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. Stormy_alpha
    Sep 12, 2014
    2
    If i ever get asked to demonstrate what a anti-climax is, i'll glady point to this game. Everything it could have been, it failed miserably at.
    It was 20 minutes long for me, so, it's incredebly short. There is no carachter development, actually, there are no caracthers, the main protagonist could be a man, a women, a goat or an alien and the game would have been the same. The rest could    If i ever get asked to demonstrate what a anti-climax is, i'll glady point to this game. Everything it could have been, it failed miserably at.
    It was 20 minutes long for me, so, it's incredebly short. There is no carachter development, actually, there are no caracthers, the main protagonist could be a man, a women, a goat or an alien and the game would have been the same. The rest could be same or the other "caracthers" who are only present through messages "ex: notes".
    I get that it tries to send a message of oppresed love wich drove the girls to run away, but because off the lack of emotional development, it fails at that too.
    It does create a horror like mood, but doesn't act on it.
    I guess were supposed to feel bad or emphathyze with Sam, but that doesn't happen either, not because she's a lesbian, or because she's a women, not only because she was not present, but because the story did not change due to her influence. Furthermore, between games with an absolutely amazing capabilyty of playing with the emotions of the one playing it (Ex: The Walking Dead series, ...), games with amazing storylines and worlds, worth exploring and diving into (Ex: TWD, Shadow of the Colossus, TES ...), Gone Home felt like it didn't even try to make it worth while, it didn't try to compete.

    TL;DR - 20 minutes of boring yet eerie gameplay that leads to no character development, no climax, only the revelation that two girls ran away together because of social stygma.

    PS: How did paid critics give this an average score of 86? I mean, i would get a 50 or even go as far as a 60, but a 86? How can this get a 86 while Alan Wake, a game much better crafted and tailored, with a much more interesting story and a much more lore friendly world, gets a 8.3?    … Expand
  2. Mister_Facepalm
    Sep 11, 2014
    9
    I had no idea what to expect from the game, other than that I knew it was a "figure out what happened using evidence" type game. At first, I was confused and didn't really see the point, but as small portions of the story popped up, my interested spiked. I wanted to find out more and what exactly was going on. I noticed things and began to understand. I had "Ahhhh yes, now I get it"I had no idea what to expect from the game, other than that I knew it was a "figure out what happened using evidence" type game. At first, I was confused and didn't really see the point, but as small portions of the story popped up, my interested spiked. I wanted to find out more and what exactly was going on. I noticed things and began to understand. I had "Ahhhh yes, now I get it" moments, and the story grew. I kept playing, kept going; just to find out more. Played it from start to finish all at once.

    Top Notch!    … Expand
  3. fzpd95
    Sep 11, 2014
    0
    That's it??? Really??? This is what all the hype was about? This "game" was a complete waste of my time and money. The graphics were underwhelming, the soundtrack (if you want to call it that) made me want to stick sharp objects in my ears, the characters were sad and pathetic, and the story was boring and predictable. On top of that, it's a very short game. DO NOT WASTE MONEY ON THIS!
  4. LovingLife139
    Sep 4, 2014
    3
    Extraordinarily mediocre game that is priced about seven times too high for the content the gamer plays. This is a game that can be completed in three hours at most with an emphasis on story. Unfortunately, the story leaves a lot to be desired, full of cliches and guessable outcomes. There are about three different side stories within the game that are far more interesting than the storyExtraordinarily mediocre game that is priced about seven times too high for the content the gamer plays. This is a game that can be completed in three hours at most with an emphasis on story. Unfortunately, the story leaves a lot to be desired, full of cliches and guessable outcomes. There are about three different side stories within the game that are far more interesting than the story Fullbright decided to highlight, and that is a shame, because these stories are never followed to a resolution or any true outcome. While it can be interesting to follow along to the story and go through the most private possessions of your character's family's belongings, it ultimately leads to disappointment and does not justify any interest that the gamer ever held in the game at all.

    In summary, this overpriced and cliched game is interesting enough to stick with for its incredibly short play time, but any interest in the story falters when one gets to the disappointing and lackluster conclusion.    … Expand
  5. feasiblejacob
    Sep 2, 2014
    10
    I can't begin to express how amazing this game is. By the end I was so wrapped up in the narrative that I had a physical emotional reaction. While playing a game. That's some Walking Dead stuff right there.

    Sure, this could be redone as a short story, or a podcast, or whatever, but it is so incredible as a video game. You get to be a part of the narrative in a way you couldn't in any    I can't begin to express how amazing this game is. By the end I was so wrapped up in the narrative that I had a physical emotional reaction. While playing a game. That's some Walking Dead stuff right there.

    Sure, this could be redone as a short story, or a podcast, or whatever, but it is so incredible as a video game. You get to be a part of the narrative in a way you couldn't in any other medium.

    This game deserves your time for so many reasons, you'd be a fool to skip it.    … Expand
  6. Keirnoth
    Aug 28, 2014
    0
    Something that strips away all that we expect of video games that contain mechanics and leaves it bare with just a weak, trite, and overhyped "narrative". Here's the problem with this "game", there are actual games that present a compelling narrative FAR BETTER than this and also are fully fleshed out titles (Deus Ex: HR, rummage around Adam Jensen's apartment and you get to learn aboutSomething that strips away all that we expect of video games that contain mechanics and leaves it bare with just a weak, trite, and overhyped "narrative". Here's the problem with this "game", there are actual games that present a compelling narrative FAR BETTER than this and also are fully fleshed out titles (Deus Ex: HR, rummage around Adam Jensen's apartment and you get to learn about his past). There's an entire genre of point and clicks that do it far better than this, and there are even some third person games similar to this that offer a far more compelling plot (the recent Sherlock Holmes game that allows you to play it like a third person game or switch to a point and click style).

    Get this game if it goes on sale - the critic reviews vs. the user feedback should show you how messed up the game industry is - take everything you read with a grain of salt, including my own review.    … Expand
  7. Metatarsals
    Aug 21, 2014
    6
    This is more of an interactive novel than it is a game - and no matter how much I wanted to really like it (riot grrl?! hell yeah!), it just didn't have the game play to back up to $15 price tag.

    I beat this game in about 80 minutes, which is saying something. I love to take my time, winding through a game and exploring all of its hidden secrets, but there wasn't a whole hell of a lot    This is more of an interactive novel than it is a game - and no matter how much I wanted to really like it (riot grrl?! hell yeah!), it just didn't have the game play to back up to $15 price tag.

    I beat this game in about 80 minutes, which is saying something. I love to take my time, winding through a game and exploring all of its hidden secrets, but there wasn't a whole hell of a lot of that in this game. You're just walking around in half lit rooms, trying to figure which hallway you're in, trying to move the story forward. This is something that would have definitely worked better as a short story or even a short film.

    Maybe the console update will see some improvements, here's to hoping! Not the best, but not the worst either. A solid 6.    … Expand
  8. 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
  9. 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.
  10. Kion00
    Aug 7, 2014
    0
    This game is extremely tedious, predictable and the story, being the driving point of the game, was to basic and lacked creativity as it were to realistic and did not have any interesting twists or turns. This game definitely does not deserve the awards awarded to it but does have beautiful sounds and visuals which aid to create an eerie atmosphere. The story was revealed well (doesn'tThis game is extremely tedious, predictable and the story, being the driving point of the game, was to basic and lacked creativity as it were to realistic and did not have any interesting twists or turns. This game definitely does not deserve the awards awarded to it but does have beautiful sounds and visuals which aid to create an eerie atmosphere. The story was revealed well (doesn't mean it has a good story). So if you like games that describe boring love lives this is for you! But otherwise don't purchase this game it is a waste of your time. I gave this game a 0 as felt only really the story mattered as it was the driving point in the game, which I would rate a 0.… Expand
  11. raykaytwo
    Aug 6, 2014
    3
    I dont know, what is going on. I played this game and when I looked for the metacritic score I thought:, well this is going to have a 4 or 3 or whatever. But 86? 86 dammit???
    I dont get this. This game is an example for a good Story and good ideas, but horrible execution. I mean, you already probably know that this game ist only an hour Long, but also the gameplay is really boring. The    I dont know, what is going on. I played this game and when I looked for the metacritic score I thought:, well this is going to have a 4 or 3 or whatever. But 86? 86 dammit???
    I dont get this. This game is an example for a good Story and good ideas, but horrible execution. I mean, you already probably know that this game ist only an hour Long, but also the gameplay is really boring. The only good Thing going on, is the Story. I wont spoil anything, but it is very good. But for 15€ or $20 I dont get why this game gets that good of a score. There are more games out there worth buying for that Price.    … Expand
  12. Shinobi-Kunz
    Aug 3, 2014
    0
    Biggest act of betrayal from critics ever. Giving a game perfect score or anything close to a perfect score just because it deals with gay rights is not just deceitful, dishonest and suspect but is also perverse, not for the subject matter but for the bull#&$ pc way you've handled a professional job. I can no longer rely on professional reviews to make a judgment on if I will make a gameBiggest act of betrayal from critics ever. Giving a game perfect score or anything close to a perfect score just because it deals with gay rights is not just deceitful, dishonest and suspect but is also perverse, not for the subject matter but for the bull#&$ pc way you've handled a professional job. I can no longer rely on professional reviews to make a judgment on if I will make a game purchase,

    Thankfully we have user reviews on Metacritic which I WILL be using to avoid "games" like this in the future as I would AIDS. Although even with that you need to make sure it's not corporate shills typing their one off review with a 9/10 attachment, or some delusional art student, who's only game consists of this, pacman and portal. . You're not fooling anyone guys.

    Great idea, horribly delivered, the dialogue wasn't even good, the best friend subplot felt disjointed to the narrative, I mean I could go on and on and on.

    The atmosphere was great if it was a horror game as the blurb would lead you to believe, but it isn't, it's just a disappointing walking simulator that does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to entice you. Thankfully the game only clocked in at an hour. First, (and hopefully last), game I will ever truly regret buying, leaving me with an awful taste, a slightly more full rubbish bin, and a lasting wish that I had some recourse for restitution i.e. a f$&**^ refund. Seriously, frak this game and all the reviewers.    … Expand
  13. Virake
    Aug 1, 2014
    3
    15 minutes or less is enough to crack the mystery of the plot in this game. Remaining time is for getting a feeling of self satisfaction from each clue proving that you were right. Good job, Fullbright, if that's what you were aiming for.

    Some say it's not even a video game. I disagree. It is a game, and not one of the kind. Do you remember Scratches (2006) by Nucleosys? I see a lot of    15 minutes or less is enough to crack the mystery of the plot in this game. Remaining time is for getting a feeling of self satisfaction from each clue proving that you were right. Good job, Fullbright, if that's what you were aiming for.

    Some say it's not even a video game. I disagree. It is a game, and not one of the kind. Do you remember Scratches (2006) by Nucleosys? I see a lot of similarities, except that Scratches 'did it right', so to speak.

    You are alone in big and scary mansion, your objective is to get to know other inhabitants by digging through their things. However, in Scratches, the atmosphere is better, the story cannot be made obsolete in such ridiculously short time, and the overall setting is more interesting. You can't play with lights and grab all the garbage lying around in Scratches, but would you even want to? You can do that in other games (like Resident Evil or Skyrim).

    Enough about the old, this review is about Gone Home. I give it 3 out of 10, because of it's good voice acting (+), because it made me feel very smart (+), and because it reminded me of better games (+) with same features. I DO NOT recommend this game to anyone, unless it's the only thing available.    … Expand
  14. sky999999
    Jul 11, 2014
    0
    Gone Home is a game that attempts to be art, and in its endeavours forgets to be a game. Its interactivity is limited to moving around and looking at objects, making it nothing more than a walking simulator. In fact, Gone Home cannot be considered a video game in many respects. As a game, it is definitely not worth playing. Gone Home serves as proof that video games should not try to be art.
  15. 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
  16. Hupples
    Jul 7, 2014
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. -TL;DR- Spoiler Free
    Rating: 2/10
    It is barely a game, and there are better stories out there more worthy of your time and money.
    It is about two hours long.
    -TL;DR- Spoiler Free

    Actual Review
    -Objective- Spoiler Free
    In Gone Home you come home from a journey to Europe to find your family home empty. You then wander around the house picking up things trying to find those that trigger auditory journal entries from your younger sister or give clues to where other entry triggering items may be. There are also subplots about your mother and father which do not have auditory journal entries. After one to two (realtime) hours of searching the house you discover why your family is not present, the screen fades to black, music plays, and credits roll.
    -Objective- Spoiler Free

    -Subjective- Spoilers
    The stories told in Gone Home are generic. They may seem unique to people who only play video games, but such stories have been told before, with superior presentation, and superior depth in other artistic mediums. The main story is focused on the player character's younger sister. PC's younger sister has a hard time making friends and gets in trouble with authority figures because of teenage angst. It is then revealed that the younger sister is a homosexual, and the rest of the story is about her romantic involvement with another teenage girl. PC's parents deny their daughter's homosexuality and ground her for a month and disallow her girlfriend being alone with her with closed doors afterwards. Naturally the younger sister dislikes this because she is unable to see her girlfriend for a month and afterwards they would not be able to have sex. Then younger sister and her girlfriend will have to break up because of reasons, but then because of feelings they decide to stay together and drive away together, which is why neither of them are at home.
    The dad is a struggling author.
    The mom works in the forest.
    They have relationship problems and head to a couples retreat, which is why neither of them are home.
    Little sister's former male friend took his SNES back after finding out she is a lesbian, leaving PC with no games at all in the house. Thanks a lot, you jerk.
    -Subjective- Spoilers    … Expand
  17. VelvetBathRobe
    Jul 6, 2014
    8
    This game does something unique in the current gaming scene, it conveys the narrative from an almost second person perspective.
    The story the game presents and the world it builds is very well done and nuanced with a lot of it up to the players interpretation
    However the asking price for this game being 20 dollars for only two hours of content is questionable and the game may of suffered    This game does something unique in the current gaming scene, it conveys the narrative from an almost second person perspective.
    The story the game presents and the world it builds is very well done and nuanced with a lot of it up to the players interpretation
    However the asking price for this game being 20 dollars for only two hours of content is questionable and the game may of suffered from some false advertising as its presented almost as a horror game
    Overall though i thoroughly enjoyed is game and i can see why this game has such a low user score as it is defiantly not a game for everyone and the asking price is a bit steep    … Expand
  18. Garvine
    Jul 6, 2014
    9
    This game surprised me with how brilliant it is. A great story told perfectly. I don't usually get too emotional with games, but felt the feels in the second half of this game. Awesome soundtrack and nostalgia plus for those who lived through the 90s.
  19. WinkOrDie
    Jul 1, 2014
    6
    The bad thing about reviewing this game is that the game is not very depth mechanics wise. This review is basically hindered on the fact of how well I liked the story and the few characters that are in it.

    I enjoyed the story quite a bit, I did find myself really enjoying the character development and recording. It really let you into the life of you (Kaitlin) and your sister you hear    The bad thing about reviewing this game is that the game is not very depth mechanics wise. This review is basically hindered on the fact of how well I liked the story and the few characters that are in it.

    I enjoyed the story quite a bit, I did find myself really enjoying the character development and recording. It really let you into the life of you (Kaitlin) and your sister you hear through recordings (Sam).

    The audio was pretty great. The voice acting was solid, not that this was an extremely difficult job but great nonetheless. The music was pretty solid queuing in when needed and the song at the ending makes a nice parallel to something you hear from your sister earlier on it hit home with the song at the end.

    Graphics... I am not one to talk about graphics too much because I do not care about them unless they take you out of the experience the game is going for. For this game I think they are okay, nothing spectacular in the sense the textures are a little messy which take you out of the "zone" but for what it is it's okay. Period.

    The length of the game is very short. Even with someone like me who read every document and what not, it only took me ~2 hours. That is good and bad... Good because the story could only really a hold a 1-3 hour length. Bad because some people have paid $10-$20 for this game and it is not worth that price at all. I picked it up today on the steam sale for $2.99. Yes it was worth that price tag and maybe a $5-7 price range but nothing more.

    For those saying this shouldn't be a game, I disagree wholeheartedly. The reason being this game could not exist as is in another medium. It is far too short and lacks depth to be a book or a movie.

    Overall, it is a good game, with a huge emphasis on story so don't expect anymore mechanics from a interactive story. Should you pick it up? Yes, if you enjoy JUST a story and ONLY if you can find it from a $0-5 price range. I feel very bad for the people who spent $20 on the game so I do understand where there frustrations come from.    … Expand
  20. Danny350
    Jun 30, 2014
    0
    This is not a game, it is an audio log with the ability to walk around. "Unravel the mystery for yourself" Your sister is a homosexual, mystery solved, and I saved you $20.
  21. thepedrovital
    Jun 28, 2014
    4
    Beautiful story and nice references, but it fails on what is the most important in games: Being fun to play. Gone Home is boring, it could have puzzles or something to make it fun, but it doesn't.
  22. BIGBenX
    Jun 27, 2014
    10
    I really loved this game. It was a unique and personal experience and also a kind of sentimental / retro feeling to it for me because it is set in the 90s and remembered me of my childhood a lot. Play it while you are alone at home! It was intriguing and tense for me.

    I found this truly to be a masterpiece. If you are interested in life and intellect, you will love it. If not, go and    I really loved this game. It was a unique and personal experience and also a kind of sentimental / retro feeling to it for me because it is set in the 90s and remembered me of my childhood a lot. Play it while you are alone at home! It was intriguing and tense for me.

    I found this truly to be a masterpiece.

    If you are interested in life and intellect, you will love it. If not, go and masturbate to your favourite Call of Duty game.    … Expand
  23. sodhill
    Jun 26, 2014
    0
    I really wish I could take my money back. This game was completely advertised wrong. There is no suspense, no mystery, and no real compelling characters. The only reason I can imagine this game received any critical acclaim was due to the fact they picked a hot topic somewhat controversial social issue and threw it in there, forcing critics to give the game a high review lest theyI really wish I could take my money back. This game was completely advertised wrong. There is no suspense, no mystery, and no real compelling characters. The only reason I can imagine this game received any critical acclaim was due to the fact they picked a hot topic somewhat controversial social issue and threw it in there, forcing critics to give the game a high review lest they appear to be bigoted and out of touch with society.. There were no new mechanics, including story telling mechanics in this game. In short, the game was flat, boring, and brought nothing new or compelling to the art of video games.… Expand
  24. Pannox
    Jun 26, 2014
    2
    Hello there childrens, join me today for the most boring, akward, not-interesting journey about Sam, some girl with no personality whatsoever!

    As first, let's get this through: this is a first person adventure, so I wasn't expecting much action or big stuff goin on since it's all based on the plot. But why do you even make a game like this if your plot it's usless? We'll focus more on    Hello there childrens, join me today for the most boring, akward, not-interesting journey about Sam, some girl with no personality whatsoever!

    As first, let's get this through: this is a first person adventure, so I wasn't expecting much action or big stuff goin on since it's all based on the plot.
    But why do you even make a game like this if your plot it's usless? We'll focus more on this later.

    The map it's surprisingly good looking, and there are lot of stuff you can interact with, and most of them will bring you back the 90s feel (such as VHS, cassette tapes etc). Most of the models looks very good, and the graphic is fine.

    I don't really know what to say about the soundtrack. Sometimes it's really really good and it work well with the moment, sometimes well.. it's just silly. A sad song pops up almost out of nowhere, or you find a cassette tape with a song that will make your ear bleed and grow a mouth that will ask you to stop playing the game.

    The voice acting it's good, but in the end, there is just 1 actress, the main protagonist talking. She's good, but doesen't help the story to look interesting. Also, her laugh makes me unconfortable.

    And now, the main thing about the game. The story. Short, predictable and pointless. ****

    You have this setting: you're Sam, a girl that it's coming back home after a while to find out that no one it's home. But why? We'll see that later on.
    You have to explore the home to find out more about your past and to what happened to everyone. Turns out you're "not attracted to men" and you had a long complicated story with your partner. A love story that for most of the time it's **** akward to listen and really made me unconfortable BUT NOT because of the sexual iterest into someone of the same gender, don't get me wrong, it was akward BECAUSE IT GET REALLY **** RIDICULOUS FOR MOST OF THE EVENTS SHE'S NARRATING. And most of this event ends up with her crying. What a surprise.
    In the end, to be honest, the story could have been interesting or a little more enjoyable if something big whould happen, like some trama plot. But nope, in the end they tear apart, they never saw each other, teh edn. Boo-hoo ending I guess. Not working at all.
    Oh and what happened to the family, why they leave the house? I dunno. Why, do you care? Should we care? I think the story it's already good without some explanation. Effin-great.

    Also, this game looks easy as it can gets. There are almost no puzzles, just a bunch of combination or paper that tells you where to find hidden spots (just 2 or 3 in the whole game) and it's super short. I've beat this game in 77 minutes. And what's the best part? If you like to mess around, you could easly find the main hidden spot, get the key, go to the attic and beat the game in 3 minutes! Who designed this **** Aha!

    Final rating: 2/10

    You probably need to be some Tumblr feminist girl to enjoy this story. Probably even them find this game offensive.

    Oh, almost forgot, this won "Best PC game" over "Paper, please" and "Stanley Parable". Good.    … Expand
  25. thewinterdrake
    Jun 23, 2014
    10
    Gone Home is a fantastic game, and it's a shame that so many Metacritic users have rated it poorly just because they can't do a 360 noscope in it. It's true, Gone Home isn't a competitive game. But, it's a beautiful game nonetheless. The sense of exploration and emotion that this game gives is astounding. 10/10 don't believe anyone who says otherwise.
  26. PABL0G
    Jun 17, 2014
    10
    This game is not a game, and it is a game. But it is not a game. But it is.

    You have to look at the "User Score distribution" here in Metacritic to understand why critics are praising this game. Half the users love this game, half the users hate it. I think there are different type of positive and negative reviewers posting here, and studying their love and hate IS an interesting way of    This game is not a game, and it is a game. But it is not a game. But it is.

    You have to look at the "User Score distribution" here in Metacritic to understand why critics are praising this game. Half the users love this game, half the users hate it. I think there are different type of positive and negative reviewers posting here, and studying their love and hate IS an interesting way of reviewing this game for me.

    Some of them are praising or hating the game because of the context of the story told, and their love/hate is conscious regarding the "topic", because they feel, wether for love or hate, the main "issue" in the story is what matters most in order to love or hate this game. In case of haters, they dont have any problem on saying things like "gone homo" and so on. In case of said lovers, they express their feelings on how much they relate to the girl´s suffering in this story because of their personal experience, other peoples love was centred on how much they felt "back in the 90´s". This people wouldnt care much about gameplay or graphics, or at least not that much.

    Others are loving or (mostly) hating this game also because of same story context, but rather in a more or less UNCONSCIOUS way. They start their review talking about graphics and "sound issues" (yah, I swear I saw someone complaining about the quality of the sound in THIS game) but more or less at some point they start going VERY aggresively towards the thing that they really care about regarding the storyline. This people wont be openly hateful, but you can "feel" it in their review (wether they are trying to hide it by complaining about "graphics", or they are totally unconscious about the truly source of their dislike or like, they concentrate their fire on the "this is propaganda!" issue.

    And at last we have a group of gamers who dont care about the storyline, or have mixed feelings, but they complain about the "this is no game!" issue. And they say things like "There is no plot twist!". One of them says "there is nothing wrong in the house! I thought i was about to find something but there was NOTHING!"

    I have nothing to say to the first group or the second group of reviewers (the ones who consciously or unconsciously centered their review on the sexual orientation of the characters) But I WANT to say something to those who complain in the third group

    This is a game that is not meant to be played again and again, if you play it thoroughly from start to finish. If you rush through the house finding the way to the end of the road, concentrating on finding "the doors" and opening them all till you see the credits rolling, you will get to what may call "the end" of this game very quickly, but you will not have "finished" the game. You didnt "play" the game.

    A game like Skyrim, for example, how many people can say they have really get to "the end" of it? Yes, there is a main quest, and it takes a finite amount of hours to finish it, but to really "finish" the game, it would take months I presume. Most people probably didnt walk through ALL the possible roads of that game. But is it a matter just of "lenght" what defines the quality of an experience in front of a computer?

    Is it a 2 hours movie inherently better than a short film then? just because it has "much more minutes to watch"? Couldnt we say that there are good and bad movies, and good and bad short films? Gone Home is an amazing short-game, but the thing is, as same as it happens with many short films, it doesnt appeal to every audience. You dont eat pop corn during short-films.

    The word that comes to my mind when I think about this game is HONESTY. No tricks, no aliens kidnapping people, no ghosts attacking us from behind, no matter how much x-files or JFK references, we finally understand that this 90´s house was....a 90´s house. And that teens play with ouijas.

    The thing is MANY people don´t like honesty in their media. They want to KNOW what they are "consuming" before getting it, even from the trailer itself, they want to know what they are up against.

    This is the kind of people that RAGED against HBO at the end of the first season of Game of Thrones. Because the people running that show TRICKED them into watching something and then BETRAYED them by not doing a magic trick to save a character that was CLEARLY on the path to his own demise. Seeing any similarities?

    That is why I give this game a score of 10. Because for me it should be a 7.5. But I HAVE to say 10, because I have to take part in this "clash of reviews" to fight for "the balance", against the haters in the "user score distribution" of Metacritic. Because haters have been too much vocal against this game, and it doesnt deserve so much hate. Because this game is DIFFERENT, and ironically, being hated for being different has a lot to do with this game, and I fear, with many of these reviews

    I dont know winter, but the oculus rift is coming, and this "not-games!" are here to stay.
    Thankfully.    … Expand
  27. Kiersarge
    Jun 14, 2014
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Homosexual Political Correctness must get +3 points from the "professional" critics, because this is a complete disappointment. The game designers wanted to make an eerie haunted house adventure, while the writers wanted a boring lesbian love story.

    Seriously, the "big reveal" is that she's a **** Not a vampire-hunting girl team, or a pair of female detectives, they're just typical whiney lesbians. YAWN.....

    This isn't 1975 anymore. Homosexuals aren't especially interesting. Discovering your character is a boring **** should not be a game's victory, and is a numbing disappointment after such care was put into haunting atmosphere by the designers.

    Save your money and watch an hour of Lifetime on cable.    … Expand
  28. gkessel
    Jun 12, 2014
    9
    If you grew up and/or raised teenagers in the late 1980's to early 90's you will probably have a lot to relate to here. If you can relate to this story and it clicks, you will absolutely love it. I think this is the reason for so many low user review scores. This game will probably not meet expectations for anyone born later than 1985, as today's current generation may be unable toIf you grew up and/or raised teenagers in the late 1980's to early 90's you will probably have a lot to relate to here. If you can relate to this story and it clicks, you will absolutely love it. I think this is the reason for so many low user review scores. This game will probably not meet expectations for anyone born later than 1985, as today's current generation may be unable to appreciate the glee of going back in time and reliving a very special period in recent history. In this "game" you are essentially playing through a short story. This story brings us back to 1995 and takes place in a single night at the Greenbriar family's new home. The game is more of a storytelling simulation than a proper game and will take most players approximately 2 hours to complete. In those couple of hours I laughed, I cried, I felt suspense and fear for the family, and especially the sister's, well-being. By the end of the story I genuinely cared about the Greenbriar's and their stories outcome. For me, more interactive objects, more storytelling details and slightly better graphics would have probably earned this title a 10/10.… Expand
  29. QContinuum
    Jun 9, 2014
    1
    "Mildly interactive fiction" might be a more appropriate term for this software, rather than calling it a game. Honestly, I've seen Japanese visual novels with more actual gameplay than this. Even then, it's not very good at what it actually does. It has no real skill-based elements, no replay value and the narrative isn't even very interesting.

    I cannot recommend this at any price,    "Mildly interactive fiction" might be a more appropriate term for this software, rather than calling it a game. Honestly, I've seen Japanese visual novels with more actual gameplay than this. Even then, it's not very good at what it actually does. It has no real skill-based elements, no replay value and the narrative isn't even very interesting.

    I cannot recommend this at any price, really. If you want a game with story, you're probably better off playing an old Sierra point-and-click adventure. At least, those are more entertaining.    … Expand
  30. Redz0ne
    Jun 9, 2014
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Thanks, Fullbright... Thank you for relegating LGBT issues to being the punch-line of a terribly dreary, repetitive and rather pretentious interactive story and having the gall to charge $20 for the experience.

    ... End sarcasm mode.    … 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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