to complete missions to progress with the story. This aspect of “Gone Home” makes it more interesting and enjoyable to play.

    Personally, I think the game was decent because it felt like I was exploring the story, and not being told a story. The gameplay got a little repetitive after a while, because there wasn’t much more to do besides reading letters and notes, and listening to Sam’s journals. However, exploring and finding clues about Sam, kept the game interesting. Though gameplay in itself could get tiresome, the story was so engaging that you wanted to keep exploring.

    “Gone Home” isn’t a typical story game, and I it’s really worth trying out if you like exploration games.    … Expand
  49. IAmCynical
    Dec 7, 2015
    7
    A good story told through setting.
    In a desolate empty house late at night, you walk through the hallways in search of answers. Where are your dad, mom and sister? Where have they gone? What has happened? That is what the game “Gone Home” is about.
    The game “Gone Home” is a first person one-player adventure/explorer style game. It is developed by Fullbright, designed by Steve Gaynor    A good story told through setting.
    In a desolate empty house late at night, you walk through the hallways in search of answers. Where are your dad, mom and sister? Where have they gone? What has happened? That is what the game “Gone Home” is about.

    The game “Gone Home” is a first person one-player adventure/explorer style game. It is developed by Fullbright, designed by Steve Gaynor and the music composed by Chris Remo. Also, it was released in august 2013.

    “Gone Home” is set in Oregon, USA in 1995. The person whom you play is Kaitlin, the older sister of the Greenbrier family. She has just returned home from studying abroad for exactly a year. Upon returning, she finds the house empty and that the doors are all locked. Then the game starts, with you not having a clue of what had happened. From there you must find the answers.
    I loved experiencing the environment and the story hidden within the house. The environment seemed completely unknown and new to me, as the furniture and the house itself looked quite antique. The atmosphere, which the environment gave off, actually further enhanced the story.

    The thing, which kept me interested in the game, was the story. It was quite a well-made story in my opinion and I really enjoyed it. The reason as for why I enjoyed the story was its way of storytelling. It told the story through the environment. Not some pieces of paper or person, but the environment itself. Through the audio messages, clues and the realism within them. That was how I experienced the story’s ephemeral little story.

    The game’s story and environment was quite good. But, there was still something that I disliked. That was the brightness at some places within the game. It was simply too dark. I know that the developers intended for it to be dark for the setting. But I believe that they went overboard. Because it was too dark, it became too hard to find the light switches (if there was one). You would just get annoyed at that point and you don’t feel like continuing for a bit. Therefore was the brightness one of the few aspects I disliked about the game.

    In the end, I would like to give this game a 7/10, mostly because of the story. Moreover, I would like to recommend this game to people who enjoy realistic stories or maybe got some interest in antique stuff from the 1990s. As this game got its 7/10 rate mostly because of its story, but also because of the environmental features. The game could have gotten a perfect score (10/10), but because of some minor details like bad brightness, it did not achieve it.    … Expand
  50. mhopeenglish
    Dec 15, 2015
    7
    The game, Gone Home, begins on a dark and stormy night on June 7, 1995. Kaitlin Greenbriar returns home to an empty mansion in Oregon after backpacking for a year through Europe. In the game, the gamer plays Kaitlin. Players are set loose in the empty mansion to find out what happened to Kaitlin’s mom, dad and younger sister, Sam.
    The gameplay in Gone Home focuses primarily on the    The game, Gone Home, begins on a dark and stormy night on June 7, 1995. Kaitlin Greenbriar returns home to an empty mansion in Oregon after backpacking for a year through Europe. In the game, the gamer plays Kaitlin. Players are set loose in the empty mansion to find out what happened to Kaitlin’s mom, dad and younger sister, Sam.
    The gameplay in Gone Home focuses primarily on the uncovering of clues to tell the story of the whereabouts of Kaitlin’s missing family. Whereas most video games (like Grand Theft Auto and Assassins Creed) operate under a set of rules and methods to drive players toward some sort of objective (like murder and zombie mass killings), Gone Home takes the interactive nature of video games and blends this with storytelling. In Gone Home, the story is everything. Players uncover the mystery of the missing family in an unguided way by learning through Sam’s audio journal, as well as through the presentation of environmental and audio clues.
    The graphics used in Gone Home look like those one sees in graphic novels published in the 1990s. The game allows the player to pick up the object and zoom in to get even more graphic details. Gone Home’s graphic treatment is in contrast to the more realistic (almost too realistic) computer generated graphics used in most video games today. In Gone Home, graphics are deliberately and specially placed by developers throughout the story so players can uncover the family story, especially when it comes to Kaitlin’s parents. The player essentially steps into the pages of the Greenbriar’s life storybook. For example, players look through Kaitlin’s parents’ things. Players find old novels that Terry wrote and published. The novels are based around the assassination of JFK and how the lead character knows the truth and must stop it. Players also learn that Kaitlin’s parents are at a Couples Retreat to get their marriage back on track.
    Sound is effectively used throughout Gone Home to set the mood and intrigue of the story. For example, players randomly hear rain and thunder throughout the story, and expect a zombie to jump out any moment from behind a dark corner. Environmental sounds, like lights turning off and on or a door opening, are also used to enhance the game and make the player feel like they are part of the story. It is like the storybook novel comes alive. Music is also an important component of Gone Home. For example, Sam’s interest in the Riot Grrrl music scene opens a window to a unique musical movement from the 90’s which helps portray the sexual awakening of Sam and Lonnie.
    I am not a fan of video games. In fact, I never play, and when I do, I am useless. However, I did have chills when playing Gone Home—not because it was so scary, but because it was so emotionally evocative. Being the eldest of three siblings, I could not imagine going through what Katie went through. Part of me wanted to rush through the game to just get through it. However, I ended up not rushing because I wanted to try my best to reflect upon how I (as Katie) would react in her situation. I would recommend this game highly, especially to non-gamers.    … Expand
  51. andrewwindmills
    Dec 16, 2015
    7
    The game Gone Home is a story about a girl named Katie who comes home from a European trip to find her family is missing. As you walk around the house there are artifacts and audio journals left from Katie’s family. As you find more and more artifacts you can put together the story piece by piece.
    I thought that the game was overall a good game. Some things that I liked about it is the    The game Gone Home is a story about a girl named Katie who comes home from a European trip to find her family is missing. As you walk around the house there are artifacts and audio journals left from Katie’s family. As you find more and more artifacts you can put together the story piece by piece.
    I thought that the game was overall a good game. Some things that I liked about it is the fact that I got to connect with the characters in the story in a different way then I would be reading a book normally. The game was played in first person, even though I am not a teenage girl named Katie it really felt like when I was playing the game that I had a sister named Sam and parents named Terry and Janice. This made me a lot more interested in the game and connected to the other characters. The other thing that I really enjoyed about this game is the story. This game is nothing without the story and I think it is interesting how it was presented.
    There are something’s I did not like about the game however. I didn’t like the game play very much, I thought it was slow and it really seemed boring at times. I often did not know what the game wanted me to do. It also felt like for a game there was a lot of reading. There were so many documents, articles, and letters it was often hard to decide which were important and that I had to read or whether it was something that wasn’t of as much importance. One other thing that I would have liked to have seen is the parents being more involved in the story. It often felt as though I had to make up a lot of the story about the parents and I think that could have been a whole new side of the story that the developers missed out on. It would have been nice to see some audio journal entries from the parents as well.
    In conclusion, overall this game was a fun and cool way to learn a story but I think it could have been better. I liked the character development throughout the story and the idea of a first person game to tell it. While it was a fun game I think it could have been better in that the parents are not shown in the story as much as I would have liked and the game play was pretty slow and somewhat boring at times.    … Expand
  52. Kastomono
    Jan 28, 2016
    7
    Gone Home Review.

    Now, as this is a game review i’m going to take this slightly more seriously than my games of TF2. I’m going to shove this into a Pros/Cons system and give my rating afterwards. But first i’m going to make a short summary of the game. You play as Kaitlyn Greenbriar, a girl who has been in Europe for a year and has returned to her home in America. But no one is home    Gone Home Review.

    Now, as this is a game review i’m going to take this slightly more seriously than my games of TF2.
    I’m going to shove this into a Pros/Cons system and give my rating afterwards. But first i’m going to make a short summary of the game.

    You play as Kaitlyn Greenbriar, a girl who has been in Europe for a year and has returned to her home in America. But no one is home and she has to find out where everybody has gone.

    Pros:
    The game has some pretty good visuals if you set the graphics up.
    The story is really good and will surprise you on several occasions.
    I ADORE good lighting engines and this one was pretty.
    This is less of a game and more of a short novel than anything.
    Despite being set in a house there is still a bucketload to see.
    There is a lot of small objects you can pick up and hover in front of your face.
    The sound design is very satisfying.
    You can flush toilets.
    Light Switches exist.

    I’m going to mention that i spent 10 minutes shoving things into a box. It was oddly satisfying…

    Cons:
    It’s ridiculously short.
    Because of the aforementioned it is also very expensive on Steam.
    You walk very slowly for an exploration game. You can't even jog.
    You can complete this game in like 2 minutes if you know where to look.
    I don’t have legs! I want to see my legs!
    It’s not really a game and as such it doesn’t have any challenges.

    My conclusion is this: It’s an interesting experience but not a game. It’s also very expensive for its length. I’m going to rate this a 7 out of 10 Kasto Points due to it being a good story and fancy graphics and it’s pricing (ON STEAM) is pretty high.    … Expand
  53. Hannahklinge
    Jan 28, 2016
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Gone home

    Gone home is about a girl that comes home after traveling a year in Europe. This girl called Katie has a sister called Samantha. Katie gets home, but the house is empty. But full of secrets and hidden surprises. Terrance walks through the house in Portland, Oregon to find out what's going on and where is her sister and the rest of the family?
    The game happens in a chronological way. The symbols that's have been
    It have been brought up several relationship between the people in this story. Samantha(Katie little sister) has an relationship whit a girl called Lonnie. She does not tell anyone about this. Their mom Janice Greenbriar is friend with this lady Carol. A boy named Daniel has also been in the picture.
    The main character in this game is Terrance, or yourself you can say. You can Walk around the house and see if you find some answers. The games variation of environment makes it more eventful. The game is an scary/spooky genre. It gives you a feeling of being alone and scared.
    The filming , mowing and the music was generally good. The music made ​​you completely into the tuning of the little nasty feeling of being alone in the old big house. The game is realistic and have quite good graphics. The game play in the game is quite good. It doesn't challenge you like big time. But it definitely makes you upset when you can't find what you are looking for. This game is all about understands, you need to read if you want to find anything. Some of the letters are extremely hard to read because of the bad written cursive handwriting. But some of the letters is easier than others. Some of the letters are more important than other. Some of the items you have to find before you move on. The game is very optional. You can choose to do whatever you want to do and go. The more you find out, the more you want to know the rest. I give the game a 7/10. Because it was an exiting game and very good made.    … Expand
  54. isakbrattoy
    Jan 28, 2016
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Gone Home is about a girl named Kaitlin Greenbriar. Her mission is to find her family that is gone. In the game you need to think a lot because it is letters from herself and her family.
    You need to remember a lot and seek in every corner in the house because it is things that are written places that you don’t think is important. There are letters that lead you closer to find out the big secret about your family. Sometimes you find letters and objects that triggers a story about your sister and your family’s life.
    The message in this game is that not everything look like what it is. It may be something else.
    This game jumps sometimes back and forth in time but I liked it. It helped me to get a feeling that I’m in the game. Some of the story’s in Gone Home are from your childhood and before you moved from your family.
    The peoples in Gone Home is very unknown, but sometimes it may be a letter from a person that you don’t know about in the game. And almost every person in the game that you hear about have an own story. Some of the people you get letters from in Gone Home are maybe in your family, just friends of you and your family or there are letter from peoples that are dead.
    The main character in this game is named Kaitlin Greenbriar. She needs to find things that take her closer to find where her family is. She can take up things and that triggers a new story from her sister that is closer than she thinks. The environment in this game is very nice.
    You are in the family Greenbriar`s old house and need find places that are hidden from you. Some places are dirty and nasty and other places are nice and clean.
    This game is very sad and sometimes scary. Sometimes when you go in dark places the scary music kicks in. The gameplay in Gone Home is sometimes good and sometimes bad. Because sometimes you know what`s going on an sometimes not. The game is very confusing because it is much back and forth. I don’t understand the whole story but what I know is that you need to find out what happened to your family and where your family is. The graphic in Gone Home is very nice and pretty. They made the pictures in the game look real and graphically at the same time. And the function in Gone Home is very good.
    You can pick up thing and look at it. You can open closets and doors. You can play music on music players and hear at phone calls from yourself and your family. And because of that I`ll give 7/10.    … Expand
  55. solveigrose
    Jan 28, 2016
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Gone home – Game Review

    The game is from the 90`s, and they lived in an old house. The game handled about a girl named Kathy Greenbrier and mostly of her sister Samantha, Kathy moved away from her family and friends to study. When she came home her parents and sister was disappeared, and she couldn’t find them. She looked around in the house after any clues that could help her finding them. Or finding out where they were. Kathy found many letters and audio files that the sister (Sam) had left in the house. And that was very helpful for Kathy. In the end Kathy understood everything. Why they left and everything. But she cannot find them. Everything is about the sister Samantha, why she left and which file she has.
    The house in the game was very big and so pretty. But it was kind of old, from the 90`s or something. The house had many rooms, and almost every bedroom had a bathroom. Many of the rooms wasn’t in use, but full of boxes. It looked very real because of all the things everywhere. For example in the bathroom it was toilet paper on the floor.
    The game's key message is that it’s complicated to be lesbian, and the entire struggle behind it. Sam didn’t have it very easy; it was all though for her. But she was strong and made it okay and she also kind of admitted it for the sister and the rest of the family. She was scared about her feelings for Lonnie. And she didn’t know that gay is ok. But she may show us that the solution is not to run away and hide. That might be the message number two.
    Sam`s diary book was kind of a symbol to her sister. Symbol of her love, her love to Kathy. She had written in it almost every day, just to Kathy. She was confirming that she didn’t left because she wanted, but because she didn’t have a choice. Sam wanted to be home when Kathy arrived, but she couldn’t. She's explaining this in her diary book. She’s explaining that her love to Kathy is so big, bigger than she thought.
    The hardest or the toughest thing in the game most have been to open the closet (blue) in Samantha’s room, there we needed a code. In the beginning we couldn’t find the code, it was hidden. But finally we managed and fulgurated what the code was, and realized that it wasn’t so hard that we thought. It was a challenge!

    The music in the game was good, and placed at the rights times. It was helping the game to be more exciting, special and funny. Some places the music scared me, just because of the music.
    Telling was chronological or jumping forwards in time? It was kind of both. But most chronological, sometimes they jumped forwards in time. In addition it was ending with the end.
    The game was funny to play, but sometimes it was kind of boring. It was funny to go around in the house and find clues. What I liked with the game was that it was kind of realistic. Realistic stuff was everywhere in the house, and it felt realistic to play. Many of the doors were closed. So we had to find a key or another way into the room. Some places in the house it was secret “doors” on the walls, and it was kind of hard to get in. But it was fun to think an experimenter around in the house. Some of the letters was very much text, very much to read. So that was in a way boring. All in all I was enjoying playing it, my judgment of 1-10 are 7-10.    … Expand
  56. Maaagzboi
    Jan 28, 2016
    7
    Gone Home

    The game. Kaitlin came home from a trip in Europe, her family had moved to a new house when Kaitlin where in Europa. When Kaitlin came to the new house, the house was empty. She started looking after her sister, and she found letters and tapes all around the house about her sister and her parents. She found out much information about her sister, and then she walk down to the    Gone Home

    The game.
    Kaitlin came home from a trip in Europe, her family had moved to a new house when Kaitlin where in Europa. When Kaitlin came to the new house, the house was empty. She started looking after her sister, and she found letters and tapes all around the house about her sister and her parents. She found out much information about her sister, and then she walk down to the basement...
    The game is very realistic and its look like you’re walking in to a real house but you’re doing it on an computer. The house looks like all other houses, or maybe it’s a bit old. The toilet looks realistic and there is magazine’s in the house that looks like It’s taken from the real life. The graphic could be better, but the rest I think was very good.
    The narrative style is chronological but you find much information from the old time. There are some letters and tapes that was made when the moved, and some letters that was made a long time ago.
    The main character function is that she’s coming home from a trip to Europe, when she came home there where no one home. Then she starts looking after her sister. There are one main character and that is Kaitlin , but there is also one more person that is very important in this game. You learn about some people when your playing the game. Kaitlin, Sam, her mother, her uncle, her father and some others.
    My experience after I played this game is that if you have been on a trip to somewhere, and your coming home, everything has maybe changed. It was not boring playing this game, and the game is has span lift in it.
    In last I would give this game and 7 out of 10 as an rating    … Expand
  57. Lolphy1234
    Jan 28, 2016
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Gone home
    The game is about Kaitlin Greenbriar whose just arriving home from her trip to Europe?
    The main message of the game I think is that people can be quite different on the inside than it seems.
    The game is straight forwards but it jumps a bit back and forwards.
    Some symbols are used in the game but as far as I could see they did not have any particular meaning.
    Relationships that are mentioned are lovers and family relations.
    The main character is Kaitlin Greenbriar who is discovering her own past.
    The game enviorment is pretty dark not only because how the house progresses but also due to the feeling that something terrible has taken place in that house.
    The mood of the game is quite dark or psychopathic.
    The creators did a good job in making this game they did an amazing job with the music and imagery.
    The gameplay is a little bit to slow and sometimes the framerate dropped quite a bit (but that might just be the computer I played it on.
    I personaly think this game is a great idea for use in for example school, although it was kind of boring but still I enjoied the game a whole lot.    … Expand
  58. KarenNaalsund
    Jan 28, 2016
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Gone home is a short story game about Sam Greenbriar, Kaitlin
    Greenbriar’s sister. Kaitlin is the person everyone who play the game are. Kaitlin is a 19 year old girl, who has been traveling around in Europe for a year. When she comes home, the year is 1995. In the past year her family has moved to a new house, and when she comes home again, she comes home to an empty and messy house. She starts walking around in the house, and finds a lot of clues, about what happened and where the sister is. The game is about finding out where her sister Sam is, and what has happened the last year. The main message is about Sam and Lonnie’s “forbidden” love for each other. It jumps a little bit in time, it just depends on which journal you find. The game is a short story with a touch of love in it, because as Kaitlin walks around in the house, she finds journals her sister left to her. In the journals you hear about Sam and Lonnie’s love, how it was for Sam to move and start on a new school, and how her life is after she moved here.
    The game is build up nice. The house is this big mansion, with a cabin look, (the walls is made of a dark three type, and old furniture, or not as modern. But I wouldn’t say it was that old, because this game takes place in 1995. The game where bugging a little bit, but that was the pc we used I think.
    I thought this game where fun to play, and I recommend it to both boys and girls in an age of 13 and up. The reason I will say from 13 years old is because it was a little bit hard to understand what the meaning of the game was at first.
    I will give the game from a scale from 1 to 10 a 7.    … Expand
  59. HeleneRos
    Jan 28, 2016
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Game review: Gone home
    In this game, you play a girl named Kaitlyn Greenbriar. After a year traveling around Europe you come home to your family's new house. The date is June 7, 1994 and the clock is 01:15 am. The rain is pouring down, it is lightning and thundering. But something is of. Your sister isn't home but she has left you notes and journals all around the house. Your next mission is to go around in the house and find out what has happened and where your sister. But you should know, the story does not end how you think it will end in the start. You will discover a moving story about not being accepted for who you are and about what some will do for true love.

    I think the games main message is that even your closest family may not know who you really are, and when they find out they may not understand. That even though you think you know your parents, they may be keeping a lot of secrets from you. And those secrets will come out one day. If you want to know them or not.
    If the story is chronologic or not depends on how you go forward. In the end you will get the whole story but at first it won’t really make sense unless you listen to all the journals in the correct order. So it kind jumps in time but that will even out.
    Gone home has an environment that really helps on the excitement of the game. The lightning, thunder and the rain makes a perfect environment for a game like this. When they also have added the creaking in the house and the sound of doors opening and closing it just makes it even creepier.
    In addition to the moving story about Kaitlyn’s sister Sam, they bring up important political meanings. Since Sam starts dating her friend Lonnie we hear about how Sam at first tries not to bring it up. But after a while she tells her parents. Sam thought that they would get angry at her but that they would have accepted it after a while. But she got really angry. Because her parents didn’t just get angry, they started saying that it was just a phase and that she and Lonnie was just good friends. Her parents wouldn’t let Sam and Lonnie hang out as much as they used to and they wouldn’t accept the fact that Sam was a lesbian.    … Expand
  60. Madelen
    Jan 28, 2016
    7
    Gone Home – game review
    In the game Gone Home you play a 19 years old girl, named Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn has been on a trip to Europe for 1 year. When she arrived back home at 1:15 am, the first thing that she sees is a note in the door. The note I from her sister Sam. The note says that Sam has left and she don’t want anybody to look after her.
    In the game you get to go into your dead crazy    Gone Home – game review
    In the game Gone Home you play a 19 years old girl, named Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn has been on a trip to Europe for 1 year. When she arrived back home at 1:15 am, the first thing that she sees is a note in the door. The note I from her sister Sam. The note says that Sam has left and she don’t want anybody to look after her.
    In the game you get to go into your dead crazy uncle’s house and explore. It is many secrets in the house, and secret passages. In the game you find many journals that belongs to Sam. When you listen to them, you can hear about different stories that Sam Is telling, and you get to know her more.
    When you first start the game you might think it is a scary game, but after you have finished the game you realize that it is a nice story. The story has many small details but most of all it is about love.
    The graphics in the game was not bad, but it was not that good either. I think that the sounds was a bit creepy, but it was also fun. The game jumps a little in time, and it was hard to understand everything in the beginning. But after a while playing it, I began to understand more.
    I liked the game, it was funny to explore in the house, and find out Sam’s story. I will rate the game 7 out of 10.    … Expand
  61. Kamalias
    Jan 28, 2016
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game is about this girl who just came home from a year in Europe. Her family recently moved to her dead uncle’s house. She arrives at the new house in the middle of the night. You could hear the rain pouring down. The door is locked. On the door there is a note, written by her sister Sam. Where is everyone?

    There’s two parallel stories in the game. One is about her dead uncle, the other one is about love. The one with her dead uncle I assume was in the game to make it seem scary. However the main story is about difficult love. It gives the game some romance.
    It’s quite a realistic way of telling a story I think. Everything is truly well founded.

    There are several things you need to find to manage to get forward in the game. You can’t finish it without finding a lot of different notes and codes. This makes the game chronological.

    In almost every room in the house you can find a holy bible. If you're really good, you would notice this. The game uses this book to show her family's Christian beliefs. Sam writes a lot in her diary about this girl named Lonnie. Later in the game she opens up and tells that she's gay. You can imagine how her parents responded to this. This made the game a bit dramatic.

    The graphics were surprisingly good. As I said earlier they told the story in a realistic way, the display was three-dimensional which made the game look realistic as well. Despite of this, there were many things annoying me throughout the game. One of them was the darkness. Everywhere you went it was dark. It felt like I spent more time turning on the lights then actually playing the game. I also had some trouble to stand up after going low. This may have been the computer though. The music was okey. I didn't notice it that much really.
    What I did like with the game was the diary. As you walked through the house a girl suddenly started talking. This was Sam telling her diary. It gives you major clues. I needed these very badly. The best part was the end. It was unexpected and nice.

    To be honest, I don't like gaming at all. This of course had a huge impact on my experience. I liked the scary part with this game. Sam and her love story was not that great, but ok I think. I give it a 7 out of 10.    … Expand
  62. HenrietteSophie
    Jan 28, 2016
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Gone Home - Game Review
    The game Gone Home is a short story that tells us about to sisters and their parents. This game brings us back to 1995. The biggest sister Katie has been away for one year in Europe. When she was gone, her family had moved to their dead uncle’s house, which is called the psycho house.

    When she comes home from Europe, the house is dark and the family is gone. The wind is blowing and you can hear the rain pouring down. She is coming home to a note on the door. The house is messy and empty, its obvious that something strange has happened there.

    The game is a little scary with all the sounds, the thunder and the rain, and its not better with a dark house rather.

    Gone home gives you the story of the people who live there. The story is beautiful, and when you play, you are getting to know the Greenbriar family better. You are playing the character Kaitlin Greenbriar, the oldest sister. The house is big and you have to go around in the house to find out what has happened. There is a lot of rooms to discover, and to some of the doors, you must find the keys. There is much to discover.

    The game is a little difficult to understand sometimes, but it is a very interesting story. The story focuses on Sam, and on your way you will hear some journals that Sam has written to Katie. The story is build up from the notes and journals form Sam. Its about her life, and her love who is difficult. She is a lesbian and her parents aren’t so happy with that. But where is everyone? That are exactly what the players are going to find out when they play.    … Expand
  63. VidarM
    Jan 28, 2016
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Gone Home

    You’re the 19 years old girl named Katie Greenbriar that comes home to a “new” house after being in Europe for a year. The year is 1995 and you’re family have moved to your dead uncles villa. When u come home to your “new” house the clock is 1:15 AM and there is a storm outside. When I come inside the house you discover that all the lights are off and nobody is home. While you’re progressing around the house looking for clues about where your family is gone and you find more and more weird notes from you’re Sister Sam Greenbriar.

    I think the key message is that you should be yourself and don’t act different for other people. A lot of people hide their self just so other people think they are “cool”. I think it’s wrong because everyone is different and there is nothing that u can call weird or unusual.
    Sam is lesbian but haven’t told it because she thinks her family would get mad at here because they were Christians.

    The game itself is chronologic but the notes are from different times so you need to put them in the right order to fully understand the story line. I’m pretty sure the whole game happens in one night but the notes give you years of information and you learn a lot more about your family trough the notes and diary entrances.
    The game got a lot of different symbols about the different thoughts and ways of life. You can find a skull in the first room that is from the day of the dead which is a Spanish celebration day for the dead. You can find a Demon ritual under the stairs and you can find a bible.

    The game talks a lot about human relationships. In the Diary entries you learn a lot about the family, and Sam’s struggles with “fitting” in. In the diary’s Sam talks about how she doesn’t like the other girls and how she’s only been a friend with a boy that was living to close to her before the family moved.

    The main characters is Sam but you’re playing as Katie which is kind of strange as not many games does that kind of style. Some of the Other characters are Terrence Greenbriar, Janice Greenbriar and Lonnie.

    The game is romantic/sad. The feeling of the game is pretty sad and reminds me of a Horror game when u walk around in the dark house and u hear the Rain hit the house walls and the thunder strikes outside. The music is slow and helps the sad feel of the game flow.

    The gameplay is pretty good because of the story and diary entries. The game got no Action because of the simple reason of being a story telling game and not a shooting game. The game functions pretty well but I had a hard time finding the hitboxes of some of the smaller objects and doors. Some of the objects that could move seemed a bit buged since if u closed spammed open and close at a door and walking into it u could get inside the door or just walk through the door.

    I personally really liked the game and it was well made. What Fulbright managed to do with the game is incredible and I liked the soundtrack, diaries and story.

    I rate the game 7/10    … Expand
  64. calvarez
    May 27, 2016
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As Steve Gaynor, one of the seniors at the Fullbright Company, was set to bring out the simplicity in all of his games, he decided to create an interactive game for consoles, Gone Home. In this IGF-Award nominated game, you are placed in an unilluminated and unknown setting, in which you are encouraged to explore the empty house, the screeching drawers, and the notes thrown around the house.

    Gone Home takes place in 1995 as one of the family members arrives at their house and finds that there is nobody there. It is these moments, where you are still unaccustomed to the house and its setup, where the suspense of what has happened to the others that comes to mind. According to The Guardian, “the period is a time that many players of the game will have lived through and will be immediately familiar with” because of the fact that it is not period far from what we know today. Many people still live in environments like these where letters and books are used more than the internet and tablets.

    The main character in the PC game is Katie Greenbriar, who arrives to the house after a year of studying abroad, only to find a note on the front porch from her sister, Samantha, telling her not to go out looking for her. Although Steve states that his intention with this game was not to make it a game with “combat or puzzles in it,” it is easy to state that, from the very first moment when the note is found and you have to find a way into the house, that there are many puzzle pieces to find in order to crack Sam’s story.

    The game experience is more of a storytelling, but, as stated by The Guardian, it is done so “through design” rather than through an actual book. The story within the game develops as to find out what happened to Sam.

    Now, the storytelling game is not only about exploring the house in general, but it also seeks to explore the relationship and secrets of two sisters and how these secrets can lead to knowing about Katie’s sister, Sam, and her first lover from school, a girl she met after having so much in common. As more notes are found throughout the house and more rooms are unlocked only to find there are stories about Sam and her life feelings in each of them, the players are more engaged to find out why Sam has run away from her own house.

    The various clues, as I like to call them, around the house allow the players to engage in the middle-classed family and their personal struggles, as well as in their problems with the other people in the family itself. As Sam and her lover, Lonnie’s, relationship arouses through the playing of Nintendo games, ghost hunting, anarchic behaviors, and secret love letters, one is drawn into a world that Sam has created and imagined for herself and Lonnie to reside in without taking into account the possible consequences that these behaviors have had on her personality and on her piled up family problems.

    The release of the Slenderman game, Slender: The Eight Pages, came out in 2012 where one was placed in a single-player world with nothing but a flashlight in search of the eight pages that tell you the story of the horrifying, and totally fictional, creature of the Slenderman. This adventurous and exploring game can relate directly to the mysteries that can be found in Gone Home as Sam and Lonnie have tried to have first hand experiences with the supernatural world and a ghost who is thought to be haunting the house. Whilst investigating the possible outcomes of Sam and her departure, it comes to the player’s attention that a man called Oscar Masan died and that he may be the ghost that resided in the house, which may lead people to think that many of the clues around the house lead to the finding or the encounter of a ghost in the middle of the house.

    As stated by The Atlantic, with the rise of one relationship, comes the unknown story of Katie’s sister and how she can relate to Sam’s life. With the development of one story, it seems as if there are many others branching out of that one story. This comes to say as Sam and Lonnie's adventures started out with ghost hunting and, as time passed, it quickly escalated to Sam’s first cigarette, her first sexual experience, and her leaving this childish world behind only to start a life with someone who actually understands her: Lonnie.

    With a small team of workers building a PC game there came a great story told. As stated by Steve, “normal people's stories are really interesting if you are able to discover them.” This being said, a normal family’s problems and drawbacks cause for an exploration in a small house in search of the ending of such a metaphoric story wherein each clue and each of the notes left in the house call for another story to be told about the family itself.    … Expand
  65. Explicit
    Nov 27, 2016
    7
    I am a high school student living in Korea, and I have played through this game a few times as it was included in the curriculum in my English class. Although I was a frequent steam user, I have only got to know about this game in class since games of this type, walking simulators, are not exactly of my interest. I felt very uncomfortable and even irritated as I was playing this game atI am a high school student living in Korea, and I have played through this game a few times as it was included in the curriculum in my English class. Although I was a frequent steam user, I have only got to know about this game in class since games of this type, walking simulators, are not exactly of my interest. I felt very uncomfortable and even irritated as I was playing this game at first. However, as I played through the game a few times and found more and more evidences scattered throughout the house, the complexity of the story intertwined in each and every clue has started to catch my interest, and eventually I found myself looking for more possible story-lines that might have been hidden from my view.
    I would like to comment on the technical parts of the game than the story itself. One thing that I think is important for a walking simulator game, is its realistic environment. I am not a person who really cares much about the graphics of a game. It does not affect my game-play so much whether I have the highest or lowest graphics setting. However, one thing I have to talk about is the game’s ‘head bobbing’ affect. This ‘head bobbing’ effect in the video setting actually gives much more reality into the game itself, and give users the feeling that they are actually walking around the house. However, if you are not used to this kind of setting, this might in contrast create dizziness and eventually make you sick. There is a choice for turning off the bobbing effect though, so it does not really matter if you care enough to look for the button. Also, I have felt that this game, a walking simulator game, is much slower than a first-person-shooter games, too much that I felt frustrated that I could not ‘sprint’ in this game. But this also helped me look for evidences much more carefully and provided me more time to think about the story rather than simply running around looking for evidences.
    The technical part of the game Gone Home was in fact frustrating and made me impatient at first. However, as I have gotten used to the game, these factors actually helped me think and concentrate much better on the game. And although it is not mentioned in this review, the storyline of the story has been very interesting thus I would give this game a 7 out of 10.    … Expand
  66. spikedloop
    Jan 2, 2017
    7
    Don't view every pencil and pen. It's useless. I advise concentrate only on note from your sister and note about your uncle, only then you probably feel the pleasure from game.
  67. Gracz-org
    Aug 8, 2017
    7
    Gone Home jest tytułem idealnym dla osób, dla których w grach liczy się coś więcej niż ciągła akcja. Przemierzając zakamarki tytułowego domu nie nudziłem się ani na chwilę, a odkrywanie fabuły krok po kroku uświadomiło mi jak wiele twórcy mogą nam jeszcze zaprezentować w tego typu produkcjach. Co prawda grę tą można przejść w niecałą godzinę, ale… zdecydowanie wystarczyło to jednak, bymGone Home jest tytułem idealnym dla osób, dla których w grach liczy się coś więcej niż ciągła akcja. Przemierzając zakamarki tytułowego domu nie nudziłem się ani na chwilę, a odkrywanie fabuły krok po kroku uświadomiło mi jak wiele twórcy mogą nam jeszcze zaprezentować w tego typu produkcjach. Co prawda grę tą można przejść w niecałą godzinę, ale… zdecydowanie wystarczyło to jednak, bym zapamiętał ją oraz opowiedzianą w niej historię na długi czas ;-) Gorąco polecam!

    Pełna recenzja dostępna jest na blogu Gracz.org    … Expand
  68. michaelb1928
    Apr 17, 2020
    7
    There is a lot of love put into this game. Sure its short , theres no gameplay and no puzzles which is a missed opportunity but its still really immersive to lose yourself in the house. The story is decent and theres a nice twist at the end. Overall i enjoyed my experience, it still holds up in 2020.
  69. Almas_kz
    Apr 24, 2020
    7
    Плохая оптимизация, неудобное управление и сложный сюжет хотя в конце я начал вникать в него, но все же полностью понять не смог, даже в конце я узнал что главная героиня и ее подружка являются лесбиянками, но тайны и замки, закрытые кейсы чуть развеселили меня + презервативы в родительской комнате тоже, вообщем игра не совсем стоит своих денег и я бы не советовал бы покупать.Плохая оптимизация, неудобное управление и сложный сюжет хотя в конце я начал вникать в него, но все же полностью понять не смог, даже в конце я узнал что главная героиня и ее подружка являются лесбиянками, но тайны и замки, закрытые кейсы чуть развеселили меня + презервативы в родительской комнате тоже, вообщем игра не совсем стоит своих денег и я бы не советовал бы покупать.
  70. Skurttish
    Jan 12, 2022
    7
    An okay, short game. It was basically a movie, both in how long it was and in how little gameplay there is. I played it curled up on the couch and it was good for a quiet evening.
  71. Eniusza
    Apr 13, 2021
    7
    It's a very interesting story, with a cool atmosphere. There are some gameplay stuff that are bothering me, I don't see any point in picking up toilet paper billion times etc, and sometimes looking at objects wasn't working properly, or the fact that there was no actual model of character I'm playing (shame), but other than that I had fun playing.
  72. TitaniumDragon
    Oct 31, 2016
    6
    Gone Home is either a bare-bones adventure game or a walking simulator which included a very small number of puzzle elements. I would suggest it is really more like the latter from a cladistics point of view; its attraction lies in that direction, and if you’re looking for really cerebral gameplay, this isn’t the place to look.

    Gone Home is really a story that happens to be presented in    Gone Home is either a bare-bones adventure game or a walking simulator which included a very small number of puzzle elements. I would suggest it is really more like the latter from a cladistics point of view; its attraction lies in that direction, and if you’re looking for really cerebral gameplay, this isn’t the place to look.

    Gone Home is really a story that happens to be presented in a video game format. The game consists of you (a early 20s woman who lives as an independent adult – you were in the military) coming home after a vacation in Europe to an empty house; your parents and your sister are all absent, and as you explore the house, it becomes increasingly clear that it is a bit disheveled. You find some notes from your sister scattered around, as well as various notes and scraps of life left by your sister and parents. Some of these trigger audio logs from your sister, which are really journal entries that you are listening to. These tell the story about what your sister has been going through over the last year, and the story of her relationship with Lonnie, a girl she knows.

    There are other stories interwoven into that one – your father, who is a failed writer who is trying to climb back on the horse while working a real job, and your mother, who is struggling with her relationship with your father and who might or might not be having an affair, or at least contemplating one, as well as the story of the former owner of the house that your family moved into while you were in the military.

    These stories all come together to create a picture of a family that is troubled, but not broken, and of people who are people. Your sister is an immature high school student, but she is mostly immature like rebels without a cause are. Lonnie seems to be simultaneously more and less mature; she’s a bad influence on your sister in some ways, but also seems to have a more realistic and grounded view of the world in other ways.

    I liked the story of the lives presented here; it is sort of everyday drama, with people struggling with real problems rather than contrived situations (much as the game likes to pretend at one point that there might be supernatural elements involved).

    What I didn’t like, however, was the ending; when you get to the end, it seems to sort of throw away Lonnie’s character to force a “happy ending” which, if you think about it, isn’t actually really a happy ending at all. And this sort of ruins the story to an extent, because the whole story had been about growing up and trying to accept reality and find happiness through it, and then the end has Lonnie and your sister throw all that away while making a very stupid decision which flies in the face of Lonnie’s prior characterization, as well as the general theme of the piece.

    I’ll also note that it is possible to sequence skip in this game; as I assumed it was more gamey than it really was, I managed to find some secret passages, including the one that lead to the very final area of the game, far before I was supposed to. This partially spoiled a major aspect of the story to me from quite early on. The worst of it is, finding these secret passages isn’t even very hard if you are familiar with floor plans and realize that there are empty spaces which, in a real house, would have rooms in them.

    In the end, I’m left feeling ambivalent about this game. I wouldn’t not recommend it – I thought it was a decent enough use of two hours of my time – but simultaneously, I feel bad about recommending it, because in the end, the story doesn’t really feel like it actually came together thematically and tossed its build-up away for an ending that the game thinks is a happy one, but which the rest of the story (and plain logic) suggests wouldn’t be.    … Expand
  73. Trashware
    Dec 28, 2013
    6
    Gone Home falls too short in terms of length and depth. The main story is allright but far from original. The sidestories will give you a nice view on who you are and who you live with, but it's all very simplistic and without many storylayers to peel. I guess I expected more depth in this game, there could be so much more going on. Questions remain unanswered, persons remain outlined butGone Home falls too short in terms of length and depth. The main story is allright but far from original. The sidestories will give you a nice view on who you are and who you live with, but it's all very simplistic and without many storylayers to peel. I guess I expected more depth in this game, there could be so much more going on. Questions remain unanswered, persons remain outlined but not much filled in (especially you yourself, as Katie).
    The exploring way of finding missing pieces of information has been done well and the voice acting is great. The house is big, there's a lot to see if you can stand the unnecessary messy state it's in. I liked rummaging through all that nostalgic 80's90's accessories and listening to the appropriately cringeworthy chickrock cassettes. And the main music is very nice as well come to think of it. There are many details in terms of design and stuff to be find, even though most of it is not of much practical use.

    All the pros and cons outweighing I would not recommend this game, unless you can get it very cheap. You might get disappointed if you're expecting as much as there has been said about it.    … Expand
  74. Agarwel
    Aug 19, 2013
    6
    Ok. I will try to be fair with this game. It is a very good experiment. And I enjoyed while it lasted. But on the other hand. It is very difficult to call this even a game (note reading simulator maybe?). And mainly it takes to complete like 2,5 hours if you are checking everything. Plus there is basically no replay value. And the price is not adequate to this. My suggestion wait forOk. I will try to be fair with this game. It is a very good experiment. And I enjoyed while it lasted. But on the other hand. It is very difficult to call this even a game (note reading simulator maybe?). And mainly it takes to complete like 2,5 hours if you are checking everything. Plus there is basically no replay value. And the price is not adequate to this. My suggestion wait for price drop or some humble bundle, then get it really cheap and enjoy this experience for the price that corresponds the amount of gameplay.… Expand
  75. ChoicestGames
    Feb 3, 2014
    6
    Probably the best "non-game" I've played yet with a comprehensible plot, fitting music and decent graphics. Just make sure you don't go in expecting any puzzles as this is another of those games where discovering the narrative is the sole focus.
  76. ns0l
    Aug 11, 2014
    6
    I disagree. 9 or 10 is too much. Gone home is just a good game nothing more. It feels real, but I think it still lacks many things to be that perfect.
  77. LilD
    Nov 1, 2013
    6
    Let’s begin by confirming what others have been saying that there is no way this game is a 87. Paying $20 for a few hours of gameplay inherenently made me feel cheated. There is really no replay value.
    When you first get dropped off and realize that something is not quite right. You get the sense that you’re in for a treat and the game will be every bit as good as the critic scores    Let’s begin by confirming what others have been saying that there is no way this game is a 87. Paying $20 for a few hours of gameplay inherenently made me feel cheated. There is really no replay value.
    When you first get dropped off and realize that something is not quite right. You get the sense that you’re in for a treat and the game will be every bit as good as the critic scores suggest. Unfortunately, the “twist” comes somewhat early, which really kills the mystery to the game. That feeling of unknowing mystery from the beginning quickly dissipates. There are a few times where you think that the game could reintroduce a sense of mystery, but those themes lead to nothing and feel like immensely missed opportunities. Luckily, The atmosphere at has a twinge of creepiness that just goes along with being in a mansion by yourself. It never really amounts to anything. Additionally, the gameplay isn’t too varied. Pretty much all clues are in the form of scattered documents. I found it too often that pages 1, 2, 3, 4 of one document are at completely different corners of the house. It really does feel like a contrived bread crumb for you to follow. The game is a great concept that I hope will be expounded (to a much greater extent) into the future. While there are a few surprises, this game could have been so much more and it is the first feeling I got when I had completed the game.    … Expand
  78. Un0va
    Aug 25, 2013
    6
    Gone Home tells its story in a unique way, and that alongside the fact that it's willing to tackle a subject that often either gets shied away from or treated fairly awkwardly (I'm looking at you, Dragon Age 2) should be commended. However, there's barely anything to do, and the game was made in Unity and REALLY reflects it in a lot of areas. With more polish or a different engine, andGone Home tells its story in a unique way, and that alongside the fact that it's willing to tackle a subject that often either gets shied away from or treated fairly awkwardly (I'm looking at you, Dragon Age 2) should be commended. However, there's barely anything to do, and the game was made in Unity and REALLY reflects it in a lot of areas. With more polish or a different engine, and maybe some more significant interaction here and there, the game has potential to be pretty fantastic.… Expand
  79. luksonije
    Aug 17, 2013
    6
    This game has so much action that it is quite difficult to describe it. Imagine searching through big house and reading diaries. Just amazing way to spend a day if you are working on a ship or if you are in prison.
    Not my cup of tea, but it has some thriller effect inside. I will rate it 6,0 just because it is different then modern brainless shooters and because you actually need to use    This game has so much action that it is quite difficult to describe it. Imagine searching through big house and reading diaries. Just amazing way to spend a day if you are working on a ship or if you are in prison.
    Not my cup of tea, but it has some thriller effect inside. I will rate it 6,0 just because it is different then modern brainless shooters and because you actually need to use your brain.    … Expand
  80. ausgebombt85
    Aug 20, 2014
    6
    Unconventional is the word; its not a game but rather a display of an interactive short story. There are no game mechanics, no puzzles, nothing, just progression through unlocking sections of the house, and a beautiful story, with great music and voice acting. But it would not be fair to give it a higher score, yes its artistic, but I was expecting some kind of involvement through play,Unconventional is the word; its not a game but rather a display of an interactive short story. There are no game mechanics, no puzzles, nothing, just progression through unlocking sections of the house, and a beautiful story, with great music and voice acting. But it would not be fair to give it a higher score, yes its artistic, but I was expecting some kind of involvement through play, puzzles would have been nice.

    I wish this level of writing could be achieved by real games, but in the meantime, you've got "Gone Home".    … Expand
  81. fessisbest
    Sep 7, 2013
    6
    Just when I was getting invested into the story.....it just ends. I leave my pc with my jaw wide open uttering the words "That's it? That's the ending?" The final act of this game leaves you so cold it's terrible.
  82. mlumpz
    Aug 17, 2013
    6
    This game was interesting, as far as game "play" and storyline. However, is it short, short, short. I played through the ENTIRE game in about 2 hours. A little disappointing for the price.
  83. frankielee
    Jan 4, 2016
    6
    it was a little bit of a dissapointment for the game was praised a lot and i had high expectations. it is very short and when you finish the game you see that there is no mystery element. although through the gameplay, there is some. i dont know why they placed the "mysterious" objects in the house and the weird previous owner in the game because they have no function at all.
  84. eternalsnows
    Oct 23, 2013
    6
    Gone Home is a difficult experience to describe, especially when it comes to recommending it to someone else. It's an interactive short story, and I do mean short. The script for the written notes and spoken dialog probably wouldn't amount to more than 10 pages. The characters are very broadly sketched with only the smallest hints of depth and complexity. The focus of the narrative is aGone Home is a difficult experience to describe, especially when it comes to recommending it to someone else. It's an interactive short story, and I do mean short. The script for the written notes and spoken dialog probably wouldn't amount to more than 10 pages. The characters are very broadly sketched with only the smallest hints of depth and complexity. The focus of the narrative is a really pretty mundane love story which presents little in the way of surprise.

    What Gone Home does well though is provide a powerful injection of 100% pure, high grade nostalgia directly into the bloodstream. Nostalgia both for childhood and adolescence in general and the 1990s in particular. A story for the ages this is not. A story for people who were teenagers in 1995? Yes. Maybe.

    The writing is good and the voice actor who played Sam did an excellent job. That, coupled with the introspective and tender mood, is enough to carry you through at least one playthrough (80 minutes for me). That said, there's certainly no reason to play again. In fact, when you start looking back over the experience you begin to resent the numerous red herrings whose sole purpose seemed to be to obscure the real focus of the story for as long as possible.

    In the end I found Gone Home to be atmospheric and touching in a simplistic way, but also fundamentally shallow. The asking price of $19.99 on Steam is way, way too high. I'd recommend purchasing only when a big sale comes along, and then only if you're a fan of this genre of entertainment.    … Expand
  85. linkenski
    Sep 3, 2013
    6
    First of all, this is a "reactive" review, and i'll explain what I mean shortly. After seeing so high praise for this game, I decided it was time to play it myself. Is 1 out of 10 justified..? No but giving this a 10 out of 10 is just as bad.

    This game is very interesting and I think a lot of people hating it, are not admitting they actually liked playing it, because arguably this is a    First of all, this is a "reactive" review, and i'll explain what I mean shortly. After seeing so high praise for this game, I decided it was time to play it myself. Is 1 out of 10 justified..? No but giving this a 10 out of 10 is just as bad.

    This game is very interesting and I think a lot of people hating it, are not admitting they actually liked playing it, because arguably this is a very enjoyable game if you like story-focused games. The problem however, is that when everything in Gone Home is said and done, you'll leave house of the Greenbriar family with a feeling of emptiness. It offers what ends up being a very cut and dry, completely ordinary and nowhere near thought-provoking story.

    If someone spoiled the story for you, you've already heard what there is to experience in this game. It offers nothing more and for a 1-3 hour game I don't think the price-point it launched with was justified.

    Don't let this game fool you. It's not deeper than it seems. There is nothing to learn from this game aside from observing the way it tells its story. That's the true meal of Gone Home. It has a lot of great ideas to tell its story, because it uses red herrings as a means to distract the player from the main story and in the middle of the game the player might be unsure of whether it's actually a tragic tale or just an ordinary day for the protagonist.

    I think all the 2s out of 10s this game is getting by the user base is a reaction on all the praise it gets from the bigger video-game reviewers. There's nothing particularly special about the story in this game, and in the end it feels like you've been cheated.

    I'm letting Fullbright off the hook with my review. It was interesting to play Gone Home, and I enjoyed it a lot. But when I finally pieced everything together I realised I might actually have been wasting my time. This is a definitive "hipster-game"    … Expand
  86. ArjanS87
    Oct 25, 2013
    6
    Again I have to say in a game review that people by default try to rate a game as if it was made by the big game companies that produce big series. However, The Fullbright Company is a team that tries to bring their fresh view onto gaming from a virtually unknown reputation.
    The comments about it being a slightly repetitive, short game with little action are definitely true and if you    Again I have to say in a game review that people by default try to rate a game as if it was made by the big game companies that produce big series. However, The Fullbright Company is a team that tries to bring their fresh view onto gaming from a virtually unknown reputation.
    The comments about it being a slightly repetitive, short game with little action are definitely true and if you really need to have this in a game you better can skip this one.
    However, I personally found the narrative to be of such a quality that I kept on looking for new rooms and items, all the way until the end.
    Granted... it is not the best game by far and to say that it is good is already a heavy statement, but for the 10 euros I paid for it, it was well well worth the spending and I'll be keeping a sharp eye onto this fledgling company!    … Expand
  87. chaser2099
    Aug 23, 2013
    6
    As someone who honestly enjoys a good playable story, this hits relatively high. The gameplay is smooth, the sound is smooth, everything regarding the game is smooth. Unfortunately, the game is quite short and on top of that, the story is a bit lacking at points.
  88. PizzaWizard
    Aug 24, 2013
    6
    The best way to describe this is as a virtual easter egg hunt. Instead of easter eggs you find story fragments, you assemble them together in your head to paint a picture, like putting together pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Sure, you don't need every jigsaw puzzle piece in order to understand what the big picture is but some are more vital than others.

    What will determine how much you like    The best way to describe this is as a virtual easter egg hunt. Instead of easter eggs you find story fragments, you assemble them together in your head to paint a picture, like putting together pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Sure, you don't need every jigsaw puzzle piece in order to understand what the big picture is but some are more vital than others.

    What will determine how much you like this game is how much you like the stories. Two of the stories are delivered very well. You have to put the pieces together on your own which makes them very intriguing. The other story is the one the game dedicates itself to most. It is pretty heavy handed and is the most poorly delivered and the least interesting. This is where the game failed with me. If you are annoyed by teenage infatuation then this isn't for you. If you love the 90s and lifetime dramas then you'll be all over this.

    6/10 for an interesting idea that could have communicated an interesting story but failed    … Expand
  89. tbone86
    Aug 28, 2013
    6
    This game is very difficult to rate. I was enthralled with the details in the house and of the story; the problem is that there are just no puzzles or anything to solve. Every answer is plane and simple. This game started off with a creepy feeling, and if they would have gone the horror/adventure/puzzle route, this would have been an amazing game.

    Instead they just told a touching    This game is very difficult to rate. I was enthralled with the details in the house and of the story; the problem is that there are just no puzzles or anything to solve. Every answer is plane and simple. This game started off with a creepy feeling, and if they would have gone the horror/adventure/puzzle route, this would have been an amazing game.

    Instead they just told a touching story, that I still found interesting nonetheless.

    If I knew going into this game what it was, I'd give it a 10. Based on what I thought it was going to be, it's a 1 however. I enjoyed the story, and I was constantly waiting for some kind of twist that just never came. I'll settle on a 6 for effort.    … Expand
  90. Mariokata
    Nov 30, 2013
    6
    I DON’T RECOMMEND THIS GAME AT FULL PRICE

    BUY ONLY AT 75% OFF. Gone home is a first person exploration game. Well maybe it’s not a game but more of an experience. There are no puzzles, no challenge and nothing to put your game skills to test here. This “game” is all about exploring a house, looking at items and basically learning more about the people who live in the house and their    I DON’T RECOMMEND THIS GAME AT FULL PRICE

    BUY ONLY AT 75% OFF.

    Gone home is a first person exploration game. Well maybe it’s not a game but more of an experience. There are no puzzles, no challenge and nothing to put your game skills to test here. This “game” is all about exploring a house, looking at items and basically learning more about the people who live in the house and their background. Without spoiling the story because this is the meat” of the game I will have to say that it tries to create an emotional connection with the user but the problem here is that THIS connection is hard to be established on all people who play the game and it depends on their own norms/values. That is also the reason that some people like the game and others dont. Furthermore this game is full of Easter eggs. If you were born in the 80’s just like me you will find a lot of references here. Some items will bring back memories from your childhood. The “game” is all about creating nostalgia but nonetheless it covers a very sensitive topic.

    Personally the story for ME was not very touching and to tell the truth I enjoyed exploring the house and finding those 80’s and early 90’s easter eggs more. The main story was average and predictable to say the least.

    Pros: beautiful environment that looks and feels like a real house, lots of Easter eggs, 80’s nostalgia is everywhere, good voice work, the soundtrack is excellent and the music fits with the tone of the game

    Cons: main story it’s predictable and boring, there is no real gameplay here, no replayability, the game is only 2 hours long and it’s also very expensive for its duration.

    FINAL SCORE: 6.5/10    … Expand
  91. chellboy
    Sep 22, 2013
    6
    This "game" is hard to rate. Because although it fits the definition of a game, it isnt really. Its more of an interactive book played out through a house. Its only 2 hours but its meant to immerse you and learn the family only through look around the house. The problem is, it doesnt even do that very well. I like the story and the ending but it presence itself in a weird way. It reads youThis "game" is hard to rate. Because although it fits the definition of a game, it isnt really. Its more of an interactive book played out through a house. Its only 2 hours but its meant to immerse you and learn the family only through look around the house. The problem is, it doesnt even do that very well. I like the story and the ending but it presence itself in a weird way. It reads you journal entries from absolutely nowhere, serious where did it come from? There a notes scattered which are pretty interesting but there just isnt enough of them and they are so easy to find. Not to mention they are place in very stupid locations. Such as Sam's private diary being in Kat's room on a bedside table. The story about the haunted house is totally underdeveloped and leads to nothing.

    The house is very interesting and well designed for most of the time. I actually really enjoyed myself and the ending warmed my heart, but it was afterwards I realised the faults. Its fun just unfinished and underdone. Add more notes and make it longer and this would be with the absolutely ridiculous price. This game should not have been worth more than $5.    … Expand
  92. M0vingon
    Sep 7, 2013
    6
    Don't buy into the hype, but don't fall for the extreme negativism either. I bought this game as a result of the reviews. To me it doesn't earn a 10 or anything above a 6.
    The amount of game play to complete does not, IMO, warrant a $19.99 price tag. Unlike other users, I had no issues with glitches or the functionality of the game.
    The storyline was engaging enough to keep me playing    Don't buy into the hype, but don't fall for the extreme negativism either. I bought this game as a result of the reviews. To me it doesn't earn a 10 or anything above a 6.
    The amount of game play to complete does not, IMO, warrant a $19.99 price tag. Unlike other users, I had no issues with glitches or the functionality of the game.
    The storyline was engaging enough to keep me playing (which is saying something), but the end was sadly predictable. I found myself waiting for something startling to happen, but it didn't. Frankly, short was good considering I was tired of following the predictable plot line.
    The ability to interact with objects was unnecessarily overdone. There were far too many empty drawers to open, tissue boxes and 3-ring binders to pick up- all with no relevance to the game. And no, I don't care about the nutritional information on the cans of cola strewn about the mansion.
    Props to the devs for the retro theme. I had particular fun with the 3D print in Sam's room as a throwback to the '90s.
    I would like to have seen the parents' individual storylines fleshed out much more.
    Overall, I'm giving it a 6, because I feel that this genre of game has massive potential (think Zork from the '80s), but it is also extremely difficult to do well. It is easier to captivate with big baddies and shiny loot than to engage the player with simple environments and story driven plots. Gone Home had me engaged from the beginning to end, but ultimately I may not have had the patience for it to go on much longer as it is written. For the price, I am looking for better.    … Expand
  93. ShalashaskaJC
    Sep 9, 2013
    6
    It's just not my adventure. The love story was nice, and it looked fairly good, but it's lacking substance for the price. This should be a $10.00 USD game for the two hours it took to complete it. I liked it, yet it needs another year of making it into a full game.
  94. fffred
    Oct 26, 2013
    6
    This story-telling game has an interesting story, and the theme is rarely seen in video-games. The tone, atmosphere and style are good and bring a new approach to this genre.

    But for 20 dollars, I expected to play more than 2 hours, and the technical realization was not satisfactory (mostly because of lags). On top of that, the game system becomes repetitive at the end of the two hours    This story-telling game has an interesting story, and the theme is rarely seen in video-games. The tone, atmosphere and style are good and bring a new approach to this genre.

    But for 20 dollars, I expected to play more than 2 hours, and the technical realization was not satisfactory (mostly because of lags). On top of that, the game system becomes repetitive at the end of the two hours of playing. The right price would be around 5 dollars.

    Last thing, even if the subject of this game is interesting and challenging, it could have been developed more, and could have avoided some clichés. I hope that this game will encourage such "serious" subjects to be developed.    … Expand
  95. Reace
    Nov 10, 2013
    6
    Pretend yourself in a situation where you are left to be alone at your friend's house and they gave permission to "Do whatever you want, anything at all" and you thought of exploring the house. While you are at it, will you get disturbances like in horror movies? Find a secret passageway that leads you to new chain of adventures and secrets? Discover the mysteries of the family of yourPretend yourself in a situation where you are left to be alone at your friend's house and they gave permission to "Do whatever you want, anything at all" and you thought of exploring the house. While you are at it, will you get disturbances like in horror movies? Find a secret passageway that leads you to new chain of adventures and secrets? Discover the mysteries of the family of your friends that can be life changing to yourself?

    None whatsoever. and that is exactly what Gone Home is. a realistic own home exploration game that only focus on telling you family stories on top of putting nostalgic items from the 90 's for display.

    For myself, the main story are not as interesting. In fact, it gets predictable the further you go so there's not much surprises. Game-wise, it's very casual which could easily bore you. If you care about the game play, and storyline means nothing much to you, I won't suggest this game.

    I like the game as it is, but I'm not sure I enjoy it enough.    … Expand
  96. arh5103
    Nov 10, 2013
    6
    I really enjoyed this game for what it was. An "escape from the room" type game on a bigger scale with a decent story to follow. Not much replayability sadly which is what I was hoping/thinking it would have. I thought in places, at least, there was some potential for further explanation for certain parts of the story. Not bad though overall.
  97. victorhjkl
    Dec 8, 2013
    6
    Gone home has a very short story but it doesn't mean that the it isn't good, in the game you just have to go through the story without trouble there isn't guns or something like that, Gone Home is boring sometimes it hasn't amazing graphics, just some persons will like this game, but if story is just what you are looking for in a game you will enjoy it.
  98. Murther
    Dec 2, 2013
    6
    I liked this game for the most part. It makes you piece together the story yourself, through searching your house and discovering clues as to where your sister and parents have gone. It's a form of storytelling that I think should be in more games. I thought the story was superb... until I got to the end. I left my ninety minute experience angry and disappointed, because this game tricksI liked this game for the most part. It makes you piece together the story yourself, through searching your house and discovering clues as to where your sister and parents have gone. It's a form of storytelling that I think should be in more games. I thought the story was superb... until I got to the end. I left my ninety minute experience angry and disappointed, because this game tricks you into believing something interesting is going on... But it's not... seriously at the end it was a huge let down, and the game tricks you like this on purpose. It's also too expensive, don't pay more than a couple of dollars for this game it's way too short.… Expand
  99. homosaur
    Dec 12, 2013
    6
    I agree with most of the people on here that say Gone Home is conceptually brilliant and essential, and I also agree with those that think the story is somewhat bland. I appreciate the unique perspective, and the game really drips with nostalgia for the 1990's Portland underground. It really does feel like it really understands time and place. However, there's actually little story, it'sI agree with most of the people on here that say Gone Home is conceptually brilliant and essential, and I also agree with those that think the story is somewhat bland. I appreciate the unique perspective, and the game really drips with nostalgia for the 1990's Portland underground. It really does feel like it really understands time and place. However, there's actually little story, it's more of a short interactive fiction work.

    It's also too expensive. If I had paid $20 for this like some on here, I'd be furious with the length and lack of interaction. At $10 it's still a bit pricey. I'm not sure if the high cost is due to a custom engine, but if that's the case, they should have likely got something off the shelf and made the game cheaper. Unless you can get this for $10 or less, I unfortunately cannot recommend it despite the fact that it's something everyone should play once.    … Expand
  100. Citizen2BX
    Mar 11, 2014
    6
    Over all was interesting. I like how the story of it unraveled. Seemed to have just enough clues to help solve what ever simple puzzle was going on, and, or on where to go next.
    It really kept me glued to it most of the time for the few hours it took to play/walk the game.
    I think they are on to something here, but in the end I was a bit cheated and disappointed. I was starting to    Over all was interesting. I like how the story of it unraveled. Seemed to have just enough clues to help solve what ever simple puzzle was going on, and, or on where to go next.
    It really kept me glued to it most of the time for the few hours it took to play/walk the game.

    I think they are on to something here, but in the end I was a bit cheated and disappointed.
    I was starting to feel let down when it was obvious where the story was headed. What was the main story I thought was just a side story.

    Either at one time, or, it's just to throw you off, you play because you hope there is something supernatural in the house. For a while I suspected that maybe I would find "Sam" hanging to death in
    some secret passage.

    Instead I am forced to hear some homosexuality story. Not that I have some hatred towards homosexuals, but then at the same time I don't really need to know all the details of it.
    I don't really care if you want to have sex with animals or inanimate objects, etc., for the most part I'd be like okay, yea, please don't tell me about it, I'm not asking.
    But like a lot of homosexuality in the media, etc., as in this game you are forced to know about it, and it ends up being the story.

    I don't like all the "haha you thought you would see ghosts, or something (interesting)". Yea I'd rather see those things then rather have it all be about homosexuality.

    I don't see how people gave this the "game of the year" last year.
    Other then like Hollywood it seems obligatory for like minded people to give such subject matter high praises. Like it was no big surprise that "brokeback mtn" got so many Oscars et al.

    Okay, just over hyped and shallow in the end.    … Expand
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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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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. JeuxActu
    Feb 10, 2015
    85
    Grow Home is an interesting surprise from a publisher who get used to mismanaging his own IP's. This platformer like no other has everything going for you and for a very low price tag. You can easily give it a try.
    Read full review
  2. IGN Italia
    Jan 5, 2014
    95
    A beautiful, emotionally engaging, artfully crafted game, completely centered around exploration and telling a mature story through interaction.
    Read full review
  3. RPG Fan
    Dec 2, 2013
    75
    A story that will move some and alienate others.
    Read full review
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