Gone Home

noahcrawford

Dec 14, 2014

9

Gone Home is a first person hands on video game about a girl, Katie, who comes home from a long vacation, expecting to receive a big welcome home, to find a quiet empty house. Set in 1995, Katie is exposed to many artifacts and clues allowing the navigator to tie pieces and ideas together about the whereabouts of her family, more notably her sister, Sam.
In the story Katie quickly learnsGone Home is a first person hands on video game about a girl, Katie, who comes home from a long vacation, expecting to receive a big welcome home, to find a quiet empty house. Set in 1995, Katie is exposed to many artifacts and clues allowing the navigator to tie pieces and ideas together about the whereabouts of her family, more notably her sister, Sam.
In the story Katie quickly learns that her parents are abroad for their anniversary and know about Sam’s absence. Gone Home, contrary to most games, presents a realistic and relatable story for the character of Sam. Sam is going through a relatively typical stage of teenage life. Similarly to many teenagers in the real world, after switching schools Sam feels lost, lonely and becomes detached from her parents. Unlike most video games, Gone Home does a tremendous job displaying character progression through the cigarettes found in Sam’s locker and her partake in the riot grrl movement. Gone Home’s historical setting played a big role in its success. Setting the game in a modern and digitally intensified world would have made the game beatable with a simple text to Sam titled “where are you?”. By navigating through a house surrounded by artifacts from 1995, the player must slowly tie pieces together, make connections and reach creative conclusions. Equally as important as the story line is Gone Home’s game play.
The game play in Gone Home has both negative and positive aspects, however, it can be understood why such negative features were implemented as they comply with the games purpose. The inability to run shows a lack of attention to detail as in such moments of disarray Katie is bound to be running urgently around the house to locate her sister. It is unrealistic in a time of chaos for Katy to carefully investigate each room carefully. However, I recognize the importance of doing so, because the game’s purpose is to tie large ideas together and solve mysteries, therefor, the inability to run is essential in forcing the player to act attentively. Nevertheless, the game should strive further towards realism as it allows players to better relate to the scenario. The game’s ability to present an element of horror such as broken lights, locked doors and safes without prototypical pop-ups should be admired. Such a subtly realist mode of horror, which is uncommon for a video game, makes it more effective.
Gone Home disproves the misconception that playing video games is merely a way to pass time and serves no purpose. I recommend such a game to any student who isn’t fond off reading as such a progressive game serves the same purpose as reading a story, yet doesn’t require extensive reading. Gone Home demonstrates the potential video games have in the educational field as it forces people to act in a critical manner rather than turn their brains off.… Expand

bobbbbbbb

Dec 14, 2014

10

Gone Home is a first-person interactive story video game. It is set in the year 1995, the plot focuses on exploring a mansion in Portland, Oregon, and you must examining common household objects within the home. It starts with you arriving at an empty mansion. Your name is Katie and you are the eldest daughter of the Greenbriar family, you have just returned after a year abroad in Europe.Gone Home is a first-person interactive story video game. It is set in the year 1995, the plot focuses on exploring a mansion in Portland, Oregon, and you must examining common household objects within the home. It starts with you arriving at an empty mansion. Your name is Katie and you are the eldest daughter of the Greenbriar family, you have just returned after a year abroad in Europe. She expects her parents and sister to be there to greet her. Instead she finds only a deserted house, filled with secrets. It is up to you to explore the house and find out what has happened. Overall I thought that this was an incredible game, because it has a remarkable story and to me that is one of the most essential parts of a game. It was really entertaining to go around the house unlocking doors and solving the mystery of where your sister and parents are. The graphics in this game where mind-blowing, it was so good it almost felt like I was in an actual house. It was extremely realistic, it feels like your in a real house because there are all sorts of objects that you can pick up to examine that would be in a real house such as books to read and records to listen to. The kitchen is disorganized, and the bedrooms feel like someone is actually living there. The makers of the game put a lot of time and effort into all the small details such as all the objects that you can pick up, they all look very convincing. As you explore you come across notes, telephone messages, and diary entries that offer clues necessary for you to solve the mystery. The sound and graphics added a whole other level of complexity to it, because the lights flicker, there’s a thunderstorm outside, and the house seems to moan, which made it all scarier and more realistic at the same time. Throughout the game you get voice messages from your sister and they are really well done because they sound lifelike and give you hints about the plot but don’t give to much of it away. One of the parts that I didn’t enjoy was that there wasn’t a lot of action, you couldn’t jump or run which adds a layer of fun to a game. Over all I really admired the game. I had a lot of fun exploring the house and solving the mystery. I would recommend it to anyone I know because of its great mystery and story.… Expand

robertwsaunders

Dec 15, 2014

9

Initially the thought of "Gone Home" made me cringe. The components for the game did not line up. However after playing the game it could be that these strangely formatted components actually made the game puzzling, interesting and genuinely entertaining to play. IGN game critic Marty Sliva states "Gone Home’s" “jumbled mess of oddly shaped metaphorical puzzle pieces” is what makes theInitially the thought of "Gone Home" made me cringe. The components for the game did not line up. However after playing the game it could be that these strangely formatted components actually made the game puzzling, interesting and genuinely entertaining to play. IGN game critic Marty Sliva states "Gone Home’s" “jumbled mess of oddly shaped metaphorical puzzle pieces” is what makes the game remarkably interesting, I agree with him. Returning home, Kaitlin Greenbriar is greeted by a deserted house filled with secrets. In first-person you explore the house to uncover untold mysteries from finding notes and clues, ultimately to solve and understand the Greenbriar’s past.

"Gone Home" is not perfect, nothing is. What "Gone Home" fails to-do well is make its story and gameplay intertwine easily for every type of player. Most of the bad reviews for "Gone Home" are a result of people not playing the game how it is supposed to be played, not allowing them to see the true beauty that lies under the surface. Traditionally video games have a distinct objective whereas "Gone Home" dose not. If "Gone Home" could have found a way to force the player to follow the storyline it’s overall reception would have been much better, because the story is prodigious if played correctly.

In the case of "Gone Home", less is more. There is no elaborate graphic engine, no multi-million dollar company behind the game, but the simple gameplay, mediocre graphics, and intrinsic audio, all make the game great. The audio cues and readings from Kaitlin’s sister Sam’s journal, resonate an alternative perspective for the player, which might not come naturally at first, deeper meaning seems to be a common theme in the game. "Gone Home’s" profound story make it brilliant to play by immediately creating questions for the player, as a result you become captivated by the game. "Gone Home" perfectly shows that violence or external sources of entertainment are not needed to make a video game fun, which is why in my perspective Steve Gaynor and Fullbright made an amazing game.

When Steve Gaynor was unsatisfied with big budget work and decided to make a “personal game, one with an intimate narrative,” he made a bold choice. "Gone Home" combines great atmosphere with a fascinating story and simplistic gameplay to create something that other games do not have. I am not sure what that something is; it is more of a feeling that comes as you play rather than something you can describe. The fact that I got a feeling I have never had from a game tells me "Gone Home" is special.… Expand

Edong

Dec 15, 2014

5

Gone Home is a first-person game that is set in 1995. The game takes on the role of Kaitlin Greenbriar, who comes home one late night to find an empty house. The game then progresses throughout the house as you find clues left behind to unravel the mystery.
Gone Home is a game that narrates a story through the clues that are found throughout the house. The setting takes place at a lonelyGone Home is a first-person game that is set in 1995. The game takes on the role of Kaitlin Greenbriar, who comes home one late night to find an empty house. The game then progresses throughout the house as you find clues left behind to unravel the mystery.
Gone Home is a game that narrates a story through the clues that are found throughout the house. The setting takes place at a lonely mansion that is very close to the forest. All the items from the house are from 1995, and it certainly creates an aura that feels like it is set in that time. It is also very realistic. All the events that unfold through the story are believable.
I was first introduced to Gone Home through my teacher in class. At first, I thought that the game seemed unusual; telling a story through a game. However, as I started playing the game, it became more interesting. It does not feel like a game, but you can interact with objects, and observe items throughout the house. The controls are simple; even people who are just starting out the gaming path can play it.
There are different settings in the game itself to change the graphics. While the game runs best on the lowest graphic, the quality is very poor. However, while ran on the highest graphic, the quality is amazing and the furniture and items around the house almost look real. The down side is that the game takes longer to load and everything runs much slower. The sounds are very simple, yet also very realistic. It sets the mood of the night and would sound much like how you would be in the house in the middle of the night with no one else home; quiet, spooky, and almost haunting.
I find Gone Home to be boring and dull. Sure, the narrative is good, and the graphics and sound are okay, but the player must pay attention to the deepest details around the house. I, with not much patience to paying attention to the littlest things, did not find every detail that was in the house. Since I was not able to find out all the clues, the ending confused me. It was on my third try playing the game before I finally understood the plot of the story, however I was still missing some major details.
In conclusion, I find the game to have a good narrative story. However, there is a need to connect the dots to unravel what happened in the year that Katy was away from the house. I would recommend this game if you like mystery games and puzzle solving, however I would not recommend it if you are looking for something more exciting.… Expand

spears2112

Dec 15, 2014

9

Gone home is the coming of age story on Sam Greenbrier, told through game play from the point of view of Sam’s sister Katie as she explores her family’s new house after arriving home from a year long trip, to find her that her family is gone. The story takes you through the struggles of a 1995 family, and their daughter who is trying to find her self through her relationship with herGone home is the coming of age story on Sam Greenbrier, told through game play from the point of view of Sam’s sister Katie as she explores her family’s new house after arriving home from a year long trip, to find her that her family is gone. The story takes you through the struggles of a 1995 family, and their daughter who is trying to find her self through her relationship with her girlfriend Lonnie, and through the Riot Grrl music that she surrounds herself with, all while her family life begins to crumble beneath her.
I am not a gamer whatsoever, however I still managed to be captivated by this really amazing game; The rich narrative based in exploration, the suspense built by the incredible score, and the desire to discover more about what happened to Katie’s family made for a fantastic experience. The first reason I enjoyed this game is because it had a very rich story line, and very well developed characters. The most important character to the story was Sam; as we explore the house we discover all that Sam has gone through in the year that Katie has been away, from coming out to her parents, to experiencing her girlfriend leaving for the army, all the while being surrounded by the Riot Grrl, pun, and grunge scenes of 1995. One of the reasons this game was so fun to play is because of the suspense created by Chris Remo’s original score. The effect that this music had on me was not unlike that of the music in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. As I guided Katie through the dark passageways of the house the music kept my heart rate up, and kept me glued to my screen. Another one of the things I loved about this game was the way in which it tapped into my curiosity, and made me want to discover more. Generally people are very curious beings, and I am no exception, because of this curiosity I found gone home to be very intriguing. As I would stumble upon secret passageways and find hidden object, it would make me want to keep exploring and solve the many mysteries that the house held. All of these elements of the game made it incredibly enjoyable to play.
While I really enjoyed playing the game there was one thing that I really didn’t like, which was the ending. The suspense building up to the ending was huge; after a lengthy exploration of the house, I finally found the key to the locked attic. As I guided Katie up the stares and through the attic, I was prepared to see something huge. However, what I found was the anti-climactic realization that Sam had simply run away, and that the notes that we had been hearing throughout the game were all part of a journal that Sam had left in the attic for Katie to read. While I did enjoy the fact that the journal being read to us throughout the game was actually found in the attic, I still found the ending to be quite anti-climactic. Throughout the entire game, I had been learning about Sam and her family, and I had gone to great lengths to find the key into the attic; all of this build up made the end of the game quite anti-climactic.
In conclusion, I really enjoyed playing Gone Home, and despite the fact that I didn’t love the ending, the rich narrative, incredible score, and the way in which it peaked my curiosity made this game incredibly fun to play. Despite the fact that I am not a gamer, I am confident that anyone, gamer or not, will enjoy this game.… Expand

MackHolden9719

Dec 15, 2014

8

Do you know that moment when you are focusing so hard on a particular object that you develop tunnel vision and it is not until you step back and examine the whole object that you finally realize what you are looking at? Playing Gone Home is similar to focusing intently on that one spot, and it is not until the end of the game that you take the figurative “step back” and really see theDo you know that moment when you are focusing so hard on a particular object that you develop tunnel vision and it is not until you step back and examine the whole object that you finally realize what you are looking at? Playing Gone Home is similar to focusing intently on that one spot, and it is not until the end of the game that you take the figurative “step back” and really see the whole game. In Gone Home you play as Kaitlin Greenbriar, a 21 year old who has just come back from a year abroad, to her new house in Oregon. Playing as Kaitlin you quickly realize no one is home and you set out exploring the house to see where everyone is, accidently uncovering your family’s past and secrets throughout the process.

From the moment you step on to the porch of the house, Gone Home’s narrative pulls you in and engrosses you. The free flowing gameplay essentially allows the player to create their own game, as they choose the rooms and floors to explore. Gone Home’s intricate plot makes finding each clue a challenge and gives the player a sense of reward when they finally do uncover it. I really enjoyed how you can dictate the pace of the game yourself, making it easy for a gamer of any level to be able to enjoy the game.

However with the free flowing gameplay, there are no hints or directions of what to do, making it fairly easy to get stuck in the house and confused as what to do next. I think if the developers were to re-release this game, it would make sense to add a hint button. Even though a hint button could be abused, gamers with a high integrity that appreciate the game for its plot would only use it as a last resort, and to keep the gameplay moving.

An underrated aspect of this game in my opinion is the sound. Starting the game the soundtrack gives the game an ambiance of horror, almost foreshadowing a heavy supernatural theme. But as you progress the soundtrack proves to be wrong, as the game is more about an emotional journey. Nonetheless, the music adds a whole new dimension to the game, and while the music is overlooked, I strongly think without it the game would be drastically worse.

When I started the game, I had a very negative outlook on it. Now re-examining, the challenge of finding clues and progressing through the game proved to be highly enjoyable. I would highly recommend Gone Home to a gamer of any level, as even the most inexperienced gamer could find enjoyment of playing through the house uncovering secrets and clues.… Expand

nscime1234

Dec 15, 2014

6

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game Gone Home is an interactive story game that is told from the perspective of Kaitlin Greenbriar who has just returned home from a trip around Europe. Upon her arrival at the house she finds that it is deserted and there is an ominous letter left for her from her sister. The ultimate goal of the game is to figure out what’s happened to your family by examining the many different items that can be found in the house.

After you get Sam’s note on the front door of the house you immediately begin assuming that something bad must have happened to your family for them not to be there. After being introduced to all of the members of the family you slowly begin to put together everyone’s stories. I found that the game focused more on the life of Sam then it did on her parents. Although that might have been the intention I felt like it made me disinterested in what her parents were doing. Although I liked the way that the game used different items and documents to get parts of the narrative across I found that it became annoying to constantly be picking up and closely examining every single item in the house to decide whether it was important to the story or not.

I liked the fact that the game was based more on real life and telling a story through interacting with different items within a house. But the game did raise some questions that kind of threw me off even though it’s probably just me nitpicking. First I find it kind of strange that there’s a way you can traverse the house and pick up all the items in a pretty much chronological order. Even though the ultimate path you choose is up to you it just seemed kind of strange that all of the documents that detail the beginning of the family’s experience in the house would all be in one section of the house. I personally think that it would have been more interesting for the items to kind of be more scattered about so that it’s more of a puzzle for the player to put together the entire story.

The second thing that came to mind was “is it just me or is the Greenbriar family made up of a bunch of complete slobs. Seriously there are piles of paper and other items just left about everywhere in the most disorganized fashion. Was recycling not a concept back in 1995 because no one is going to be able to find anything in the casual pile of one thousand post it notes left on a table. In fact some of the things in the house seem to have been lying there for over half a year and no one bothered picking it up. For example Katie got back on the 6th of June 1995 and she discovered a sheet on the ground and a document from around when Sam started school on September 6th 1994. That would be almost ten months that those documents were left lying on the floor. But I guess I could really just drop the nitpicking and call the Greenbriar’s messiness a somewhat arbitrary plot device.

Overall I found the game and it’s concept to be rather interesting. The graphics were pretty good and gave the house some nice detail. Even though I found the ending to take a surprising and somewhat disappointing turn I would recommend that you play the game for yourself to make your own experience in the Greenbriar house.… Expand

evanhickey222

Jan 6, 2015

5

Gone Home is a first person seeker video game that is centralized around Katie Greenbrier, a 17-year-old girl. Katie returns to a mansion in Arbor hill, Oregon from a yearlong trip, and discovers a note written to her from her sister, Sam. This note instructs Kaitlin (Katie) not to go looking for answers as to where she is. Curious, Katie steps into the house, after realizing nobody isGone Home is a first person seeker video game that is centralized around Katie Greenbrier, a 17-year-old girl. Katie returns to a mansion in Arbor hill, Oregon from a yearlong trip, and discovers a note written to her from her sister, Sam. This note instructs Kaitlin (Katie) not to go looking for answers as to where she is. Curious, Katie steps into the house, after realizing nobody is home, a series of characters, notes, and hints lead Kaitlin to her answer.

The story of Gone Home mainly focuses on Sam, Janice (Mother), and Terrence (Father). Finding clues about her family allowed Katie to discover more and more about what happened when she was gone. I think this was a very unique and creative way of revealing information and critical plot points throughout the game. Because the game did not just hand you the knowledge, it forced you to start thinking outside the box to uncover more information about other characters. Although some may find this a challenging way to play a game, I found that this strategy made for highly effective gameplay.

One aspect of the game that could have been stronger was the map exploration. . Katie was only permitted outside one time, and that was at the beginning of the game. I discovered that there were multiple missed opportunities to make the map more interesting, but instead there was only just a dead end or a blacked out window. Outside was barely explored throughout the game, which I thought was a big mistake both in terms of the game’s depth or intrigue and game time. While playing, I found that every room was becoming more and more predictable, where we would find the lights out, maybe one or two scraps of paper, and an unopened pizza box. Adding outside parameters of the house would have made the gameplay more intriguing and less predictable. In addition, adding the outdoor aspect would have added to the game time, which I found too short.

The sound in the game was brilliantly done. If the intention was to feel like you were actually in the house yourself, then they succeeded and beyond. While playing the game I felt entrenched in this house, and that I genuinely had no clue where my family was. Every creaky door, rustled piece of paper, and opened safe noise enhanced this game immensely.

I enjoyed playing this game a lot. It was packed full of information, clues and secret passages. Every twist and turn in the plot kept me on the edge of my seat. I would highly recommend this game.… Expand

mariels

Apr 21, 2015

10

Short and sweet first person point-and-click game. The story is the main selling point, so do not expect any heavy action. Do not buy this if you want anything action packed. Do buy this if you want to play a game that unfolds a really touching story. Excellent voice actiong.

Young_Nacho

Apr 10, 2016

9

Gone Home is landmark game. A big step in the realm of interactive storytelling. This game completely captivates you if you let it. There's no real gameplay other than picking things up and walking around the house. The basic premise is that a girl comes home to find her house empty. She must explore the house to find out where everyone went. The atmosphere in this game is absolutelyGone Home is landmark game. A big step in the realm of interactive storytelling. This game completely captivates you if you let it. There's no real gameplay other than picking things up and walking around the house. The basic premise is that a girl comes home to find her house empty. She must explore the house to find out where everyone went. The atmosphere in this game is absolutely amazing. In the game, your character, Katie, hasn't been to this new house yet because she was out on a trip while her family moved in. This game really uses that and it makes you really feel like you are walking in on a strange old house for the first time. You feel the house creak as you walk through the dark halls. The noises of faint footsteps create an amazingly eerie atmosphere that makes you want to turn on all the lights as if you were actually exploring a dark house. It has a surprisingly haunting atmosphere that I wasn't expecting from this game but I absolutely loved it. I caught myself dropping an item to look around a corner to see if there was someone there several times. The creaks and cracks of the old house make it feel so much more real and life like. I Also felt the story was surprisingly captivating and emotional considering that if this were written as teen fiction, I wouldn't have read it. The fact that the story was told in a house that felt so real made it even more emotional. I felt connected to the game and it really felt like I was learning about someone else's life through the belongings left in their abandoned home. The struggles of the teenage life may seem kind of boring and a bit cliche, but this game made them feel so real. There was something about the way the story was presented that made me feel a lot more emotionally attached to it. It had so many small details that made this game seem so real, from recorded VHS tapes of The X-Files, to movie tickets to see Pulp Fiction, to the homework assignments on desks, this game felt alive. The best thing about the story is that the more you explore, the more you learn and the more pieces of the puzzle fit together in the end. While the main story is about your younger sister, there are several other stories about the other family member that can be discovered. Some of which are kind of dark (which I like). Some of these stories are really up to your interpretation based on the clues you've found around the house.

In the end Gone Home is a hauntingly beautiful game that really feels alive. This game wont be for everyone (as evident by the negative reviews) but for fans of great interactive story telling, this game is a must.… Expand

Overvulture

Nov 9, 2015

8

An interactive story that offers a special kind of personal insight into the lives of others that only the medium of games could provide. If you connect strongly with themes of family and coming-of-age drama, you'll find the writing here is convincing and reinforced by the home you're exploring as you go. The story itself is fine, but the way the setting and environment design communicatesAn interactive story that offers a special kind of personal insight into the lives of others that only the medium of games could provide. If you connect strongly with themes of family and coming-of-age drama, you'll find the writing here is convincing and reinforced by the home you're exploring as you go. The story itself is fine, but the way the setting and environment design communicates with you as you move through it is what sets this apart as a memorable experience.

If you're not a fan of the interactive narrative style of game, there's nothing here for you to enjoy, but if you want a well-crafted experience, this one has a story to tell that's funny, honest, and heartwarming.… Expand

lillybratland

Nov 1, 2015

8

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game, “Gone home”, takes place in 1995 and presents the Greenbriar family and the returning of the oldest sister in the family, Kaitlin Greenbriar, who is the character you play. She has been away for a year and are expecting to come home to a lot of greetings and celebrations, but the game takes a dramatic twist. You now have to go trough the scary, haunted house, which the family just moved to, to figure out where they are and what has happened.

If I should point out the negative sides in this game, I would say that the lightning could have been better. I know the dark rooms play a great role in making the game scarier, but the lightening really bothered me. In some rooms I could not see anything at all and it took me some time to find the switch and I do not like wasting time. Something else I was not as happy with, was that the ending of the game was kind of obvious and boring. I felt like I could predict the ending and I figured out what the clues were about before I actually knew.

But of course there are not only negative sides with the game. I really loved that the game took place in 1995 because it made the game spookier and everything seemed more mystical and scary. The sounds and music in the game also participated with the scary parts, because the floor cracked when you walked on it and outside it was raining and there were crashes of thunder. You also have to solve many puzzles in the game to get to know what is really going on. When you start at the foyer you have to get in to the house and search around the house to figure out where to get to other rooms, where everyone is and what has happened when you were away. When you are getting towards the end you, hopefully, have gotten to know some characters who I, at least, though was very interesting characters.

To sum this up I would say that I really liked the game because you are playing a role who has to figure out what is really going on, you have to be a detective which is the type of game I like. So if you are the type of person who likes to figure things out based on clues and objects you find this is the game for you!… Expand

Moortiii

Nov 8, 2015

10

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Gone Home is a first-person action adventure game released by Full Bright Company on August 15 2013. The game takes place in an old mansion on Arbor Hill, Oregon in 1995. The main character, Kaitlin Greenbriar, has just returned from a year-long trip to Europe only to find that the mansion is completely abandoned and that her sister has left but a vague message telling her not to search for clues about where she’s gone and why she chose to leave.

I think that, right off the bat, a lot of players were expecting Gone Home to be your average Joe’s horror game filled with jump-scares, ridiculously difficult puzzles, monsters and an insanity-meter. I find this completely understandable, because at first I felt the exact same way and almost signed it off as a dull remake of Amnesia: The Dark Descent. However, it didn’t take very long to realize that Gone Home was completely different and that it wasn’t supposed to be played like any other game I’d ever tried before.

My favourite thing about the game was Sarah Grayson’s voice acting. Never before have I “connected” with a character so quickly and I also want to highlight how well the developer managed to show that a video game made in 21st century doesn’t necessarily need to include a lot of violence, or any sort of combat system for that matter, in order to be interesting and entertaining. Some might argue that the storyline needs some altering, because it was fairly predictable, but personally I feel like having a huge plot-twist wouldn’t have fit the game and that the current ending is all it needs to be - a form of closure.

In conclusion I can say that, for me, Gone Home was the game that I didn’t know I wanted until I first played it. With it’s interesting storyline and stunning graphics it’s hard not to love it. The player is instantly immersed in the story and the artifacts from the 90’s spread around the house makes the story believable and even makes the house feel lived in. I personally loved the game and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to try something different or just enjoys searching for clues and piecing together information.

Rating: 10/10… Expand

diaper

Dec 1, 2015

10

This game is an indie game done right! Unlike Undertale, this game is good and thought provoking. The gameplay is awesome and fluid! The controls are excellent. This is the best written game I have ever played. Great game! Overall score: 10/10! My personal game of the year for 2013.

HanneHaga

Dec 6, 2015

8

Game Review – Gone Home

Gone home is a first-person adventure game developed and published by a company called Fullbright. Gone home is a game that takes place in the new house to the Greenbriar family, in the late 1900s. In the game you play as the character Kaitlin Greenbriar who just returned from staying abroad a year. When Kaitlin comes back from Europe, she discovers somethingGame Review – Gone Home

Gone home is a first-person adventure game developed and published by a company called Fullbright. Gone home is a game that takes place in the new house to the Greenbriar family, in the late 1900s. In the game you play as the character Kaitlin Greenbriar who just returned from staying abroad a year. When Kaitlin comes back from Europe, she discovers something unexpected. The house is empty, with no furniture and she cannot find her family anywhere. She has no idea where her mother Janice, her father Terence and her sister Samanta are.

When you start the game, you get to look around the house and try to find clues to what has happened with Kaitlin’s family while Kaitlin were away. You explore everything from papers, newspapers, books and cabinets, and in some cases you`ll need a code to unlock hidden secrets inside the house.

The game is fun, and offers and exciting journey for the player to experience. You get new experiences, and you get to know the secrets that have laid hidden in the family for many years.

One thing that is positive with the game is that you never get tired of playing, you always want to play more and explore new areas. The house has extremely many rooms full of surprises to discover, and lots of new information about different characters. In the game you don`t get told where you need to go next, but instead you have opportunity to roam around as you wish and in your own tempo.

The music and the sounds you hear when playing through the game contributes to making the setting scarier and increasing the tension. The game is not packed with action, but once the sound and the music comes into play, it makes playing the game a completely new experience. Some players will probably be afraid to explore places such as dark rooms, at least i was when i started playing. The weather also plays a part in increasing the tension and excitement throughout the game.

I really recommend others to try out the game, it is a game you definitely will have plenty of fun with. I for one will at least recommend the game to friends of mine who likes to explore and solve mysteries.… Expand

Siver7marken

Dec 8, 2015

8

Video Game Review

The video game “Gone Home” is set in 1995 in Portland Oregon. The game had its release dates on August 15 for Windows, OS X and Linux. And on the 12th of January for Playstation 4 and Xbox One. In this game, we follow the oldest daughter in the Greenbriar family, Kaitlin. Who has returned to her home from a year abroad. Normally her family would be there to welcomeVideo Game Review

The video game “Gone Home” is set in 1995 in Portland Oregon. The game had its release dates on August 15 for Windows, OS X and Linux. And on the 12th of January for Playstation 4 and Xbox One.

In this game, we follow the oldest daughter in the Greenbriar family, Kaitlin. Who has returned to her home from a year abroad. Normally her family would be there to welcome her, but the house is empty. Many questions needs to be answered.
You will get the answers as you walk through in first-person and explore the Greenbrier house.
“The Fullbright Company” is the developer of this game. The co-founders of the company have earlier worked on multiple games including the famous “Bioshock 2”. This game goes under the genre “adventure”, and it fits right in.
The game has a small, scary vibe attached to it. The scariness increases at the start screen/menu, and the loud lighting inside the game intensifies it.

You start at the front porch of the Greenbriar house. What you can see there is the locked entrance door to the house, a cabinet, a bench and your bags from the trip. At the front door there is a note:
“Katie
I’m sorry I can’t be there to see you, but it is impossible. Please, please don’t go digging around trying to find out where I am. I don’t want anyone to know. We’ll see each other again someday. Don’t be worried. I love you.
- Sam”
When the player reads this note it will trigger something in the brain and make the player want to find out more, investigate. At least it did for me. The first thing you will have to do is to find a key. When you find it, you can open the front door. Inside is the foyer, here you will start your adventure.

It is quite easy to play this game, the controls are easily learnable. If you have played any game on a computer before, that is a plus. There will be used eight buttons and a computer mouse. With these buttons, and the mouse, it is possible to do different things. You can crouch, pick up objects, look closer at objects, open your backpack, view your map and look at your journals.

In my opinion the storyline was good and exciting, with many surprises. It was the story that made me want to keep on playing. I wanted to find out what was going to happen next. I really liked the fact that you could always decide where to go. No cut scenes and the game never controlled your character for you. The game could have included some “side missions” though, to make it bigger and more whole. Overall I enjoyed playing Gone Home and I will probably tune in on Fullbright’s next game!… Expand

Zachen99

Dec 8, 2015

8

The mysterious Gone Home game

Every house is full of information. If you look at the right places, you can find out so much about who is living in the house and maybe their story. This is exactly what the game Gone Home is about. The developer of Gone Home is called Fullbright, and they published the game August 15. In 2013. You play as Kaitlin Greenbriar, the daughter of Janice andThe mysterious Gone Home game

Every house is full of information. If you look at the right places, you can find out so much about who is living in the house and maybe their story. This is exactly what the game Gone Home is about. The developer of Gone Home is called Fullbright, and they published the game August 15. In 2013. You play as Kaitlin Greenbriar, the daughter of Janice and Terrance Greenbriar. After spending a year in Europe, Kaitlin comes home to her family`s new home. She gets a surprise, because her family are not to be found. When she walks around in the house looking for traces, she finds some info that she did not expect.
The story takes place in 1995 in USA. Samantha is the main character, and as you are playing as Kaitlin, you have to discover what has happened to her and the rest of the family while you have been away. You have to explore the house by picking up objects, looking at Photos and reading letters. You also have to find hidden keys to open more doors, so you can explore even more. By doing this you will find information, and get closer to knowing what really happened to the family.
While you play as Kaitlin Greenbriar in a first person view, you can pick up items to examine them closer. Sometimes when you pick up an object, it will trigger a voice that starts talking. This is the voice of Kaitlin`s sister Samantha, and it is about her journals. In her journals, she talks about what has happened to her at school, about her love life and a little about their parents. This makes the game a little bit more interesting. The sound of thunder and bad weather outside gives the game a little more tension, and makes the setting scarier.
Gone Home is a good game. It is not just a win or lose game, but it is a game where you have to explore and do things the way you want to. There is not a manual for how to play this game, so you are free and do not have to follow a pattern. This is especially what I liked about Gone Home. I personally liked that I had to find out the story myself, instead of somebody reading the story to me. I strongly recommend this game to everybody who like to explore and solve mysteries. This is a game you will not regret playing.… Expand

pettersolheim

Dec 8, 2015

10

Gone home – game review

You arrive home after a year abroad. You expect your family to greet you, but the house is left alone. Something is not right; what has happened? Where is everyone? The game is based on the story composed by Chris Remo and published by Fulbright. It was released in 2013. This is interactive fiction, which means it’s a simulating game where the player uses theGone home – game review

You arrive home after a year abroad. You expect your family to greet you, but the house is left alone. Something is not right; what has happened? Where is everyone?

The game is based on the story composed by Chris Remo and published by Fulbright. It was released in 2013. This is interactive fiction, which means it’s a simulating game where the player uses the keypad to control the character or the avatar you “are” during the game.
Your mission is to find out what took place in the creepy, old and spooky house at Arbor Hill. There are clues to search for in the house, and each clue leads to another. For each step you take in to the deeply confusing and tragic story, you get closer to the answer. The story unfolds facts about every single family member.

The game has a good build up and a lot of exciting aspects. What makes it interesting in my opinion, is the unkown concept and story that plays out; we have absolutely no idea what this game is about and how it will develop. Many people would say that lots of movies have the same exciting aspects, but to me the game is a bit different.
In particular, I liked the graphics and the realistic surroundings. The producers have done a great job with the all the visuals and audio effects, which made the game a whole lot better.
Another thing I noticed with the game was how quick you could finish it. Maybe the producers should have made it a bit longer; and you can’t skip right to the end. They have in a way done this already by adding “Sam`s notebook”, which we need to complete to get the full story.

I would recommend this story to people with a general interest for both computers and stories. I don’t people with interest for opposite things would like this game. However, I think almost everyone could find joy from this game as it is a good concept. I would also say this game possibly would be more fun to play for kids than adults, as the game in a way is build up in a bit childish way.
I think using this game in school is a very good solution and makes the class become a better one; where the class is different from the rest.… Expand

anettemogster

Dec 9, 2015

10

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Gone home
Gone Home is a videogame developed and published by a company from Portland, Oregon called The Fullbright Company. It was created by Steve Gaynor and some more people and released 15th of August 2013. Gone home is a fictional game that is packed with surprises and hidden adventures.

At the beginning of the game, you get a phone call that gives you information about the character you are playing as. Her name is Katlin Greenbriar. You begin on the porch of the house the game takes place in and find some baggage that tells you that the year is 1995. The plot is about discovering the family’s secrets in the mansion in Portland, Oregon on Arbor Hill. You play Kaitlin Greenbriar in first-person who is the oldest daughter of the Greenbriar family. She has two parents, Terrance and Janice and a younger sister, Samantha. Samantha, also called Sam is 17 years old.
After being in Europe for the past year Kaitlin returns back to America and arrives to an abandoned house. The objective of the game you try to find out what has happened to the family. The more you look the more clues you find making the game much more exciting.

I think the game was a little bit disappointing. It did not turn out the way I thought it would and that kind of disappointed me. I think it is a really good story and the effects and mystery behind builds up the story, but I wish it would turn out in another way. One thing I really liked about the game was the diary Sam had written to Kaitlin, and especially when it got told in Sam´s voice after you had found something in the house. Other things I enjoyed include the music, the graphics and the house. It was really exciting to walk around in the enormous house. I loved to play the game and didn´t want to stop
It is a really fun game to play because you can do so much. You can walk almost anywhere you want, pick up stuff and look at it making it feel very interactive and real. Except for the end it was one more thing I didn’t like, and that was that if you looked the “wrong” place you could finish the game after around 10 minutes, so I wish there was some sort of a block so that you wouldn’t be able to end the game before it was supposed to end.

I would recommend the game to someone else because all in all I think it was a fun and exciting game. I think it is suitable for both girls and boys between age 14 to 18 and I would especially recommend it to people who like mystery.… Expand

Marcusselle

Dec 9, 2015

9

Entering the game “Gone Home” is as if you walk straight into a ghost story. You have no idea why you are in this freaky specific house or what you are going to experience next. The game is shaped as a metaphorical puzzle where the most satisfying feeling is to put the pieces together. As I rummaged through an abandoned living room examining moving boxes, locked drawers, pictures, theEntering the game “Gone Home” is as if you walk straight into a ghost story. You have no idea why you are in this freaky specific house or what you are going to experience next. The game is shaped as a metaphorical puzzle where the most satisfying feeling is to put the pieces together. As I rummaged through an abandoned living room examining moving boxes, locked drawers, pictures, the proverbial light bulb suddenly illuminated. Maybe it was the lighting storm outside or just a coincidence?

The Fulbright Company are a video game development studio best known for their video game “Gone Home”. Basically, “Gone Home” is a first-person interactive fiction game, which means it´s a simulating game where the player uses the keypad to control the character or avatar you “are” during the game. Your goal is to find out what have happened in the spooky, old house at Harbor Hill. There are hidden clues and artifacts everywhere in this house which you have to find to get further on with the story. As you dig deeper into this creepy house, you´ll come across diary messages, scrawled notes and some freaky telephone messages that could unfold facts about every single family member. This could help you to find the actual truth of what have happened.

The artifacts in this house are design so good that I felt a need to grab everything that wasn’t glued to the floor, and give it the attention it deserved. Another exiting aspect is the warm coming feeling that rushes through you when you walk through those doors. You can pick up and examine almost every object which supports the warm “lived in” feeling.

The most exiting thing about Gone home is the visuals and audio effects. It´s not exaggerated, but rather painfully real. When I first heard Caitlin’s sister´s diary message my heart stopped. If you don’t use headphones, there is now point playing this game. You would miss the shocking thunder storm trembling outside, the tiny footsteps from the floor above and the squeaking noise from the book shelves.

The structure to Gone Home I also felt intriguing. The climax is at end of the story which makes it easy to not lose interest. At the end of the game you maybe notice a handful of objects you´ve seen throughout the story. This gives the game a circle competition that also was a highlight for me.

I would recommend this game to anyone who likes mystery and adventure games, as long as they have high tolerance for much exploring. Stepping foot inside Greenbrier’s house and discovering the things they left behind is a powerful experience. Another thing I noticed with the game was how quick you could finish it. Maybe Fulbright should have made it a bit longer, but how quickly you get through the whole story depends on your understanding and previous game experience. Gone Home is a truly amazing achievement, and piecing together its cascading story will be a memory for life.… Expand

Jahck

Dec 15, 2015

8

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Gone Home presents a narrative game experience in a form that I couldn’t really put into words until I actually played it. It’s not a game in the traditional sense, more of an interactive story. Players shouldn’t enter expecting an intense gameplay experience that will test their skills or mindlessly entertain them, what they should expect is a well written story paired with a gripping atmosphere.
The game’s atmosphere is where the gamer side of me would give praise. The moment you step through the front door, you almost immediately sense that something has gone awry. The quiet, unlit house welcomes you with the sound of a storm outside and the creek of your own footsteps. The atmosphere was excellent, the setting immediately grabbed me and encouraged exploration. The goal of the game is find clues and discover what has happened to your family over the course of the last year your character was away. The more you explore the more you learn about your family, but the focus is on your character’s sister Sam. Though other family members aren’t central to the narrative it is possible to learn more about them by looking for more clues. Sam’s story is the central narrative, and tells a very real, personal story, something rarely found in the interactive medium known as video games.
If I had any gripes with the game, it would be in it’s conclusion, though I still have a hard time saying it had a bad ending. The creators have tried to tell a very real and personal story through a gaming medium, which is quite rare. My instincts as someone who plays video games kept forcing assumptions into my mind. I was expecting some supernatural element to be introduced, or perhaps to discover some gruesome event that had transpired, and these expectations weren’t really met. I naturally found this disappointing, but then realized that these expectations come from the critical gamer within me, rather than the critical consumer. If this story was told through any other medium, I believe I would have found the ending quite satisfactory. Most of the negatives I had playing this game rooted from my preconceptions made as a gamer, and are issues I wouldn’t have had it this was a film or a television show.
Gone Home offers a well told story, something that video games still struggle to place in gameplay. Gone Home is an example of the other end of the spectrum, a game that prioritizes story over gameplay. If your looking for something to challenge what you perceive as a video game, I recommend this title.… Expand

jacobakman

Dec 15, 2015

9

A Review of Gone Home by Jacob Akman
Gone Home is both an emotional and educational game which was created by the Fullbright Company in 2013. Playing as Katie Greenbriar you have just returned from a trip to Europe and while you were gone, your Mom, Dad, and little sister had moved to an old labyrinthine house owned by your father’s family. Over the next few hours of playing the game youA Review of Gone Home by Jacob Akman
Gone Home is both an emotional and educational game which was created by the Fullbright Company in 2013. Playing as Katie Greenbriar you have just returned from a trip to Europe and while you were gone, your Mom, Dad, and little sister had moved to an old labyrinthine house owned by your father’s family. Over the next few hours of playing the game you creep throughout the house discovering clues to explain the drama that occurred while you were away. When you begin Gone Home it is a “dark and stormy night” and this eerie theme continues throughout, punctuated by sudden bursts of thunder and lightning. This creative video game is non-violent and very “modestly” made. Be warned: this game is not for everyone, it can frustrate with tedium, but if you follow it all the way to its conclusion you will experience fear, chills, exhilaration, and ultimately, satisfaction.
At the beginning of the story you are provided with almost no information which forces you to carefully explore every inch of the sprawling house observing each clue you can find. In the meantime, you will encounter several little side plots such as mother Janice Greenbriar’s “affair”, or the hunting for the ghost of house. However, the major storyline involves Sam’s new life in the “psycho house”, adjusting to her new school, and coming to terms with her sexuality.
The sexuality theme contrasts Gone Home from typical shoot ‘em up and speed racer games and it confirms that you’re into a unique emotional experience.
While the graphics in this game are not perfect, that is not what’s important when you compare them to the notes and letters placed around the house. Throughout Gone Home it is easy to get frustrated being hopeful to find an important clue every time you pick up a sharpie or a three ring binder, but when the moment of success and solution come it all seems worth it. To discover a new secret passage or hole in the wall is like a similar satisfaction to getting a “25 kill streak” in Call of Duty and receiving a Nuke. When discussing the “music” of gone home that refers to all the sounds of the house such as thunder, creek of a door, and footsteps on the floor. While the music is not one of the most evident and consistent elements, it adds to the eeriness of the house tremendously.
For the first half of your gameplay of Gone Home you will be bored and frustrated. While you are paying extra close attention to every little detail and note you can find you will still not seem to find your way around the house. Only at the breakthrough of the locker combo will you be able to truly begin enjoying the game. From then on you will feel a rush as you discover each piece to the puzzle. While this thrill of the gameplay goes on you will also increasingly become interested in the storyline and actually get chills as you enter the attic and hear the final voice clips. Essentially, while the gameplay is slow to get into, not only does it pick up speed and become a very cool game physically, but you will really be able to dive into the story and enjoy that as well.… Expand

ehogie12345

Dec 16, 2015

8

Gone Home is a first-person story adventure game in which the player controls a girl named Katie who has just returned to Portland, Oregon from a trip to Europe. The game starts on the front porch of a new home Katie’s family had moved to while she was away. She arrives only to discover that her entire family has left. The goal of the game is to find out why.

I have played manyGone Home is a first-person story adventure game in which the player controls a girl named Katie who has just returned to Portland, Oregon from a trip to Europe. The game starts on the front porch of a new home Katie’s family had moved to while she was away. She arrives only to discover that her entire family has left. The goal of the game is to find out why.

I have played many different types of video games, and not once have I ever felt so intrigued and interested in a game’s story. Gone Home is possibly the first successful game where the creators sought to make the game’s story line the main attraction. Unlike the hugely popular mainstream games you always hear about, there are no guns, no violence and no puzzles. But that is alright because the fascinating twists and turns in Gone Home’s story line more than makes up for it. The narrative that you hear when picking up certain objects adds an emotional level to the story. These narrations, spoken by Katie’s younger sister, help you piece together the mystery of what has happened to Katie’s family. As a player, you can’t help but feel you are in her shoes. Hearing the sister’s voice makes you feel as though you know her in real life, and it makes you truly care about what happens next in the story.

The graphics in Gone Home aren’t amazing but they get the job done, and that is all that the game’s developer, the Full Bright Company, needed them to do. Impressive graphics are a key draw for many other games. With Gone Home, in contrast, I can guarantee that when you have finished the game you won’t even consider the graphics to be a problem because of how deeply you get drawn into the story line. Another strong point is the game’s sounds, which are synced up closely with your character’s actions. The music used in Gone Home, which for the most part is eerie and dark, is effective in helping to create the game’s mood. Gameplay is another thing the Full Bright Company has done very well. Anyone can jump into this game and quickly learn how to play it – even my grandparents if they were so inclined. The controls are easy to learn. Within 5 minutes I knew them all and was on my way. One thing I wish the developers’ would have added, however, is a sprint feature. Sometimes clues will prompt you to go to the other side of the house to solve a problem. But the character’s slow movement can be very annoying. Some people may argue that this helps slow down the game so that players can look at everything more closely. But I think that, on balance, Gone Home would have been better with a sprint feature, and I would love to have seen it in the game.

I highly recommend this game to anyone who is getting bored of standard first-person shooter action/adventure games, and to even someone who doesn’t play video games at all and simply wants to enjoy a good story. Gone Home’s compelling story line and overall playability have made me a big fan. I can’t wait to see what Full Bright comes up with next.… Expand

MatMac7

Dec 16, 2015

8

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Gone Home by the Fulbright company is a game about a girl named Katie Greenbriar, who you play as. She has just come back from a 1 year trip to find her new house with her parents and sister completely empty. She has no idea where they went and must explore the house to discover where they went and t reveal some of her families’ darkest secrets.

The story behind Gone Home is that Katie is home from a year of traveling all over the world to find her house completely empty. There is no sign of where her parents or sister is. The main character, Katie Greenbriar, arrives home and see’s an ominous letter left from her sister on the door telling her to not go looking for her. As Katie explores the house more and more she starts to discover things about her family. The house is very old and spooky and as you look around you start to see where her family went. As Katie find’s certain notes it can trigger audio messages left from Sam to Katie and as you advance in the game the story of what happens to Sam starts to become more clear. The story behind Gone Home makes you really connect with the characters and feel with them. The story behind Gone Home is such a possible story that it allows you to connect with.

In Gone Home they have exceptional graphics and sound. This makes the game. It makes it feel real. The graphics are great. Sure it’s a game but it gives you a sense of what an actually house would look like. It even shows the smallest of details. Like in the toilet paper. It shows the little divots that real toilet paper would have. Also a big part is the sound. Just like a real house there’s always going to be cracks and other little noises. In Gone Home they happen at random just like a normal house would have. When you first start Gone Home you can instantly tell that it is raining. As you explore the house further the noise level changes. If you are closer to the windows or the outside of the house, then the level of the rain and thunder gets louder. Overall the sound and graphics in Gone Home gives you the sense that you are in the game and that the house is real.

In Gone Home there are many times in the game when you will actually feel attached to a character and connecting with them. Like when we find out how Terry, Katie’s father, has had a lot of pressure being put on him about getting his book sold. This game isn’t like any other game. There is no one you have to kill or nothing you have to run from. It makes you feel like it’s real life. As you play the game you get to know each of the characters on a deep level. You find out their secrets and you realize that the story of this family could happen to any family.

In conclusion, I think Gone Home has achieved their goal of having you connect with the Greenbrier family and making it feel like you are really in the house. I think the Fulbright company has changed the way games are made and has shown that a game doesn’t have to have violence to make a good game.… Expand

chappers

Dec 16, 2015

9

Gone home was an innovative new take on the typical mystery/adventure game commonly found on the market in this current era of games. In the game you play as a girl, Katie, who has just gotten back form a year long trip to Europe. You’re in a dark atmospheric mansion left in a complete mess with no one home. The game has you explore the house and unravel the family’s troubled andGone home was an innovative new take on the typical mystery/adventure game commonly found on the market in this current era of games. In the game you play as a girl, Katie, who has just gotten back form a year long trip to Europe. You’re in a dark atmospheric mansion left in a complete mess with no one home. The game has you explore the house and unravel the family’s troubled and controversial past that they struggled with.
Gone Home portrays the stories of those who were living in the house in a new and effective way. The game culture at the time of Gone Home’s release was dominated by first person shooters (fps) or other violent counterparts using multiplayer modes and fast paced action to entertain the player. Gone Home unlike the majority of other games on the market, uses the story almost exclusively to entertain and keep the player immersed in the game’s world. This results in an unusual experience that I found myself enjoying way beyond my original expectations. The story gradually grows and develops like a tree would, as you play the story may seem straightforward to begin with but as you play, you will realize you are bearing witness to the sum of every character’s story and that if you dig a little deeper can uncover each individual’s storyline, which are as intriguing as the main story.
The game’s take on graphics may at first seem a little rough at the edges, and perhaps it is, but it has a warming effect and it perfectly suits the atmosphere and desired tone of the game. It provides an art style that can highlight the highs and lows of the game which is incredibly enhanced by the short interludes of soundtrack that occur whenever you find a journal of Sam’s. They embody the situations so well, and immerse the player in the situation where you find yourself unable to not empathize with Sam. Not to mention the voice acting in the game is absolutely flawless, I find myself replaying the journals as they seem so genuine and real.
The gameplay is interesting, but there is definitely something to be said for the playing of the game. There are many times during the game where I found myself wandering the house completely lost as to where I was supposed to go next, or tediously looking through and under everything trying not to miss anything important. The developers of the game chose not to add a sprint/jump function into the game, which I can understand from the perspective that many people would rush and miss a fairly large amount of the content, but the game would probably benefit from a fast travel function of some sort. It was not uncommon to find myself running from one end of the house to the other and back which took a painfully long time. But besides these small little annoyances the game plays like a dream and it was very entertaining.
The game has its quirks and its flaws, but overall I couldn’t help but find myself enjoying it tremendously. It has brought a new interesting genre of gaming to light and hope to find games in the future with a similar level of depth to their plot, while incorporating a larger map or interactive piece. It is an incredible game and I readily recommend it to friends and family, well done Fullbright you’ve made a masterpiece.… Expand

RoneDawg

Dec 16, 2015

10

The computer game “Gone Home,” developed by Fulbright was based in Portland 1995. After a year, young Kaitlin Greenbrair returns home to her house in Arbor Hill, Oregon. To her surprise no one appears home and the house is empty. The objective of the game is to figure out what has taken place in the house since the departure of Kaitlin. As you read more and discover clues, a very strangeThe computer game “Gone Home,” developed by Fulbright was based in Portland 1995. After a year, young Kaitlin Greenbrair returns home to her house in Arbor Hill, Oregon. To her surprise no one appears home and the house is empty. The objective of the game is to figure out what has taken place in the house since the departure of Kaitlin. As you read more and discover clues, a very strange picture seems to form. The game centers around Samantha, her parents and the many elements of love, confusion and disaster that are scattered around the mansion.
Samantha’s story in the game was developed brilliantly combining many themes of love and teenage drama. As the player, you take on the role of Kaitlin, which investigates rooms to discover various documents and clues to what has occurred in the house. As the player moves through the house, he or she discovers a series of letters written to Kaitlin from Samantha located in her journal, which she has kept for the duration of the year. The player learns that after moving into the new house, Samantha also moves into a new school and is soon to be recognized as “the Psycho House Girl.” The name was given to her due to a man called Oscar Masan, who is the great uncle of Kaitlin and left everything in his will to her father, including the house. When Samantha attends school she notices a senior girl dressed in a military uniform. Samantha eventually speaks to the girl with the military uniform and the player learns that her name is Yolanda “Lonnie” Desoto who has always had the desire to view “The Psycho House.” Samantha, being desperate for friends, invites her to come over the next day. Their friendship sparks over the months and they become extremely close, sharing activities and viewing movies such as Pulp Fiction. Their relationship begins to escalate quickly by Lonnie telling Samantha that she “Looks beautiful.” Moreover, after they see a Halloween show in “the city,” they decide to stay overnight at a friend’s brother’s house and slept together. Lonnie commences to put her arm around Samantha and reveals her feelings for her; Samantha has mutual feelings but can not bring herself to speak. A couple days pass and Lonnie again visits Samantha at “The Psycho house”. However, this will be an encounter, which Samantha will not soon forget. Lonnie kisses Samantha and that’s when their relationship becomes serious and they become secret girlfriends. As the Kaitlin goes on, she discovers that Samantha was organizing and preparing herself for a college creative writing course. However, Lonnie explains to Samantha that she is serious about enrolling in the military and is to be shipped out on June 6th. Samantha’s parents then intervene and soon discover her relationship with Lonnie. They state that the relationship is “a phase,” not accepting the fact that Samantha is in fact a lesbian. Forty-eight hours before Lonnie is to be shipped out, Samantha becomes upset and wishes that she could go with Lonnie. The day Lonnie is supposed to be shipped out Lonnie can’t go through with joining the military and asks Samantha to run away with her where they will start a life together; Samantha agrees to join her. She packs up her valuables and writes a letter for Kaitlin, which the player discovers, stating, “ I love you so much, Katie. I’ll see you again, someday. Love, Sam”.
While discovering these letters, Kaitlin looks through her father and mother’s room, along with her father’s study. She finds old novels her father, Terry, had published. All novels were based around the topic of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Kaitlin learns that two of her father’s books had sold poorly and his publishing partner had dropped the series. Kaitlin also learns that eventually, Terry gave up writing due to writer’s block, an issue which makes the person unable to think about what to write. Sometime over the duration of the year, Terry received a letter from another publishing firm stating that they were willing to republish his two books under a new cover. Terry accepted and included a new novel, set 20 years after the second book. The player also learns that Kaitlin’s parents are at a couple’s counseling getaway, with evidence stating her mother may have had an affair with a coworker, and are due to return the following day. Kaitlin also learns that her great uncle sexually abused Terry. As the player tours the house, you may even see the various locations where the abuse has taken place.
In addition discovering the story while investigating the home, this game also includes mind-altering graphics and eerie sounds. Fulbright manages to encompass the game with a creepy graphics along with a mysterious storyline. For example, upon entering the house you begin in the foyer where the light instantly flickers causing a dark atmosphere. Also stating, another characteristic of the graphics, which was well done, are the 3D effects when holding and looking through objects.… Expand

JGraham

Dec 16, 2015

8

Gone Home Review

Gone Home, a first person adventure game, is very different from any other video game I have played. In the game you are a women named Katie Greenbriar. She has returned home after spending a year in Europe to find her family missing. It is your job to look for clues throughout the house and piece together their story. The main story focuses on Sam, Katie’s youngerGone Home Review

Gone Home, a first person adventure game, is very different from any other video game I have played. In the game you are a women named Katie Greenbriar. She has returned home after spending a year in Europe to find her family missing. It is your job to look for clues throughout the house and piece together their story. The main story focuses on Sam, Katie’s younger sister, but there are other segments of the story that focus on various relatives. While you search you uncover hidden truths about all of the characters and you begin to understand what has gone on in this house.

The graphics, audio and story are exceptionally well done in Gone Home. The graphics are incredible. The Greenbriar house feels like a real home with amazing detail and a true ‘lived in’ look. During my playing time I did not encounter a single glitch - the only thing that even looked weird was that the doors opened both way. This minor issue does not take away from the game at all. No element of the house is neglected. There are post-it notes on the fridge door, labels on can goods and stacks of board games and VHS movies. All of these parts add up to make the house look amazing and realistic. The audio in the game is also outstanding. The thunder and lighting make you feel on edge as you wander through this dark and empty house. The narration is done well and Sam’s voice actor seems sincere as she talks about what is happening in her life. The main point in buying Gone Home is for the story. It is very well told and all of the characters seem real and like they could represent someone in your own family. It is very entertaining to try and piece together the history of the Greenbriar family and what has happened to them while exploring the house. The graphics, audio and story all come together to make the story seem real, which makes it very entertaining to play.

What could be improved is the length of Gone Home. It is rather short. It takes about three hours to travel throughout the house in-depth. This feels a bit short and once you have beaten the game there is no multiplayer option like in most modern video games to keep you playing. Once the game is beaten it is highly unlikely that you will play it again. This can leave a bitter taste with the player because they have just spent money on a game that provides at most three hours of entertainment and then it is over.

Overall Gone Home is very well done. The story is well told and the graphics and audio make it feel real. The problem though is that the game is too expensive for a three-hour story that once you finish has no replay value.… Expand

rossignol98

Dec 16, 2015

8

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Gone Home is a mysterious interactive fiction game, developed by The Fullbright Company. It tells the story of a teenage girl in the 1990s, who is gay. You take the role of her older sister Katie, exploring their empty house for clues as to what happened to her. It’s highly ambitious, choosing to allow for little interaction with the game environment, and treating the character as more of an observer, than an influencer of her surroundings. The game is well polished, and the house where the game takes place is full of details and intricacies to add to the player’s emersion in the game. The game features music from the Riot Grrrl movement, a movement stemming from the feminist-punk music genre in the 90s. Adding to the soundscape, the sound of rain and thunder can be heard through the old walls of the house. To capture the attention of the player, Gone Home chooses to tell a story through hand written notes and tape recordings, scattered through the dimly lit house. The goal of Gone Home is to establish an emotional connection to the player, but this goal becomes muddied by lackluster writing. Despite all of the conspicuously placed letters and diary entrees spread throughout the house, we are placed not into the shoes of Sam or her lover, but her sister- an outsider to Sam’s world. Try as we might to feel what Sam is feeling, in Gone Home, we remain the outsider looking in. This feeling of a lack of connection to the story is likely also due to the medium chosen to give these messages: emotionless documents and the scrawled handwriting of a seventeen-year-old. In summary, the game is well-worth playing. Although it didn’t connect with me as much as it tried to, Gone Home looked at many charged topics throughout the short game- sexual abuse, shame, traditional vs. progressive values, substance abuse, etc. and it tells a story that the player may never have previously encountered.… Expand

Sigridsmeby

Jan 28, 2016

8

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game takes place in the 90’s and it is all about Samantha Greenbriar. Her sister, Kaitlin, comes home from Europe and she finds all these diaries that Sam left for her to find. Before Kaitlin left they were living in another house, and she comes back to a new but empty house. Kaitlin has to find all the diaries, the hidden entries and all of the clues Sam left for her. The diaries are supposed to tell Kaitlin where Sam is and why she’s there. In the end Sam turns out to be gay, but her parents do not allow it. She ran away with her girlfriend, Lonnie, and that is what she want her sister to know. Sam does not tell her sister where their parents are. Maybe she doesn’t know where they are or she’s still hiding something from her.

The way you play the game is by using the mouse and the arrows on the keypad. The player watches everything from Katie’s perspective. Once you get it, it’s pretty easy to play.

I think that the game are supposed to tell us that “gay’s okay”! There’s nothing wrong with admitting that you’re different. Certainly, Sam did not have it very easy. She had a lot of difficulties. It must be so hard admitting to herself and her parents that she’s a lesbian. And her parents not approving, certainly doesn't make it any easier.

The story isn’t just chronological. It starts when Kaitlin gets home from Europe, and then it goes on until we finally end up at Sam’s dark room. We also get to hear about things that has happened in the past. In that way it is also jumping in time.

Sam’s diaries is kind of a symbol of her love for her sister. By leaving them for Kaitlin she shows her that she loves her and want her to know what happened.

This is certainly a realistic story. This could happen. All the hidden doors and the cellar may not be as realistic, but the actual story could defiantly take place in real life. The story has a romantic view to it as well. Sam and Lonnie’s love story is both touching and shocking. What Sam had to do to be with her beloved was extreme. Run away from her home town, and who knows what or if she even did do something to her parents. By putting music and voices to it made the actual playing realistic.

What I liked best about Gone Home was that it actually had a realistic story to tell. The only thing I didn’t like about the game was the ending. I was expecting a little bit more of a brutal ending. I was kind of disappointed when we finally got into Sam’s dark room and the thing that was waiting for us was just another journal. I really liked the journals and that it was Sam’s voice who read them to us. It made it all little bit more realistic. On the other hand, I would prefer more action. I’m still wondering where their parents are. I guess we’ll never know, but I wish the game told us that. The message of the game was great and defiantly important. Especially among young people these days, who may be struggling with this kind of stuff. The producer of Gone Home has defiantly managed to create a great game. He made a fun game and at the same time sent out a very important message. To sum up I’d say I really liked Gone Home.… Expand

QuietSpider317

Jan 28, 2016

9

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Gone Home
Game Review:

Gone Home is a very good game, and I think that every school should have that game on their school computers. I like the game most because of the good history in it. And I like that you need to go thru the hole house the gather all the information you need to find out more about the family. Gone home is a remarkable first-person adventure that tells a very good story about how the family from the story. The game is good whit all its history, but I think the game is to short, they should have added more rooms and maybe something outside of the house, like you can go in the garden and find some information there to. Still this game is good even without the garden, I think that everyone should buy this game and play it because it is a very good game, that the developers must have used a long time to make all the room whit the texture. The best reason for that I like the game is because it is a first-person game, and I love to play first-person games. I like when you walk in the house sometimes it comes a story that you need to listen to get more information. The game has much good music when you walk around in the house, and it has many secret places you need to find to get more information. I like the ending because of that it does not say where Sam is, so you need to make up a story yourself about what happened to Sam.
I hope that the game developers will make a new game like this one where you are in a house where the family has moved out from the house, and you need to find information about where your family live.
The game is very good because of what you can do in the game, you can crouch and that is very needed to do in this game, and many games in the world does not have a crouch option. I think that the developers should make updates to gone home, there it will be added more features, like something that makes you see something that’s not there, something like a ghost, or a family member that is dead. They should make more rooms where there is more information to get before you can finish the game, and should make something outside of the house, where you can see how the house looks like and the nature around you.
I hope that people will try out this game, cause it’s a very good game, and it’s a fun game even if you don’t have much time to play it, so I recommend that everyone that haven’t played the game yet, should buy it and play it. When you play you should not just rush thru the house, try finding everything you can, to solve the whole mystery about what happened to Sam, and check every room, because there is information everywhere. I hope that they add items like flashlight or food like you can use the flashlight while you go around on the dark places in the house, and eat when you need to or, your character will be slower or she will die from hunger. I hope that the next game the developers make is something that is close to this one. For some people this game may be scary, but that’s only because of the dark rooms, but there is nothing that can scare you in the game, it is only dark rooms but, you can just turn off the light on the side of the doors inside the rooms, or using the lamps. I would like that you spawn outside of the house and not inside the first room downstairs in the house. Gone home is a game you can play to take away a few hours in your life, since there is 4 floors, and many rooms on every floor.
I have played many games, but this game is one of the best I have played, and I will give the game an 8.9score.… Expand

12	#12 Best PC Game of 2013
11	#11 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
3	#3 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

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