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. prh99
    Aug 20, 2013
    2
    Bland and insipid, are the word I'd pick to describe Gone Home. It's seems to be another game from people who apparently have no interest in making games, there are no puzzles or enemies just exploring a deserted house, it is the bare minimum of interactivity to technically be called a game. The story, what there is of it, is presented in the most circuitous way possible and it's not allBland and insipid, are the word I'd pick to describe Gone Home. It's seems to be another game from people who apparently have no interest in making games, there are no puzzles or enemies just exploring a deserted house, it is the bare minimum of interactivity to technically be called a game. The story, what there is of it, is presented in the most circuitous way possible and it's not all that interesting or compelling. I really do not understand what the critics love about this "game". This should be called suburban exploration simulator cause it really does seem the creators stumbled on an urban exploration blog somewhere and though it would make a good game.… Expand
  2. 00wolf
    Aug 21, 2013
    2
    A “video game” about walking around an abandoned house, reading letters and whatnot, while a narration explains everything to you, doesn't sound all that remarkable. The plot seems to be getting a lot of praise, but I found it utterly vapid and a complete waste when compared to the game's atmosphere. It astounds me as to how this “game” is receiving perfect scores. I think a lot of theA “video game” about walking around an abandoned house, reading letters and whatnot, while a narration explains everything to you, doesn't sound all that remarkable. The plot seems to be getting a lot of praise, but I found it utterly vapid and a complete waste when compared to the game's atmosphere. It astounds me as to how this “game” is receiving perfect scores. I think a lot of the approbation being dumped on Gone Home is merely because of the homosexual subject matter.… Expand
  3. JoeyKazooie
    Aug 25, 2013
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Gone Home is one of those game that tries to be different. Instead of focusing on gameplay, one of the main pillars of video games, it focuses on story. There is nothing wrong with that and many games did this successfully. Gone Home however, doesn't. You find yourself returning from a road trip and arrive at your home. Nobody is there, but a note on the door explains your sister Sam has left and cant welcome you back home. The gameplay consists of a maximum of 2 hours of you picking up and examining your family's private possessions. Maybe the story has peaked your interest somehow up until this point, but prepare to be disapoint. Your sister has left home because she found out she was a lesbian and your parents didn't approve. Why she was unable to write this on the note on the door is completely left out. Also, the reason your parents aren't home is because they are on an anniversary trip. Incredible anti-climax. The rest of the story seems to contain loose fragments of information.

    My recommendation? Either buy a game that has actual gameplay value with or without a good story. Otherwise, read a book. If you actually want to play a video game that acts more as an interactive book, maybe try "Dear Esther". Gone Home however, fails to produce an interesting or good story.    … Expand
  4. Tubey
    Dec 5, 2014
    2
    It's awful! Genuinely, utterly awful! I didn't check the score for this one before playing, and I am flabbergasted at this title getting 100 from the likes of Polygon.

    Don't get me wrong, this ISN'T about the LGBT theme. You know what, a good game with this idea, executed properly, would be interesting, and I have to stress my review isn't a reactionary score to "social justice    It's awful! Genuinely, utterly awful! I didn't check the score for this one before playing, and I am flabbergasted at this title getting 100 from the likes of Polygon.

    Don't get me wrong, this ISN'T about the LGBT theme. You know what, a good game with this idea, executed properly, would be interesting, and I have to stress my review isn't a reactionary score to "social justice warriors", whatever they are exactly.

    But, seriously, this is at best a demo of a game. You know those demo discs you used to get on the PS2 etc.? One of those. Because it's clearly not a finished game.

    Or it may be, actually. Maybe the intention of the devs was to create a pretentious short story, completely devoid of any semblance of reality. Who knows. But what I can't understand is how a game I finished in just over ONE hour can be a full priced, retail title. No exaggeration either, one hour.

    But let's pretend it could have been the best one hour of pure gameplay ever. Was it? Hell no. No, no, no. It's so painfully bland. The visuals are bland (yes, they're very 'nineties', but also quite blocky and unappealing), the gameplay consists of walking in first-person, picking something up, going "oh, look at that", putting it down, picking something else up, and so on.

    Immersion isn't there because the whole concept is so utterly stupid. Yeah, you go home, nobody is there, you find a note warning not to look in further, so what does your average teenager do? Well, without spoilers, if you asked 1,000 teenagers who were 15 years old in the mid-90s what they'd do, you wouldn't find one who'd do what this game portrays.

    So there you have it. A game that has absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever, getting perfect scores from respected review sites. So you have to look at the reasons why, and I can only conclude that the subject matter dealt with by the tedious narrative has resulted in reviewers who WANT flawless games about these subjects deciding that it IS the perfect game about this subject.

    It's not. It scores a 2 as there's no bugs to speak of and it wasn't stupid enough to charge $60 etc. But as a game, it's unplayably tedious.

    I hope a good dev out there plays this title, realises the inherent potential and comes up with a great game that deals with the issues this title wants to address but fails miserably at doing so. Avoid at all costs.    … Expand
  5. LFrostByte
    Aug 25, 2013
    2
    "It's a two hour game, almost devoid of challenge, and without replay incentives"
    This is a quote from a review that game this game a 10/10. I fail to see how you can give a "game" without any gameplay characteristics a 10/10. This thing would be no different if it were a movie or visual novel. You may or may not enjoy the story, but a good story isnt a game, it's a book. If you want to    "It's a two hour game, almost devoid of challenge, and without replay incentives"
    This is a quote from a review that game this game a 10/10. I fail to see how you can give a "game" without any gameplay characteristics a 10/10. This thing would be no different if it were a movie or visual novel. You may or may not enjoy the story, but a good story isnt a game, it's a book. If you want to play a great story centric game, play Planetscape Torment, The Longest Journey, Myst, even Penumbra.
    It's a crime that this game is being fawned over, I hope capable developers don't try and emulate the success that this thing has received instead of developing real games because at that point Gone Home actually begins to have a negative impact on gaming.    … Expand
  6. MorganFreeman
    Oct 4, 2013
    2
    This is one of the good sample of "ridiculously overrated short story types" which shouldn't be released to cruel and very elective PC platform. Especially for 20 dollars. Really?! You can buy bundles by that money. PC gamers expect much more than this however just because of it's an emotional story-even though it's a bad and very very histrionic one, so that i would almost puke- playersThis is one of the good sample of "ridiculously overrated short story types" which shouldn't be released to cruel and very elective PC platform. Especially for 20 dollars. Really?! You can buy bundles by that money. PC gamers expect much more than this however just because of it's an emotional story-even though it's a bad and very very histrionic one, so that i would almost puke- players want to experience it.
    Actually producers of this game can tell us what they want to in 2 paragraphs instead of making 1 hour game. Besides it is short, it is so boring, overly histrionic, average graphics but nothing.
    Terrible.    … Expand
  7. rocksteadyeddie
    Oct 17, 2013
    2
    Where do you start with this game or so called game.
    It's nice enough looking I suppose but I can't help feeling it's riding on a PC wave because of it's subject matter which is fair enough but the critics have gone way way overboard on this work because of that.
    The truth is it's a poor example of digital media that is so over hyped that you feel like the little boy who screams the    Where do you start with this game or so called game.
    It's nice enough looking I suppose but I can't help feeling it's riding on a PC wave because of it's subject matter which is fair enough but the critics have gone way way overboard on this work because of that.
    The truth is it's a poor example of digital media that is so over hyped that you feel like the little boy who screams the emperor has no clothes. This game will be important to some and that's fair enough but not to point out the games many flaws and indeed it's price for it's length as legitimate criticisms for the fear of being singled out as a bigot shows me where culturally we are at the present moment unfortunately. For the majority of people this game will grate and make you feel ripped off.
    Game critics should be ashamed of themselves but unfortunately political correctness makes them bold and arrogant and thus not given an honest review which I was under the impression that was their primary function.
    I would advise people to buy Dear Esther intead of this game unless the subject matter is relevant to you.    … Expand
  8. pocky
    Aug 22, 2013
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Why even try to make it scary?
    I didn't pay for this game and it sounds like I was better off, as it is less than 2 hours long. It tries to be scary and atmospheric and then at the end you are left thinking, "is this it?" It's ground breaking in the slightest, point and click interaction isn't new, it's a favorite genre of mine but I was expecting more. To try to scare you with bad scare tactics and then have such an uplifting ending is bizarre to say the least. You know what would have been a better ending? A suicide pact and the mom leaving with the ranger. You could have been finding their bodies. So her father was distant, the mother would be running off, and she'd be loosing the girl. That would have kept the horror feel, the sadness of forbidden love. Although come on, it's the 21st century no-one is shocked by lesbians anymore, it's par for course. They exist, they're nice people, we're over it. Stop milking it just to get reviewed by people who think if they say the game is bad they are somehow bigots. Political correctness at it's best is what you can see from the reviewers. One thing that made me laugh about the game is all those bathrooms and no mirrors. Not a single mirror in the house, strange that. Kind of a cop out. Almost like they didn't have the budget but perhaps with the high price of this game they can show you looking in the mirror in a sequel. You can't do a scary atmosphere game without taking advantage of mirrors. I'd recommend you experience the game, it had some cool points, but don't pay full price for less than 2 hours.    … Expand
  9. 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
  10. hhinsley
    Aug 19, 2013
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. What? After taking notes on what I found, I didn't need any of them to complete the game. It's merely completed when you find all the keys/combinations? Too easy. I could have completed it in 30 minutes if I'd known this. This is not an adventure game there's no adventure.… Expand
  11. Mr_Fake_Leather
    Aug 19, 2013
    2
    Gone Home has a big twist,, well no, not really, think of the first halo, now imagine that instead of having aliens on the box and in the reviews they kept that secret.
    Gone Home "twist comes less than 10 minutes into the games so if you want to know why this games such a big deal you might just want read a spoiler and see the rather shallow reason for a lot of this games positive    Gone Home has a big twist,, well no, not really, think of the first halo, now imagine that instead of having aliens on the box and in the reviews they kept that secret.
    Gone Home "twist comes less than 10 minutes into the games so if you want to know why this games such a big deal you might just want read a spoiler and see the rather shallow reason for a lot of this games positive reception.
    There are no real puzzles, sometimes you collect a key and the game tells you were to go on the map to use it.
    The rest of the time you just walk from room to room and pick up highlighted objects to unlock audio diary's,
    Sometimes your need to place a tape in a tape player but that's about as complex as it gets, there little to it passed that.
    The games story is of course it's big selling point and since the game is being sold as something you have to come into with no knowledge of, I can't talk about it without it being seen as a spoiler.
    What I will say is if this story were told in any other medium it would be a total non event.
    There's little to it and you can guess most of it before your halfway done.
    Overall I can't recommend Gone Home to anyone but the most hardcore fans of the quirky, the story while rare in games is uninspired and shallow and there's hardly any gameplay to it.    … Expand
  12. ZenPyro
    Aug 20, 2013
    2
    I downloaded Gone Home expecting a deep story told in a unique way. The concept was sound enough, walk around a house mashing your use key on everything that glows white and looking at it from all directions to piece together a story. It would be great if they actually ran with that. For most of the game you aren't really piecing together a story as much as reading some notes and lookingI downloaded Gone Home expecting a deep story told in a unique way. The concept was sound enough, walk around a house mashing your use key on everything that glows white and looking at it from all directions to piece together a story. It would be great if they actually ran with that. For most of the game you aren't really piecing together a story as much as reading some notes and looking at a convenient book on the floor and reading a teenage girl's diary. I expected that I would have to actually think about what happened without having a definite answer, but no it's basically throwing the story at you like a book or a movie. This leads me to my main problem with this "game". There is no challenge. This is not the holy savior of video games, this is not someone redefining a medium, and this is definitely not a game. At best this is an interactive story and the story part of it feels uninspired and lazy. You can guess the ending 20 minutes into the game and there are no curve balls in the main story. Some of the side stories are interesting but not enough to carry it. Maybe with proper execution it could have become something great but unfortunately all we have is this little tech demo that squanders what great potential this concept has.… Expand
  13. galligaro
    Aug 20, 2013
    2
    Why did this game get even 2 points from me? Because It had some good voice acting. By that i mean the one voice actor that was in the game. Well anyway don't ever bother picking this game up unless it is 99 cents and even then be cautious.

    On to the game. The story is nothing special. Some say it is the best told story ever. Are they serious? All you do in this game is walk around the    Why did this game get even 2 points from me? Because It had some good voice acting. By that i mean the one voice actor that was in the game. Well anyway don't ever bother picking this game up unless it is 99 cents and even then be cautious.

    On to the game. The story is nothing special. Some say it is the best told story ever. Are they serious? All you do in this game is walk around the house and turn objects around when suddenly a narrator voice reads a part of her diary to you. I can tell you that is not even necessary you might just find the paper clips and keys since that is the only thing needed. This game is made for the simple minded and it is over in 2-3 hours. This game in no way makes you think there is not a single moment that you stop to think about a puzzle or anything.

    Is the game industry turning to movie industry? When some game maker makes a game that you can barely call a game it gets 9-10 reviews. You can clearly see what the normal consumers think about this game with the user score being so low.    … Expand
  14. ShinChuck
    Aug 21, 2013
    2
    I wanted to like this game, I really did: a combatless detective mystery solving the mysterious disappearance of your family. But what it essentially boils down to is an hour and a half or two of reading notes. The plot amounts to the same vapid 90210-level writing that the game itself mocks multiple times, with several cringe-worthy lines that carry a rather clichéd story to a forced,I wanted to like this game, I really did: a combatless detective mystery solving the mysterious disappearance of your family. But what it essentially boils down to is an hour and a half or two of reading notes. The plot amounts to the same vapid 90210-level writing that the game itself mocks multiple times, with several cringe-worthy lines that carry a rather clichéd story to a forced, unrealistic end. The roughly three dozen pages of notes could easily be read in ten or twenty minutes on their own, and amount to something you can already find all over on Deviantart.

    But you can't charge money for that, can you? The slow plod of having a player-character who must trudge around the mansion picking up these scraps simply serves as a vehicle to slow down the pace of this reading. The graphics and atmosphere are initially enticing, but they quickly become irrelevant, comprised of empty rooms that requiring you to poke at something before the next bit of storyline text appears.

    The game looks nice. The premise is intriguing. But unfortunately, it amounts to an hour or two of unnecessary trudging around and clicking around for the next bit of text, mere padding that allows them to charge $20 for a few pages of generic drama.    … Expand
  15. ISB5223CDN
    Aug 23, 2013
    2
    Gone Home should be in Barnes&Noble not GameStop. It is interactive fiction and a very short story at that. To sum it up, this "game" doesn't feel like a GAME. This feels more like a drawn out intro to an actual game. After it is done, you might find yourself saying "Is that it? WTF was that? I paid $XX for that? I could have went on Re/max Realty and read a short book while taking aGone Home should be in Barnes&Noble not GameStop. It is interactive fiction and a very short story at that. To sum it up, this "game" doesn't feel like a GAME. This feels more like a drawn out intro to an actual game. After it is done, you might find yourself saying "Is that it? WTF was that? I paid $XX for that? I could have went on Re/max Realty and read a short book while taking a virtual tour of a house.". In other words, like many other of us non-paid gamers have said, either believe the "pro-getting-paid" critics hype or save your money, pick up a short story novel and use your imagination for a graphics processor.… Expand
  16. Trigonometry
    Aug 25, 2013
    2
    Gone home is a game that has become famous for being finishable in 47 seconds, or played through for TWO HOURS and charge you 20 bucks. It's at this point that I mention how most indie games last more than that time and often sell for less. It's insulting to sell a game at this price for it's length. It tries to excuse itself from this by stating that it's a story driven game, when theGone home is a game that has become famous for being finishable in 47 seconds, or played through for TWO HOURS and charge you 20 bucks. It's at this point that I mention how most indie games last more than that time and often sell for less. It's insulting to sell a game at this price for it's length. It tries to excuse itself from this by stating that it's a story driven game, when the only thing of note in this generic drama, and the reason why everyone is giving it high scores, is because the main character is female and lesbian.

    Gameplay-wise, the game is a first person 'Adventure' game. You arrive at your house, your family has apparently gone missing and you must uncover the mystery behind it. Now, I like games with mysteries, I like exploring environments and finding clues and reaching a conclusion that is correct and won't direct me to the bad ending (Or just be wrong and give me some penalty) but with this game, the writing was awkward and it felt like reading a generic drama. The only difference was that it took time to turn the page because you had to search for the next one in the house, which is the reason why this is called a 'game'.

    Graphics are okay. I don't judge games based on graphics, but considering the short duration of this game and poor story it's something I have to point out. It's an Indie game with good graphics and that at least pulls the score up a bit from the effort that was put on that front.

    However, this game has no replayability. Nothing changes when you replay the game, and if you check a certain wall the moment the game starts you can finish the game within 47 seconds of starting it.

    The thing that bothers me the most about this game though, is how it has a Metascore of 90 for a game that isn't a game, for as much as one may praise a story and like story driven games, lasting two hours isn't an excuse when you charge 20 bucks for it. Want a good story driven game? You can buy the Soul Reaver story arch and Defiance from the Legacy of Kain series from the same price as this game, Three games lasting at least 8 to 10 hours each with proper voice acting and a compelling story. That amounts to 24-30 hours of gameplay for around 20 bucks, compared to 47 seconds-2 hours of gameplay for 20 bucks. Make your choice.    … Expand
  17. dasparado
    Aug 30, 2013
    2
    Felt a bit cheated on this one. I was pretty disappointed at the end. I played the entire thing in a few hours as my wife watched behind me which she like to do. She likes horror games and kept joking on the fact that nothing in this game is scary at all. It seems to try to be, with no payoff......ever.

    The entire thing seemed to be a tribute to girl-power homosexuality. Everything    Felt a bit cheated on this one. I was pretty disappointed at the end. I played the entire thing in a few hours as my wife watched behind me which she like to do. She likes horror games and kept joking on the fact that nothing in this game is scary at all. It seems to try to be, with no payoff......ever.

    The entire thing seemed to be a tribute to girl-power homosexuality. Everything else in the game was just filler, or more like red herrings which tried to convince you that this was actually a game. I laughed when I saw all the critics giving it 10's. To the masses that are asking why, allow me to opine...Replace the name Lonnie with Lenny and the scores all drop by 3-4 points. It all has to do with being PC and our modern day politics. I have nothing against these issues, just stay out of my games.    … Expand
  18. LunarRider
    Sep 3, 2013
    2
    This game has very little interactivity and exploration that just does not fit it's $20 price tag. The game has very little to do and seems to think that exposition via letters that magic into your head is even necessary, despite the fact you can figure out what happened in less than half an hour if you're running through blind. Overall I did not enjoy the fact that the game had many ofThis game has very little interactivity and exploration that just does not fit it's $20 price tag. The game has very little to do and seems to think that exposition via letters that magic into your head is even necessary, despite the fact you can figure out what happened in less than half an hour if you're running through blind. Overall I did not enjoy the fact that the game had many of it's plots end ominously, such as uncle Jack's story. I would much rather a game about uncle Jack then the protagonist, who is barely even a part of the story despite being a member of such a small family.… Expand
  19. 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
  20. nobynobygiant
    Oct 22, 2013
    2
    This is an interactive story dressed as a game. The story is not that good and the interaction barely scratches the surface of what's possible inside a game world. Paying 9,49 euros on it during the 50% off period still feels like being ripped off. Also, Idle Thumbs can really hype the out of a bad experience.
  21. wasabi1787
    Oct 22, 2013
    2
    Really I don't understand the rating of this game. So much praise for the story, but there it is pretty straight forward and generic (and I think was supposed to be a "twist" really can't count as one in the 21st century). In addition to that, the entire game took less than 90 minutes on the first playthrough... It was really just uninteresting for what the cost of the game is. On top ofReally I don't understand the rating of this game. So much praise for the story, but there it is pretty straight forward and generic (and I think was supposed to be a "twist" really can't count as one in the 21st century). In addition to that, the entire game took less than 90 minutes on the first playthrough... It was really just uninteresting for what the cost of the game is. On top of that, the atmosphere was a farce (don't be fooled by hints of ghosts and the occult). The scariest thing in the game is a light bulb burning out. There is really no saving grace to make this game more than a two, which it earned on the fact that it was well put together. If it ever shows up for $5 or less, go for it. Basically you're renting a mediocre movie.… Expand
  22. Marine
    Oct 25, 2013
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's not a game, it's an interactive-story. All you do is to rummage your family's belongings to discover what happened. In the game, everything suggest to hide an unexpected, dramatic and emotional secret. But it doesn't

    Seriously, this game is a waste of time    … Expand
  23. mirta000
    Nov 9, 2013
    2
    Gone home is way overpriced and over-hyped.
    I finished the full game in 2 hours. Decided to take it in as an experience. After all when you came in you knew that you will be wandering around a house, collecting mementos and learning about your family. No surprise here, right?
    However what you didn't know is that most of its focus will be about your sister. You get to sort of find out    Gone home is way overpriced and over-hyped.
    I finished the full game in 2 hours. Decided to take it in as an experience. After all when you came in you knew that you will be wandering around a house, collecting mementos and learning about your family. No surprise here, right?
    However what you didn't know is that most of its focus will be about your sister. You get to sort of find out what happened to your parents, but I swear, like 80% of all notes I found was about your sister. The thing is it's not even something secret that you find out. The very first thing that you find is essentially her admitting that she is gay. Guess what's in the other notes? "I am gay. I am gay. I love a girl, etc". Is it really a topic that needs this much awareness?
    If you're making an exploration game deal in a variety of subjects, present a variety of lives with different problems, not all black and white either, because that's how life goes.

    Also if you're a European you might not find this game as enjoyable, because it is mostly dealing in American problems.    … Expand
  24. Haru24
    Dec 1, 2013
    2
    Great atmosphere, great premise...but turned into wasted potential. The story builds you up over the very brief hour or so of gameplay and drops you with only some of the details of the side plot, which was quite honestly the plot that pulled me in, and a fairly lackluster ending to the main plot. The graphics are enough to get by, but really leave you wanting. I honestly thought this mayGreat atmosphere, great premise...but turned into wasted potential. The story builds you up over the very brief hour or so of gameplay and drops you with only some of the details of the side plot, which was quite honestly the plot that pulled me in, and a fairly lackluster ending to the main plot. The graphics are enough to get by, but really leave you wanting. I honestly thought this may have bee built on the half life 2 engine when first seeing it. This team worked on AAA productions before forming their studio. That they would allow themselves to make something of this quality was really a let down. All in all, the buildup is exciting, but the letdown of the lost side plot and $20 price tag left a horrific taste in my mouth.… Expand
  25. Gollygeeanelite
    Dec 5, 2013
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First, let me start this review off by focusing on the general pricing/length of this game. For 20 dollars (or $5 if you purchased it during a Steam sale), you are getting a video game experience that will last no longer than two hours. That's right. 2 hours. The actual interaction with the story last no more than 10 minutes. I could have gotten the same value from interesting stories from browsing forums on the internet.

    There isn't much that makes this story unique [SPOILERS START HERE]. A girl gets adjusted to a new life after moving. She meets a fellow classmate. She falls in love with her. They are both lesbian. They date for a year. They run away from home. The end. There is nothing special here. I'm a HUGE reader. I've read visual novels, manga, and over 500 normal novels. This story is truly MEH. Books that are comparable with this game cost a lot less and will have you engaged for 6-8 hours.

    But comparing a reading game to other reading forms of entertainment can wait. The most frustrating part about this game is the desperation clicking. I literally went through the mansion clicking everything 2-3 times. I didn't want to miss parts of the story because I got to the end game in 50 minutes. I wasn't even sure if the game was truly complete! I didn't want the money I spent to cheat me even more. The mechanics of the game are just clicking to get a scrap of any mediocre letter or note left by your family. It leaves you in disappointment because a fleshed out story wouldn't leave such a broken trail behind.

    There are many experiences that would surpass this gaming experience. Watch an anime (FMA, Steins;Gate, Deathnote), read a book, or check out a visual novel like Clannad. These are all good uses of mediums to tell a great story. Walking through an empty house picking up torn up letters is not. Back to the drawing board guys.    … Expand
  26. araouf
    Dec 19, 2013
    2
    I am so glad that I did not pay $20 for this game or I would have been pissed. If this was a $3 ios app, then Id think it is worth buying, otherwise save your money. The game starts off with a lot of potential and I was getting really into it. After a (short) while though that excitement wore off and I was waiting for something to actually happen in the game. Well right when I thoughtI am so glad that I did not pay $20 for this game or I would have been pissed. If this was a $3 ios app, then Id think it is worth buying, otherwise save your money. The game starts off with a lot of potential and I was getting really into it. After a (short) while though that excitement wore off and I was waiting for something to actually happen in the game. Well right when I thought something was going to happen, the game ends! This is a super super short game. Set your expectations very low otherwise you will be disappointed.… Expand
  27. New_World_Chaos
    Dec 26, 2013
    2
    One hour of gameplay for 20 dollars. This game is a joke, and you could save your money by simply watching a let's play on Youtube. The story is decent, but it's not worth the price.
  28. Nowak
    Jan 6, 2014
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I completely don't get those positive reviews. They may show how low level of narrative is satisfying game critics. I don't treat this as a game, it's not. It's sort of a virtual novel. But novel written by 19 years old ambitious but mediocre student. Nobody would print a book with story like this. And movie would be booed for sure. I don't get that special pregnant-women-like treatment.
    Why game critics need so little to get excited? Look at critics score (around 85) and gamers (50).
    It says a lot about standards.
    Going back to the game itself.
    Retro environment is ok. Especially for hipsters but it's fun to see vhs with x-files on it. Misleading side stories are ok, they give something to keep You going to that completely predictable and infantile ending. She is a lesbian? Really?! Whoa! Sixth sense all over again.
    And...? Story should start here.
    Two points for expanding virtual novels world. But it's still like Harlequin in world of literature.    … Expand
  29. Fossa
    Apr 3, 2014
    2
    I decided to give this game a shot because of the polarized reviews it received, Gone Home has universal critical acclaim but is the subject of much scorn from the gaming community.
    In Gone Home you are cast as Samantha, who has just arrived home from an overseas trip.
    Gameplay consists of walking around and hunting for objects in the environment, occasionally one of these objects will    I decided to give this game a shot because of the polarized reviews it received, Gone Home has universal critical acclaim but is the subject of much scorn from the gaming community.
    In Gone Home you are cast as Samantha, who has just arrived home from an overseas trip.
    Gameplay consists of walking around and hunting for objects in the environment, occasionally one of these objects will trigger an audio clip read from a diary. The rest of the story is told through text (letters, invoices ect) and left up to the player to slowly decipher.
    There is a decent amount of detail in the house, almost every draw and cupboard is usable and more often than not filled with something to read or a piece of 90's nostalgia, if you didn't grow up in that era then most of the references will be lost on you.
    I approached Gone Home with an open mind to give it a fair go, with the intention of playing it through thoroughly, but that experience was cut short when I accidentally stumbled across the endgame state, before uncovering the whole picture. Even after reading everything I came across, I couldn't form much of an interesting story, or any explanation for why the house was empty. Then the thing just ended.

    I'm sure your first reaction is "you played it wrong" but I don't feel that's fair. I was punished for exploring an area of the game intently, something that should be met with reward. This is just bad game design at fault; a combination of items should be necessary to achieve the endgame state to avoid reaching it prematurely.

    I don't know if a could have enjoyed gone home if things went differently, I'm a huge fan of old school adventure games and not one to rate anything lower for focusing mainly on story, but for me, this wasn't much of anything.

    I give Gone Home two stars for trying something different, but overall its an overrated piece of crap.    … Expand
  30. DocR
    Apr 27, 2014
    2
    Gone Home game - 20$
    Can of lighter fluid - 15$
    Metal garbage can - 25$ Watching a game that wasted 2 hours of your life burn to hell - Priceless On a side note, it did manage to create an amazing environment to lure you in. However, the praise ends there. Do yourself a favor and don't buy the game. If you did by accident, instead of playing it, have more fun by burning the game onto    Gone Home game - 20$
    Can of lighter fluid - 15$
    Metal garbage can - 25$
    Watching a game that wasted 2 hours of your life burn to hell - Priceless

    On a side note, it did manage to create an amazing environment to lure you in. However, the praise ends there. Do yourself a favor and don't buy the game. If you did by accident, instead of playing it, have more fun by burning the game onto a CD and then lighter fuild-ing the hell out of it.    … 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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