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. Kraxlord
    Jun 18, 2023
    10
    Maybe one of the best games I have ever played! It's an intense story-driven experience for roughly 2 hours!
  2. hekoh
    Feb 19, 2023
    8
    pretty good walking simulator, i loved the immersion and the story. One of the first walking simulator
  3. succhini
    Jun 2, 2022
    8
    I am a person that really enjoys atmospheric games, where the setting and details are rich in detail.
    From the little tapes that you find, and put in the radio, to the little items you can interact with to enrich the story telling it was really enjoyable.
    There weren't that many "puzzles" at all, and made it for a very good game to unwind and get the feels for. The narrator had a    I am a person that really enjoys atmospheric games, where the setting and details are rich in detail.
    From the little tapes that you find, and put in the radio, to the little items you can interact with to enrich the story telling it was really enjoyable.

    There weren't that many "puzzles" at all, and made it for a very good game to unwind and get the feels for. The narrator had a really good voice, and really good voice acting skills.

    It was fun exploring the whole place. Those that have rated this game low might not be those kinds of gamers that enjoy a laid back story telling sort of approach. But I enjoyed it.    … Expand
  4. navik8
    Feb 28, 2022
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As someone new to games, and who enjoyed Edith Finch, overall I enjoyed this game and the ability to walk around the house to gather the pieces at a more self-directed pace. My only disappointment was that the ending was a bit of a letdown. I felt like I was going to solve a deeper mystery when it was just *SPOILER ALERT* the sister just ended up running away to be her love interest. I am all for happy endings, I guess I was just hoping for more. I played part on an xbox and a switch, and found both versions enjoyable.… Expand
  5. Perfect_Smith
    Dec 29, 2021
    10
    норм игра. вполне приятная история и бродилка по дому, симулятор клептомана.
  6. PublicNuisance
    May 29, 2021
    8
    Gone Home has come a long way since it was released. When it first came out it ran horribly on Linux and happily I can say that is no longer the case. It will be tough to talk a lot about the plot of Gone Home without spoiling it so I will simply say I enjoyed the story and liked how it was presented. You arrive home after catching a late flight to an empty house and trying to figure outGone Home has come a long way since it was released. When it first came out it ran horribly on Linux and happily I can say that is no longer the case. It will be tough to talk a lot about the plot of Gone Home without spoiling it so I will simply say I enjoyed the story and liked how it was presented. You arrive home after catching a late flight to an empty house and trying to figure out where your sister is. Your parents are also not home but that is more of a side story. You have to explore the house trying to find clues. When you find certain ones it triggers a audio journal from your sister. You can also learn a lot about your parents lives and that of your late uncle if you dig around enough. I liked the form of many of the clues such as crumpled pieces of paper; diaries; letters; etc. You will have to find combinations to many locks as well as keys. It is a little convoluted at times as you will have to start finding wall panels to tear off and secret passages, I can’t imagine the cleanup after I was done searching. The game really nails the nostalgia of the 90’s well. It takes place in 1995 and I can say they hit on many things I remember doing back then. The music is also great for the time period. One thing I will also mention is that, while the game is not a horror game, it did a great job having some creepy horror vibes at times. There are times where between the rain storm going on outside; the creaky floor boards; and the music that I expected things to take a grim turn. The graphics are mediocre to decent. The object detail such as furniture; appliances; etc were decent to good. The shadows and lighting were a little sub par but not terrible.

    I played Gone Home on Linux. It never crashed on me and I didn’t notice any bugs or glitches. There is an AF toggle; an AA toggle; an AO toggle; a Vsync toggle; an FOV slider that went from 60-90 and 3 other graphics options. The games save system is to save on exit and there is just the one save slot. Alt-tab didn’t work. I did find the mouse movement to be a little funky where it felt slow and unresponsive at times but normal at others. This didn’t seem to correspond to a frame rate issue as that was always 60+ FPS. The game seemed to use 100% of my GPU for much of my play through, which given the detail level seemed odd, but the performance was great.

    Game Engine: Unity
    Graphics API: OpenGL
    Save System: Save on Exit
    Disk Space Used: 3.03 GB
    Input Used: Keyboard and Mouse

    Settings Used: AO; AF; AA; Bloom on; Motion Blur off; Shadow Distance at Max; 90 FOV @ 1080P
    GPU Usage: 1-100 %
    VRAM Usage: 1667-1876 MB
    CPU Usage: 16-33 %
    RAM Usage: 3.1-3.5 GB
    Frame Rate: 72-121 FPS

    Overall if you enjoy walking sims you should give Gone Home a try. It has a great atmosphere and story as well as really nails it’s time period. I finished my play through in 110 minutes although I didn’t find all possible clues; journal logs and secrets. It is easily worth it’s current price of $16.99 CAD.

    My Score: 8/10

    My System:

    AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | 16GB DDR4-3000 CL15 | MSI RX 580 8GB Gaming X | Mesa 21.0.3 | Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500GB | Manjaro 21.0.5 | Mate 1.24.1 | Kernel 5.12.2-1-MANJARO | AOC G2460P 1920*1080 @ 144hz    … Expand
  7. FirstSpawn
    May 26, 2021
    8
    Очень уютная и ламповая игра, и исходя из этого зайдёт всем любителям чая с печениями =)
  8. UnGamedesigner
    Apr 22, 2021
    8
    Very nice game and quick to complete. A very simple graphic adventure in which you have to collect diary pages in order to complete the story they tell. History is truly a swing of emotions. Other than the wonderful storyline, the game doesn't offer much high, but it's still a very enjoyable experience.
  9. UncleEd
    Feb 14, 2021
    8
    This is an example of a good walking simulator. It gives the impression of a horror game, but in reality, it is a very well written young adult story. Voice acting is top notch. It takes about two hours to beat the entire game, but it will keep you engaged the whole time.

    8/10
  10. MusicScoresDK
    Dec 10, 2020
    10
    For the purpose that this game tries to achieve, it's perfect.
    For me, Gone Home was the game of 2013, and I would love for this story to be continued, to find out what happens with the family.
    What mostly stands out to me, is the voiceacting, the musicscore, the interaction with the environment and the level of detail found around the house. This is a story-based first-person game,    For the purpose that this game tries to achieve, it's perfect.
    For me, Gone Home was the game of 2013, and I would love for this story to be continued, to find out what happens with the family.
    What mostly stands out to me, is the voiceacting, the musicscore, the interaction with the environment and the level of detail found around the house.

    This is a story-based first-person game, where you must uncover the story as the game progresses. Curiosity carries the game, and you are like a detective trying to find out what has happen.

    I respect that this game is not loved by anyone, but for me it ticks all the boxes for what I love in a game like this. It has funny, sad, serious and lovely moments, and the dynamic of the game changes as you learn more about the story. And I like this story, and I would like to know what happens next.    … Expand
  11. Ternunda
    Apr 7, 2020
    8
    I've played this game just now -- April 8, 2020. It took me 105 minutes to complete it where I left just one stone unturned. Here are some points.

    Pros: - The game has a great personality and is very effective at building a strong, impactful atmosphere. - The character stories are generally likable and enjoyable to uncover. - Graphics are pleasantly surprising. - You can interact    I've played this game just now -- April 8, 2020. It took me 105 minutes to complete it where I left just one stone unturned. Here are some points.

    Pros:
    - The game has a great personality and is very effective at building a strong, impactful atmosphere.
    - The character stories are generally likable and enjoyable to uncover.
    - Graphics are pleasantly surprising.
    - You can interact with a large portion of the environment.
    - There is a level of eerieness that never really leaves.

    Mixed:
    - It isn't very difficult to navigate through the game to move the storyline forward which means playtime is short.

    Cons:
    - Incomplete lore. There are some lines of the story which I believe would be better explored than left up for interpretation. It's disappointing to uncover some of the potentially interesting parts only to be left without a resolution.
    - The story is incredibly easy to piece together quite early on which damages the impactfulness at the end.

    Extra Notes:
    The problem with this game is that the content is easy to navigate while not leaving the consumer with much reason to come back for more. Being so linear, someone who pays for the product might be left wanting and disappointed because it does take less than 2 hours to finish the game... But you can tell how much time and effort went into making this game. It is *very* well crafted and I do believe that many of the negative reviews come from an audience that is not receptive to the story. User ratings must be taken with a grain of salt (and so should critic ratings) because we have to understand that not all people will appreciate the content.

    TL;DR

    If you can get it on the cheap, this is a great game to spend 2 hours on. The story is charming and the world is wonderfully interesting to navigate. Just understand that this is an investment for 2 hours of your life, not a massively mastered and developed game that will give you 60 hours of gameplay. I would recommend this game to anyone looking for nice, niche storylines with no pressure on the player. Play at your pace. Enjoy the environment.    … Expand
  12. Kekoto
    Apr 6, 2020
    9
    I got this for free and for the 2-3 hour gameplay I got I feel like 20 bucks aren't worth, wait for a sale. However, the atmosphere is dripping and there were times where I felt unease with the storm in the background and the occasional voices in the basement. The story is bittersweet and so heartfelt, I really enjoyed this game. It starts off with a creepy sort of feel but slowly revealsI got this for free and for the 2-3 hour gameplay I got I feel like 20 bucks aren't worth, wait for a sale. However, the atmosphere is dripping and there were times where I felt unease with the storm in the background and the occasional voices in the basement. The story is bittersweet and so heartfelt, I really enjoyed this game. It starts off with a creepy sort of feel but slowly reveals a love story along with many little secrets hidden in the nooks and crannys.… Expand
  13. Philosophical
    Jul 9, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is a difficult game to review, not because it's bad, but because it's such an experience that it's hard to describe. But, I'm going to attempt to. First off, this is one of the best first person narrative games I've ever played, and there are a lot of reasons for it. Let's begin with the graphics. The graphics aren't anything to go insane about, but they're not horrible to the point that it looks like someone took a crap on a copy machine. One of the only issues I had with the game was that the default brightness was, in my opinion, too dark. It could just be because I can't see well, but I had to turn the brightness up, though it didn't hinder my experience. With the graphics being just good, the audio is a whole other story. There isn't much background music, only a bit of very atmospheric tracks that helped add to the immersion. The sound effects were used well, and at times made me jump because of how engrossed I was in this game. There isn't a lot of voice acting, but when it's used, the performances are great. The journal entries by Sam were read so well, it truly at times made me feel for this character we only saw in photos. This leads me into the next part of this review, the story. The story is very emotional, and I was tearing up every five minutes playing this game. This is one of, if not the best game to tackle the themes of sexual orientation acceptance, and does it very well. The emotional turmoil described through the journal entries truly struck a chord with me. This is definitely one of my favorite plots throughout the game, and I think that the length was just right, not too short to be unable to justify my purchase, but not too long that I'd fallen out of the immersion. The gameplay is probably the least impressive part of the game, though it's still good. The simple key placement makes it easy to manage. Other than that, the controls are very basic. Overall, this is one of the few games I would give a 10/10. Though I do believe that you should go through this game in one sitting, and go into the game blindly. This is how I did it, and I believe it enhanced my experience. Other than that, this is a fantastic game that you should grab for only 20 bucks. Now, I'm sure there are many people who were disappointed with this game, but you should realize, this isn't meant to be a 40-hour game, it's meant to be a short and sweet experience. It shouldn't matter how long a game is, but the actual quality of the game.… Expand
  14. Gelaos
    Sep 20, 2018
    9
    If you're allergic to feminism, homosexuality or walking simulators, then you will hate this game. Actually it's not a game, it's just interactive visit of someone's house. But I loved it. All subplots of the main story (sister's sexuality, father's middle age crisis, problematic marriage, ...) are something that was explored in literature, movies or other media hundreds of times. Yet itIf you're allergic to feminism, homosexuality or walking simulators, then you will hate this game. Actually it's not a game, it's just interactive visit of someone's house. But I loved it. All subplots of the main story (sister's sexuality, father's middle age crisis, problematic marriage, ...) are something that was explored in literature, movies or other media hundreds of times. Yet it still grabbed me and didn't let go until credits started rolling.

    But for a game that takes 1-3 hours to finish (depending on how much of a completionist you are) the price of (currently) $15 is way to high.    … Expand
  15. Dead_Reckon
    May 21, 2018
    8
    The farther I get away from my playtime in this game the less favorable I find it. I originally scored it a 10, but now I would say it's an 8. I did enjoy it, and it does what it does well but I don't think the act of playing it is actually all that enjoyable, IE I don't want to play it again.
  16. El_Manco
    May 20, 2018
    8
    Cuando inicias tu paseo por la casa de los Greenbriar, sin idea de que va la historia, cualquier detalle acaba por parecerte una evidencia de algo. Según transcurre el juego, acabas descubriendo una historia repleta de personajes con conflictos y problemas, con los que acabas por empatizar por simple humanidad.
  17. Jucarock
    Apr 28, 2018
    9
    This game it will give you thriller moments but in the course of history you will get what is happening. Don't get baited by the many low reviews, this game is good. You have to respect the gameplay that is slower than usual and try to understand the history.
  18. RagingPoet
    Feb 2, 2018
    8
    Gone Home is 'walking simulator' with simple but highly detailed story about ordinary family. It has as few gameplay as this genre can maintain while still being called 'game'. But the storytelling through items is really nice.
  19. OatniAaA
    Oct 27, 2017
    8
    Game Review:

    Gone Home takes place on June 7th, 1995 and you play as Kaitlyn who returns from a one year long trip abroad in Europe to a completely empty house. Through a series of notes and letters Kaitlyn discovers what has been taking place in the lives of her family members in the year she has been gone. You as the player has to search around in an enormous house to find clues to    Game Review:

    Gone Home takes place on June 7th, 1995 and you play as Kaitlyn who returns from a one year long trip abroad in Europe to a completely empty house. Through a series of notes and letters Kaitlyn discovers what has been taking place in the lives of her family members in the year she has been gone. You as the player has to search around in an enormous house to find clues to what has happened to your family. The game itself has a little creepy undertone, even though the game is not made to be scary.

    Most of the story revolves around her younger sister Sam and her budding friendship with a girl named Lonnie. Journal entries are shared with the player whenever they discover a relevant item in-game. The storytelling and voice acting in the game are absolutely superb and the gameplay has a really easy flow that makes each move seem organic. As you unlock more and more of Samantha's journals you will want to find out even more what has happened to the Sam and her parents.

    I think that Sams confusion, bliss, excitement, and frustration was portrayed brilliantly. I think that the story is quite good but I am not sure if the two-hour long experience is worth the 20 dollar price tag. This is not because the game is bad in any way, it is just because the game has no game replayability value since you will find out everything on your first completion of the game. If I was to rate this game, I would give it an 8 out of 10. This is because the game is well made and exciting, but it is not my own personal type of game. But I would recommend everyone to pick the game up and give it a try.    … Expand
  20. Xghostx
    Oct 27, 2017
    8
    The game gone home is a mind and story game. In the game you will have to think a lot to get all the stuff and journeys that you must have, to complete the game. To complete this game, you have to be smart and think logical. If you do not like story games, this is not a game for you. This story is about a girl and her personal journeys. Throughout the game you get to know some of herThe game gone home is a mind and story game. In the game you will have to think a lot to get all the stuff and journeys that you must have, to complete the game. To complete this game, you have to be smart and think logical. If you do not like story games, this is not a game for you. This story is about a girl and her personal journeys. Throughout the game you get to know some of her stories, because you are picking up things that make her speak.

    After spending a year gallivanting around Europe, you've come to your family's new home one rainy night in June of 1995, and although you expected your family to be there, you find the house empty. As you explore the house and find out what the Greenbriars have been going through, there are no puzzles to solve, no enemies to defeat. There's nothing to take you out of your journey of discover. The main character is Samantha greenbriar.

    Gone Home is a remarkable first-person adventure. The player takes the role of Katie in the first- person view, who can view objects in the game using the mouse and move using the keyboard. There are no set goals in the game; however, the game encourages and rewards the player when they explore new areas of the house and search for new messages.

    This game is an amazing game because of the huge map you have to search to find all the information you need and all the journeys. I really think that this game should be used as learning game for people. This game challenges you to think and that is a very good thing for students who does not really like school. I recommend this game for people over 15 years, because you’re thinking skills has to be on point.    … Expand
  21. cmykeith
    Jul 31, 2017
    10
    This game is powerful, intricately crafted, and emotional. Though the gameplay is simple and it's much shorter than traditional games (I finished my first playthrough in about 2 hours), this game is complete without any unnecessary details. The sounds, music, and voice acting are all orchestrated beautifully.

    At it's heart is a story of joy and sorrow, distress and euphoria. It takes    This game is powerful, intricately crafted, and emotional. Though the gameplay is simple and it's much shorter than traditional games (I finished my first playthrough in about 2 hours), this game is complete without any unnecessary details. The sounds, music, and voice acting are all orchestrated beautifully.

    At it's heart is a story of joy and sorrow, distress and euphoria. It takes you on a journey of discovery.

    Gone Home is a piece of art. As all art, one's experience of it will be filtered through our expectations, personal interests, and biases. Those that expect a traditional game may be disappointed, but those that can appreciate a heart-felt experience will be delighted.    … Expand
  22. Dr_Zaroff
    Mar 30, 2017
    10
    A game that evokes fear, sadness, happiness, and memory. Such a simple game but so well executed. Much like a well-written novel, this game is able to set the dreary mood and atmosphere with so little action! That proves just how well put together this game is. The details, the sound, the lighting, all come together to create something special.

    Another great thing about this game is    A game that evokes fear, sadness, happiness, and memory. Such a simple game but so well executed. Much like a well-written novel, this game is able to set the dreary mood and atmosphere with so little action! That proves just how well put together this game is. The details, the sound, the lighting, all come together to create something special.

    Another great thing about this game is that anyone can play it! You don't have to be a gamer to enjoy it, you just have to be someone that enjoys a good story.

    I will continue to recommend this game to everyone I know.    … Expand
  23. TeenGirlGamer
    Mar 19, 2017
    10
    Oh My God! I started this game 2 hours ago and i just finished it.Now it's my favorite game.I loved everything in it.It just made me cry so much because it ended..♥
  24. amcvfx
    Feb 16, 2017
    9
    Beautiful and inspiring. A powerful case for games as interactive storytelling. The sensation of immersion in someone else's life was immediate and the revelations were perfectly paced.
  25. minukim
    Nov 27, 2016
    8
    To be honest, this is not that kind of game that I actually like. I am more of a FPS game person so having a "gone home" experience wasn't really attractive to me. However, I had to give it 8 out of 10 and here are the reasons:

    First of all, the story behind this whole setup was so interesting and detailed. At first, the game feels like one of those typical "room escape" but then as you    To be honest, this is not that kind of game that I actually like. I am more of a FPS game person so having a "gone home" experience wasn't really attractive to me. However, I had to give it 8 out of 10 and here are the reasons:

    First of all, the story behind this whole setup was so interesting and detailed. At first, the game feels like one of those typical "room escape" but then as you explore the game, players are made to find out about the story and get deeper into it. Also, the graphics and details in the game are extremely amazing, and this is one of the biggest reason that made me give this game an 8 out of 10 — I love to look at such details(even in FPS games, I look for details, since they create the atmosphere so that players could be "absorbed" in the game). For instance, when you pick up an item and throw it back, you can find out that the items and the objects around them follow physics law, which helps give you a surprisingly real-like experience. Maybe they mounted physics and math engine?
    I admit that story telling games definitely do have limitations, that is, once the story is fully discovered, the players won't go back to the game to start over again, making the game a one-time experience. Though, it could have been better if they had the story to be more various, like having variety of endings, insert hidden missions, etc. This was one of the few factors that made me disappointed; once you clear the game and collect all the objectives in the game(which is not even a lot) you will quickly lose interest in the game.
    Now, the other disappointing factor — and probably the greatest negative factor for most other players who bought this game — is the price. The game, for me, is more likely a masterpiece worth keeping, not that kind of game that I frequently open and play for fun(like civilization or overwatch). This is why my rating doesn't take price into consideration that much(otherwise it would have been less than 6). If you are not one of those people who are interested in collecting good masterpiece games —which means that you are more likely a person who is more interested in games that are not one-time enjoy only — I strongly suggest you not to buy the game.    … Expand
  26. yourmhdtfriend
    Nov 27, 2016
    9
    A giant home. Creaky doors. Roaring thunder. A sullen atmosphere. A glimpse of dismal silence struggling with fright and panic. What would you feel when you happen to be in this kind of environment? Rather, what would you do? Well fortunately, I happened to witness this horror-ish, vehement kind of setting. But sorry to burst your bubble, it didn’t happen in real life. (How I wish it wereA giant home. Creaky doors. Roaring thunder. A sullen atmosphere. A glimpse of dismal silence struggling with fright and panic. What would you feel when you happen to be in this kind of environment? Rather, what would you do? Well fortunately, I happened to witness this horror-ish, vehement kind of setting. But sorry to burst your bubble, it didn’t happen in real life. (How I wish it were in real life, but no.) It’s a game. Surprised? Well, this seemingly infinite darkness and apprehensive game lives up to its name Gone Home.

    I’m just going to make this straight to the point. Before I started typing, I asked myself “What was the best thing in the game Gone Home?” Well, it’s not a question that I can answer with confidence. To say, at the very least, “it’s perfect” is beyond imagination. But truth be told, I’m more than willing to say all the good compliments in this world. But I don’t have the entire time to enumerate all of them, let alone give explanations and reasonable arguments as to why I chose them. Let’s just start with, what I can say, the most important things that make up a game like Gone Home.

    To start off, well the story itself, I must say, is the absolute epitome of what’s been happening throughout these days. It’s not your-kind-of-perfect game where it tries to put you to another dimension, let alone impede you from seeing the harshness of reality. It, actually, was a good taste of both precision and deformity. Precision because its undeviating storyline completely goes in a straight route. No side roads. No fillers. No humps. It’s just there. You just need to observe. On the other hand, deformity because the game was brave enough to tackle such beliefs beyond our entire acceptance in the world. It spans depths beyond beliefs, seriously. But nevertheless, the story fills the game with vibrant moods ready to propagate forth into flawed life.

    Next one, the characters that make up the story. If you happened to play the game, you might have noticed that everything mentioned had the prevalent theme ‘change’. Indeed, change is inevitable, a process we cannot surely avoid. In the game, you thought everything was placed in its rightful places, but no. Because after some time, everything was disorderly messed up. One character’s term of change completely went out of control. One character’s metamorphosis made him/her become much of a better person. One character’s transformation remained neutral. You see, what the characters did with ‘change’ was their choice. Some characters chose to accept change, make best use of it, and use it to grow as better persons. Some characters became indifferent to change, or maybe even resentful to it. (How I wish all changes turned out beautiful. But that would definitely deprive some characters of their freedom to choose.)

    These are not so vague examples, but take note that there are so much more I can credit this game for. You see, you cannot compare this game to another game because you cannot make them compete on their own, both masters of their respective raised area. But what makes the game Gone Home more stunning to me is the combined efforts, commitments, and sacrifices of the people behind the game. Of course, if it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have played Gone Home. I wouldn’t have the chance to know the secrets that lie within this gigantic house. I wouldn’t have the chance to grasp the powerful storyline.

    Honestly, it is marvelous to witness how people can nurture their idea and mold it into something that is devastatingly amazing. So before I end this review of mine, I just would like to take this opportunity to commend the people who were behind the production of the game. With their sets of skills and knowledge, they crafted the game with more beauty than I could muster. Without any thinking of wordplay or vacillating between dullness or panic, I can say the game managed to get my attention through the ‘story telling’ in a confounding performance.

    Well, it’s up to you if you will have the courage to play this one hell of a crazy game. It might not be a bad idea for you to try this, what do you think?    … Expand
  27. jymplm17
    Nov 26, 2016
    8
    I believe that observing the belongings of a person and how these things are placed gives you a bigger picture of who that person is rather than talking to them for a few minutes. This is precisely the experience that Gone Home has given to its players.
    Gone home was a unique and interesting experience for me. I love playing mystery games, and this was no exception. The difference between    I believe that observing the belongings of a person and how these things are placed gives you a bigger picture of who that person is rather than talking to them for a few minutes. This is precisely the experience that Gone Home has given to its players.
    Gone home was a unique and interesting experience for me. I love playing mystery games, and this was no exception. The difference between this game and others I’ve played before is the amazingly realistic experience of getting to know the characters by exploring their living space. There was no linear progression required to complete the game; it is up to the player to explore and take his/her time in piecing together the information given by all the things strewn all around the house. Added to this is being given a role in the game: One plays the game as Kaitlin, the eldest daughter of the Greenbriar family who just came home from a yearlong trip abroad. In her absence, a lot of things have changed. Exactly what these are, you’ll have to discover for yourself as you walk through the mansion.
    The mood of the game was very tension-filled and dark, because of the rain, the constant lightning and thunder and the creaking sounds all throughout the house. The game was set in the 90’s, and it is evident in the artifacts present in the house. It makes you feel as though you’re really there, walking and touching these items. As you walk through every room, you’ll find more and more evidence of just exactly what happened to the family. You can pick up various household items and papers where you’ll find information. The focus of the story revolves around the youngest daughter, Sam, and her struggles as she trudges through puberty. The relationship of her parents is also outlined in the story. All the items: books, technology, music, papers and more give a much deeper meaning than their superficial appearance. They fit in into these characters lives, giving you the feeling that the house is buzzing with their presence even though they aren’t around physically.
    Gone Home is a journey of discovery. I especially liked the writing style
    of the story and the clues around the house. It is interesting how so many small details can come together and build a realistic and intricate story. Most of the things the characters are going through are very relatable and real. The game is exciting not in a way that you are actively solving puzzles or fighting monsters, but as you passively observe everything, you realize that this is the story of a family with real problems and real connections. The good thing about this is that there’s nothing to distract you from the journey of discovering by yourself. The game never gave any hints or clues; it seems like the makers left it up to the players to piece together and even interpret what they have seen.
    It can be a bit disorienting at times because the house is very big and the way of controlling the game sometimes made me dizzy. However, once you get used to it, you’ll get sucked into the emotion and twists that this game has to offer. The story was very compelling while I was playing it, but somehow, it didn’t stick with me for as long as I thought it would have. But it still has a lot of merits. This game is important in a sense that it gives focus on issues of the time period and it is very rooted in the real world, and it gives each character a three-dimensional personality: strengths, flaws and all. You’ll surely enjoy stripping the shrouds of mystery that hang over the Greenbriar family and reveling in the picture that you’ll paint of who exactly these characters are.    … Expand
  28. jelikey
    Jul 16, 2016
    8
    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.
  29. Awsla
    Jun 28, 2016
    8
    Much of the conflict this game produces is between the price and its ambitious intent. If we could suppress grumblings over price of a game, whatever it may be, and presuppose that people who are interested in exploring video games as an evolving, branching genre, being rapidly redefined by technological platforms and with unique pressures to innovate exerted by the redundancy ofMuch of the conflict this game produces is between the price and its ambitious intent. If we could suppress grumblings over price of a game, whatever it may be, and presuppose that people who are interested in exploring video games as an evolving, branching genre, being rapidly redefined by technological platforms and with unique pressures to innovate exerted by the redundancy of mainstream games, then maybe some could adopt the mindset that we are paying to preview separate attempts to test the medium.

    No, its not gaming in the typical sense, with objectives and enemies and points and what not. Finding the items that further unlock chapters of the story isn't even challenging- and would be annoying if it were. The game play encourages a type of player participation which some may not be willing to engage with because that just isn't what they have been conditioned to expect when they boot up their computer or turn on their console after a begrudging day's work. Perhaps the negativity stems from video games being used and abused as an unambiguous, private 'system of rewards and punishments' where the user can manipulate a simulation representing their metric worth through predictable, rational choices. Very unlike the external systems in daily life people use to feel reward and fulfillment which tend to be impersonal, ambiguous and transitory such as relationships and careers.
    Gone Home then has subtleties which can be crushed or completely overlooked by a mind prickling and hastening for achievements or to get to the end. To such a player, this game may well seem empty and tedious.
    Gone Home presents a sense of 'place' that you can carry with you when you are not playing the game, similar to the way a book's characters and story lines can continue to resonate while you are away. The story is psychological- the father's various manuscript titles seem to reflect his subconscious grappling with his role as father, author, and son. They are a side story in themselves if the player cares to care. The central growth of the relationship which objects and audio reveals is clever and has characteristics of actual relationships where two people search for compatibility through imitation, worship, showboating, etc.
    It is interesting to watch how the family 'hangs together' as depicted by their material lives and sparse usage of various spaces. The scarcity of directives paired with sandbox like freedom to remove items from the dishwasher, put things back as they were or toss them anywhere, close the trash lid on scandalous notes or leave them in view for the family to discover later, creates a unique feeling of participation, but only to those who care to place their actions within the narrative context.
    That said, I wouldn't read this story if it were a book. But can appreciate it as a laudable exercise in experimenting with less overt ways of attaching meaning to action in a game instead of downgrading it as not worth your money because it defied (or rather attempted to broaden) an expectation. Rather than using metrics that reduce value to a numeric scale, the significance of things are bounded only by the player's imagination and interpretations, and the conflicts within a nuclear family is a rife universal theme.    … Expand
  30. PixelPigeon
    Jun 28, 2016
    10
    Gone Home, in my eye's is an amazing game, but not many people will agree with me. The game does lack a lot in gameplay, but totally makes up for it in story, not everyone likes the story but if you do you will fall in love with the main characters. This game let's you explore in anyway you desire and this game is 100% player driven, you control the pace not the game, your hand is neverGone Home, in my eye's is an amazing game, but not many people will agree with me. The game does lack a lot in gameplay, but totally makes up for it in story, not everyone likes the story but if you do you will fall in love with the main characters. This game let's you explore in anyway you desire and this game is 100% player driven, you control the pace not the game, your hand is never held but you still know where to go through great game design. The story is the crowning jewel of this game, telling a rich and realistic story that will get you invested for the couple of hours that you play this game. Also this game is really short, about 1-3 hours but I feel like 3 hours is perfect for a game like this it give you quality over quantity. As said not everyone will like this game, there's basically no gameplay, the story isn't for everyone, and I can imagine for some people the pacing is quiet slow. But if you like games like Life is Strange then you will absolutely love Gone Home.… 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.
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  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.
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  3. RPG Fan
    Dec 2, 2013
    75
    A story that will move some and alienate others.
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