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

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. zimka
    Aug 18, 2013
    5
    I'm rating this game a five in protest to rave scores from professional critics. Oh, I'm perfectly fine with indie games, as well as 'experience' 'games' in general, but giving this short collection of interactive notes (that's what this really is) anything over 60 or 70 is ridiculous.
  2. dubesor
    Aug 17, 2013
    5
    Not much of a "Game" but rather an interactive story. Could have been an interesting experience if the story wasn't so obvious, I knew the entire plot within the first 15 minutes of the game, and the ending was so stereotypical which left me closing the game in major disappointment after finishing it. Also with only 2 hours of gameplay and literally zero replayability it is quite a steep price.
  3. lazerpuma
    Aug 16, 2013
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I was very excited after reading the reviews to play this game, but equally disappointed after finishing it in 2 hours. You arrive back home after a year abroad in Europe learning in the first few minutes that your house is known throughout the small Oregon town setting as the "Psycho House," and that it might be haunted by your dead uncle. The house is big, the lights flicker, the noises are offsetting, and there are secret panels and passage ways. However, all of that is a big red herring. About 30 minutes into the game, you learn that you kid sister is probably a lesbian, and that's the big reveal at the end of the game you learn your sister ran off to be with her female lover, Lonnie, to the chagrin of your dysfunctional parents. Throughout the obvious but slow "coming out" of your sister through reading her diary entries and listening to her very Sleater-Kinney-esque mix tapes, you learn that your mom is probably having an affair with a park ranger and that your father is a failed aloof scifi writer who enjoys his whiskey. I did enjoy all the 90s indie music, x-files, twin peaks, videogame, and movie references, but really the whole game came off as an interactive version of Tracie Chapman's song, "Fast Car."… Expand
  4. 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
  5. tibzoid
    Aug 18, 2013
    5
    Perfectly OK title, but there is nothing innovative or special about it. It only takes about 2 hours to play through, has no puzzles or intellectual challenge, and the story is dull as dishwater. The reason I'm even inclined to write a review is because I paid $17 for this, which is WAAAY too much. It should have retailed for $5 max. People praising this game as extraordinary either havePerfectly OK title, but there is nothing innovative or special about it. It only takes about 2 hours to play through, has no puzzles or intellectual challenge, and the story is dull as dishwater. The reason I'm even inclined to write a review is because I paid $17 for this, which is WAAAY too much. It should have retailed for $5 max. People praising this game as extraordinary either have no exposure to other games or have terribly low standards.… Expand
  6. 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
  7. mcullen98
    Dec 16, 2015
    6
    Being a mysterious adventure exploring a modern locale, Gone Home includes a story line of problem solving to find where the main character’s family is. Throughout the game the player will encounter many rooms and clues such as notes and other artifacts which help move the plot forward and ultimately lead to the final scene revealing the mystery previously unsolved. This game incorporatesBeing a mysterious adventure exploring a modern locale, Gone Home includes a story line of problem solving to find where the main character’s family is. Throughout the game the player will encounter many rooms and clues such as notes and other artifacts which help move the plot forward and ultimately lead to the final scene revealing the mystery previously unsolved. This game incorporates themes of other games, and adds its own refreshing sense of family and feminism, which makes it appealing to women as well as men, something most games are not able to accomplish.

    Gone home takes time and focus to understand the game fully, and creates a need for attention to detail such as music, lighting, and relating it to personal experience. Gone Home is designed to be fine combed which makes the game that much more intriguing. Considering that many people find this aspect of the game a bit tedious, it adds to the realism of it. One thing that is done very well is the level of low lighting they use which adds a feeling of mystery. The player is constantly stimulated with music which relate to the atmosphere of the house therefor drawing the player even deeper into it. Along with the music, the graphics create a very real feel for the player. If not played properly you miss most of the messages meant to be taught and therefor making the game much less enjoyable. Another aspect which was well established was the option to play Gone Home a second time with developer’s commentary, which explains problems which the developers had to overcome when creating the game, and developing a more in depth explanation of many rooms of the house. After playing this game I found myself feeling multiple emotions, however one which was the most apparent was the feeling of disappointment that it was over.

    Aspects of the game that could be improved are spread out among the entire game. One aspect which needs to be addressed is the direction given when playing the game. Understanding the game is supposed to be a free exploration for the gamer to experience, some guidance of where to go or what to see would be helpful. After talking to many people about the gameplay, they mentioned that they missed a few very important pieces of the game because they did not know they were a part of it. If the developers were to include a list of things needed to be accomplished, the game would be easier to understand. The objects being examined should be tweaked to allow collection of knowledge for everyone. Some of the letters or books were written in very neat, but hard to read cursive which restricted many people from understanding some of the clues.

    Overall the game itself presented the aspect of mystery, adventure and difficulty which will appeal to many players who enjoy story line games. The gameplay was enjoyable and aside from little tweaks, the game was well developed. Taking into account the difficulty of some aspects such as opening and closing doors, the developers made great use of coding to make the game the way it is. The story drew the player in, overall pleasing the senses of the player. I would recommend this game to people who strive for adventure and interest in knowledge of the game.    … Expand
  8. jjuev
    Jan 28, 2016
    6
    Gone Home game review

    This is a short novel game. The game is about a girl named Katie that comes home after traveling and finds her family missing. She can’ find her parent or her sister Sam. She then decides to investigate the house and finds the shocking truth about her sister. The way the story is told is chronologic because you start from the beginning. You do see back on old    Gone Home game review

    This is a short novel game. The game is about a girl named Katie that comes home after traveling and finds her family missing. She can’ find her parent or her sister Sam. She then decides to investigate the house and finds the shocking truth about her sister.
    The way the story is told is chronologic because you start from the beginning. You do see back on old memories sometimes, and that is very good.
    The main character in the game is Katie. It is good that it is the sister who is there but actually it doesn’t matter who is the main character. I mean anyone could have been the main character. A friend, an uncle, maybe the mailman or some stalker. Just someone is in the house and investigates
    I think the area where the house is perfect. It is in no man’s land, it’s an old house and it’s raining. I mean I couldn’t be better because you wouldn’t have the same excitement if it’s in the city or it’s sunny or something like that.
    I don’t play so many games but I do believe that the graphics could have been better.
    This game is in the mystery genre because you would find any of those things in the game in a comedy or a romance.
    My experiences with the game was that it was really exciting. I was bored sometimes but it was fun.
    I give this game 6/10    … Expand
  9. KajaNerdal
    Jan 28, 2016
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This short story is about this girl, Kaitlyn, which comes home from her trip to Europe. When she comes home she finds that her whole family is gone. In the story you (Kaitlyn) are going to look for traces after your family and where they might can be.
    I think the main message in the game is that your family can be more unknown to you than you think. You can think that you know them very well, when they actually keeps a lot of secrets from you. It can be hard to live in a house that everyone thinks is “the crazy house” because of the earlier history from the house. The very main message is actually about the love story between Samantha and Lonnie.
    The way this short story goes is very chronologic, at least how I understood it, and I think that was great. The game was very exciting and I liked it when it got a little scary but still exciting. It was kind of hard to move the avatar because you couldn’t walk and change direction in the same time, you had to take brakes to change directions. It also were kind of hard to find the important traces so it took a while to really understand what the short story were about. I don’t think they used any symbols, at least I didn’t find any.
    In the game you’ll hear about your sister/Samantha, mom, dad, Lonnie and your uncle. There are a lot of different relations between all of them. Especially mom, dad, Samantha and Lonnie. The main character in the game is not actually in the game, but the game is about to find out where Sam, the main character is. I think the game is supposed to be romantic, and exciting in the same time, because it is a love story with some twists.
    If you are going to take screen-prints in the game I think that is kind of difficult because if you just do it as normal, you`ll get a picture of your home screen. The gameplay was great, but the graphic was bad sometimes, it had great sound effects which made the game more exciting.
    My experiences with the game was that the game was exciting, but I think you were way too free to go where you wanted, so you could end the game before you ever got a thing from the actual short story. But if you wanted to get the whole short story it could`ve taken hours before you`d end it.    … Expand
  10. maggaMLG
    Jan 28, 2016
    6
    It’s a story about a girl named Katie. This girl lives in a haunted house, she don’t know where why her family is gone.
    It’s June 6th 1995 and Katie just got home from a year in Europe. In this year have the family has moved out to a new house, but her sister wasn’t very interested to move in to this house. When Katie arrives to the house, it was very empty. Nobody was there. Katie is    It’s a story about a girl named Katie. This girl lives in a haunted house, she don’t know where why her family is gone.
    It’s June 6th 1995 and Katie just got home from a year in Europe. In this year have the family has moved out to a new house, but her sister wasn’t very interested to move in to this house. When Katie arrives to the house, it was very empty. Nobody was there. Katie is standing outside of the door with no keys, trying to figure out where the keys are. While you are playing this game you will maybe find out that there may be some lesbian girls in this story. You are going to find a lot of cassettes where Katie are talking about how it goes and other things in her life. Where she has been and what she has done in the last couple of days. There are many different rooms you may have to check out, where you will find other posted notes. You will find many
    The gameplay is kind of boring and the graphics could be better, but the graphics have nothing about the game to. But if you pay attention to the store it will be very interesting. At the start when you are outside the door you will find some posted notes, where you will get some help where you are going to.    … Expand
  11. hhjelmaas
    Jan 28, 2016
    6
    The year is 1995, Katie Greenbriar is 19 years old and she’s home from Europe. She arrives at the house in Portland at 1.15 AM and the rain is pouring. On the door it is a letter from Sam. As she comes home she finds out that nobody is home. Katie walks around the messy house on search for her family she steps over some tracks and letters about her sister Sam. She finds out things nobodyThe year is 1995, Katie Greenbriar is 19 years old and she’s home from Europe. She arrives at the house in Portland at 1.15 AM and the rain is pouring. On the door it is a letter from Sam. As she comes home she finds out that nobody is home. Katie walks around the messy house on search for her family she steps over some tracks and letters about her sister Sam. She finds out things nobody did know about Sam and where she might be. As she study the house more and more she also finds tracks of her family.
    I think the games key message to this game is to be who you are. You should trust yourself and you should not care about what anyone thinks about your but have your own opinions. It’s a lot to learn about this fantastic story.
    I did not see that many symbols in this game, but I did see the Bible which means they are Christians. Later in this game we can see that the parents are hardcore Christians.
    I think it is a weird contact between the people in this game. At the start of the game you will get so much information of some of them. It’s just weird. When you’re getting closer to the end you will understand more..
    The gameplay is good. The setting is easy to understand, and the music is great, so are the sound effects as well. It is best to play with a headset because you will get a total different experience of the game. In my opinion I think the graphics were **** Some places the shadows would be rough and blocky. I could easily glitch trough doors and they were some illogical placements of some of Sam’s letters. But the story in this game is good.
    My judgment of the game is that it is a good game. The story was fantastic but the graphics was the main reason why I did not like it. At the start I absolutely thought that this was an awful bad game, but later when I began to understand more I could not stop playing it.    … Expand
  12. MindSpaz
    Dec 31, 2013
    5
    I'm not sure how to rate this game because I think the way it tells a story is really good, however, I don't think it's 20$ good. There's about 3 hours of gameplay, maybe less, and literally 0 replay value to the game. It's very hard to miss notes because you pretty much have to get them all to complete the game. The story is good, but once again, the game is so short its frustrating. IfI'm not sure how to rate this game because I think the way it tells a story is really good, however, I don't think it's 20$ good. There's about 3 hours of gameplay, maybe less, and literally 0 replay value to the game. It's very hard to miss notes because you pretty much have to get them all to complete the game. The story is good, but once again, the game is so short its frustrating. If the game had some sort of expansion pack or something like that, then I think the game MIGHT get it's value out of it. If this was a 1 dollar game or even a free game, then the score would be a different story. But the fact that the game is so short, and so pricey, I cannot give this game a good score.… Expand
  13. 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.
  14. Lerxst
    Dec 30, 2013
    5
    The gameplay consists of nothing more than picking up and reading items while a narrative tells a story a trite, clichéd story that's ending leaves the player flat with the all too familiar, "That's it?" reaction. It's worth a once-through if you get it for under $5 on a Steam sale, but nothing more. The "professional" critics are doing gamers a disservice on this one with their 9s andThe gameplay consists of nothing more than picking up and reading items while a narrative tells a story a trite, clichéd story that's ending leaves the player flat with the all too familiar, "That's it?" reaction. It's worth a once-through if you get it for under $5 on a Steam sale, but nothing more. The "professional" critics are doing gamers a disservice on this one with their 9s and 10s and GOTY recommendations.… Expand
  15. 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
  16. 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
  17. azadi
    Nov 5, 2013
    5
    I want to start out by saying I enjoy the gameplay elements of this game and want to see it used in a horror game. But the story is poor and mediocre. The only reason the story is praised is because of the gay elements but it nothing more then a cliched, teenage angst story made to look like could have horror elements.
  18. Zodmo
    Dec 18, 2013
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I am an older game player (62). I think this game is average in just about every way: graphics, sound, story line. Perhaps the thing that bothers me most is the ending. I think the fact that our young friend decided to be a runaway is disconcerting. Kids that age have all sorts of strange ideas and drives. This game seems to laud very questionable behavior. Let's face it: she has no money, and no real education. She is taking off with her friend to a life that will almost certainly be a miserable one, once the initial thrill wears off. I just to heck that this games does not encourage anyone else to do this sort of thing.… Expand
  19. 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...
  20. 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
  21. 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
  22. epaga
    Feb 1, 2014
    5
    I finished the game in 2.5 hours and was really disappointed. The storyline kept you interested the whole time, and the 90s memorabilia lying around the house was fun, but that was about it. Other than that it was simply entering rooms, switching on lights, and listening to emotional voiceovers that walked you through a story worthy of Dawson's Creek. Really too bad because with a betterI finished the game in 2.5 hours and was really disappointed. The storyline kept you interested the whole time, and the 90s memorabilia lying around the house was fun, but that was about it. Other than that it was simply entering rooms, switching on lights, and listening to emotional voiceovers that walked you through a story worthy of Dawson's Creek. Really too bad because with a better story the medium would have made for a simply AWESOME game. This way: meh.… Expand
  23. omniscient
    Dec 27, 2013
    5
    There isn't much to a game with edgy storytelling if there isn't much of a story to tell. Gone Home excels in pushing the boundaries of storytelling but suffers as the story it's trying to tell is bland and banal.
  24. conserd
    Sep 17, 2013
    5
    I am not totally against story based games as the walking dead was excellent but gone home is horrible bad graphics which is important for atmosphere in these types of games all you do is collect notes with a forgettable story and all the blind thick skulled critics gave it a 10/10 $20.00 is $20.00 too much.
  25. 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.
  26. Sroty
    Dec 27, 2013
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Strange game. Word "game" is too enough for this. Interactive story or maybe interactive book, but not the game. Gone home has no interaction, no puzzles (except key hunting) but almost every time you're reading scraps of leters, opening drawers and turnings lights, investigating where your family is and what happend. That is the probably the most interesting thing in the game. The end came fast, all the time I expected some story twist but didnt come.… Expand
  27. GenuineOpinion
    Jul 11, 2014
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Plain and simple, it's an interactive story. I'm not knockin' it for that. It's just that.....
    ....that ending was absolutely ridiculous! I cracked up so hard. To summarize, the main character's little sister has a lesbian love affair, and their Ouija board tells them to run off together, and the parents are gone looking for them. That's why you come home to an empty house, lol!    … Expand
  28. 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
  29. 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
  30. 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.
prev
Page:

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
See all critic reviews »