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. GanymedeJupiter
    Oct 20, 2013
    0
    Prior to playing this I had heard so many praising it as one of the greatest stories in any video game. Upon finishing I questioned whether those people had any idea what a good story actually is, because Gone Home; despite it's reputation as a great story-focused game; is executed so poorly that it barely qualifies as a game or even a story.

    There is nothing of interest to discover    Prior to playing this I had heard so many praising it as one of the greatest stories in any video game. Upon finishing I questioned whether those people had any idea what a good story actually is, because Gone Home; despite it's reputation as a great story-focused game; is executed so poorly that it barely qualifies as a game or even a story.

    There is nothing of interest to discover here but a teenage girl's struggle with her friend. It's different sure, but in the end it's a conflict that has already been resolved and means there is nothing to become involved with or witness here. After 30 minutes to 2 hours of nothing but wandering this empty house, your reward is minimal emotional payoff, and then you're greeted with the credits as trashy 90s punk rips through your ears.

    I'm upset to see this proclaimed as a good story when the only reason to care for it is if it resonates with your life in some way. There are no events to behold or become hooked by, or even a narrative to experience. It's the artistic equivalent of a poetry piece posted to tumblr. No craft has been put into making this something genuinely great or interesting. It feels like a self-serving vanity project that possesses no substance as story or game. The only merit I found in Gone Home is that it is a display of how terrible something in this medium can be without being broken or offensive.    … Expand
  2. Paradosi
    Dec 27, 2013
    0
    I wish I could give a lower review than a zero, this "game" would deserve it.

    In short, this is NOT a game. This is not worth 20 bucks, this is not even worth 2 bucks. It's an interactive walk and pick up simulator, on a backdrop of 3deep5me nonsense. Just another case of how big time reviewers don't give a about the quality of the game at all, just the bull**** they can get out of it.
  3. Gioray
    Sep 22, 2013
    0
    Shameful display of what video games have turned in recently. Most of objects in game look like filler. Yes, there are notes papers anything you can read but can I use pens, highlighters? I could manage to find a way to microwave myself a bucket of ice-cream. So called "interactive enviroment" doesnt live up to its name, the game is basically walk-and-read which makes it quite simillarShameful display of what video games have turned in recently. Most of objects in game look like filler. Yes, there are notes papers anything you can read but can I use pens, highlighters? I could manage to find a way to microwave myself a bucket of ice-cream. So called "interactive enviroment" doesnt live up to its name, the game is basically walk-and-read which makes it quite simillar to run-and-gun games mechanics wise (if there were any...). Story is trivial, the only "new" feature is trendy "homosexual" theme. Writing is "why?.."-grade. Last but not least: horrible optimisation. Game took 2 gb of ram, I had fps spikes in some areas… Expand
  4. velvetmeds
    Aug 21, 2013
    0
    Quite possibly the worst game of all time. Bad story/writing, no gameplay whatsoever, lasts 1 hour if you're generous, 1 minute if you do a speed run. No atmosphere to pull you in, no nothing. And they have the audacity of charging 20 bucks for this. A joke. A complete joke.
  5. JudgmentJay
    Sep 13, 2013
    0
    This is the worst "game" I have ever played. I bought into the hype and purchased Gone Home a day or two after release. Late-night Lifetime Network-tier story, Bad graphics, bad aesthetic, boring environment, poor sound quality, 90 minutes long, and $20. This is the first time I have ever had buyer's remorse toward a game. The meta score shows just how out of touch journalists are withThis is the worst "game" I have ever played. I bought into the hype and purchased Gone Home a day or two after release. Late-night Lifetime Network-tier story, Bad graphics, bad aesthetic, boring environment, poor sound quality, 90 minutes long, and $20. This is the first time I have ever had buyer's remorse toward a game. The meta score shows just how out of touch journalists are with what a majority of gamers want out of a video game.… Expand
  6. Keirnoth
    Aug 28, 2014
    0
    Something that strips away all that we expect of video games that contain mechanics and leaves it bare with just a weak, trite, and overhyped "narrative". Here's the problem with this "game", there are actual games that present a compelling narrative FAR BETTER than this and also are fully fleshed out titles (Deus Ex: HR, rummage around Adam Jensen's apartment and you get to learn aboutSomething that strips away all that we expect of video games that contain mechanics and leaves it bare with just a weak, trite, and overhyped "narrative". Here's the problem with this "game", there are actual games that present a compelling narrative FAR BETTER than this and also are fully fleshed out titles (Deus Ex: HR, rummage around Adam Jensen's apartment and you get to learn about his past). There's an entire genre of point and clicks that do it far better than this, and there are even some third person games similar to this that offer a far more compelling plot (the recent Sherlock Holmes game that allows you to play it like a third person game or switch to a point and click style).

    Get this game if it goes on sale - the critic reviews vs. the user feedback should show you how messed up the game industry is - take everything you read with a grain of salt, including my own review.    … Expand
  7. alexania
    Dec 28, 2013
    0
    Luckily I got this "game" on a Steam special. I normally believe the story to be the most important part of a game, but there's no game here. Added to that the story is lame and I've read Sweet Valley High books with better plots. The writers were smart though cause this ~10 page story (didn't really keep track) woulf never have got anywhere as any other medium.

    If I could score it less    Luckily I got this "game" on a Steam special. I normally believe the story to be the most important part of a game, but there's no game here. Added to that the story is lame and I've read Sweet Valley High books with better plots. The writers were smart though cause this ~10 page story (didn't really keep track) woulf never have got anywhere as any other medium.

    If I could score it less than 0, I would.    … Expand
  8. Redz0ne
    Jun 9, 2014
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Thanks, Fullbright... Thank you for relegating LGBT issues to being the punch-line of a terribly dreary, repetitive and rather pretentious interactive story and having the gall to charge $20 for the experience.

    ... End sarcasm mode.    … Expand
  9. pyromcr
    Aug 22, 2013
    0
    This is not a game. To be considered a game there needs to be some way to lose, but that's not the case here. All you do is walk and look at stuff and it can be beaten in less that 50 seconds. Why does this cost $20 again? To give you an idea of how bad this is, FEZ was more of a game and Dear Esther was more engaging. It really is that bad. Only buy this if you get off to burning money.
  10. x2495iiii
    Dec 24, 2013
    0
    Code-wise, it's poorly optimized, and the physics are poorly done. Not a game-breaker, nor is it unexpected, since it's an indie game.

    Nostalgia-wise, it got some things wrong, like the model of the old SNES cartridges. Again, not a deal breaker, but notable, since a key to triggering nostalgia is getting the details right. The big disappointment is the poorly thought out storylines.    Code-wise, it's poorly optimized, and the physics are poorly done. Not a game-breaker, nor is it unexpected, since it's an indie game.

    Nostalgia-wise, it got some things wrong, like the model of the old SNES cartridges. Again, not a deal breaker, but notable, since a key to triggering nostalgia is getting the details right.

    The big disappointment is the poorly thought out storylines. There are three (excluding the player) family members, each seemingly with their own stories, but only one of the three stories is properly fleshed out, since it's the focus of the vast majority of the game. The other two are ambiguous at best, and since most of the clues deal exclusively with the largest of the three storylines, the other two seem neglected. Furthermore, the "main" story plays out like a Hallmark movie, or one of those "very special episodes" of the old 90's sitcoms. It may speak to some, but to others, it's a bland, over-taught moral lesson that doesn't provide the motivation necessary to keep listening, let alone finish a game.

    I'm not surprised that most critics, with their collective emphasis on maintaining good PR and requirement for pandering to the lowest common denominator, have simultaneously jumped on this shallow vehicle of a game. I am surprised by how far they've taken it, however. This game is, at best, decent. A 60 if you're feeling optimistic, a 40 if you're not. It certainly isn't worth a GOTY award. But regardless, the world of video game journalism seems to have let down their followers in this respect. Perhaps out of fear for their own careers, they have given this game praise it does not deserve and misled their followers into expecting more from this hollow shell of a game.

    If there was ever any doubt in my mind that the integrity of the average video game journalist was next to non-existent, seeing it sold here for the price of a flimsy, political plot-device removed it.    … Expand
  11. zakarum
    Aug 17, 2013
    0
    This game is more akin to an interactive movie. That could be okay, but the point is, this game is short. Too short. One hour short. And it's not good.
  12. dakan45
    Aug 22, 2013
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The so called "critics" need to check their state of minds.

    Dear critics, we turn to you to infrom us about games, when a game gets 9.5s we assume that we MUST play this game and it somehow revolutionizes gaming.

    The game costs 20 bucks, its a linear story based fps exploration game inside a house. You move around and pick up objects and twist them around, then you hear an audio log and you continue doing that till you get to the last one and the game ends.

    That is the essential gameplay, The graphics are pretty good and the game is optimized but its not a "game"

    Its a tech demo.

    Reviewers will tell you that the story is pretty good, yet its a about a lonely girl who thinks she is a lesbian when in reallity she never had a boyfirend so she justs runs away with another girl who actually is a lesbian, thats it, not much of a resollution either, yet it gets 9.5 and most importantly it costs 20 bucks.

    The consumer is ripped off 20 bucks for 1 hour and a half of linear exploring in a tech demo, rather an actual GAME.

    There are far better GAMES to play for 15 bucks, shadowrun returns,rise of the triad, call of juareze gunsliner, hell even mars war logs.

    Sure they have flaws, but they are GAMES with GAMEPLAY and the reason they are criticized by reviewers and have lower scores is because the so called "critics" criticize the flaws in their GAMEPLAY since this game has no gamplay whatsoever and you keep moving in a linear fashion and pick up objects and examine them, there is no gameplay flaws to criticize so that gives them 10/10.

    That is the truth and it hurts but this notion that the less gameplay the game has and less complex it is, the better, has to stop, or we will be playing movies instead of games pretty damn soon.

    The user score shows that the so called "critics" should og and criticize movies instead and not games.    … Expand
  13. rayban
    Sep 6, 2013
    0
    The fact that this game has a 90% from critics is really going to have me second guessing any future reviews i read, in this game you literally do and accomplish nothing. A ridiculous waste of money.
  14. cdrwrecorders
    Sep 12, 2013
    0
    it's cool experiment about environment story telling. not worth 19€ but you should buy it anyway if you interested in games that are more than button smashers.
  15. noisnam
    Sep 3, 2013
    0
    i got this game because of all the hype made out there. but honestly.. this kind of game isnt for me, i played 15 minutes and bored the out of my mind, and couldnt finish it. i would rather read a book. good job on the marketing dough.
  16. Ghoster
    Jan 1, 2014
    0
    Well, what to say? This is probably 1st game I'll give score 0. It's first extremely bad graphics, but that's not crucial because lately we have few indie efforts with bad graphics but extremely fun games!!!
    In other side, Gone Home have nothing. It's just walking through house and read some letters. It would probably be more fun as textual adventure from 80's.
  17. Duduziuz
    Jul 8, 2016
    0
    Entediante, sem emoção nenhuma... uma historinha bem fraquinha contada de uma forma chata. Nada de inesperado, nada de revelador, nada capaz de lhe envolver ou emocionar.
  18. Eyse
    Aug 21, 2013
    0
    WARNING Not for consumption by males! This is not a game, but an interactive chick story.

    No action, no enemies, no threats, no obstacles, no puzzles, no excitement, no fun but don't worry because there's... reading! Lots and lots of reading! Explore a house, read a whole bunch of notes (most of which have nothing to do with anything) and... well that's it. I won't post the ending     WARNING Not for consumption by males! This is not a game, but an interactive chick story.

    No action, no enemies, no threats, no obstacles, no puzzles, no excitement, no fun but don't worry because there's... reading! Lots and lots of reading! Explore a house, read a whole bunch of notes (most of which have nothing to do with anything) and... well that's it.

    I won't post the ending because everyone knows how it ends already. We all agree that it was really, really stupid. Save your $20 for something else anything else! The critics really dropped the ball on this one (or were paid off, maybe).    … Expand
  19. DoctorMedic
    Aug 26, 2013
    0
    "Oh boy, a main character's a lesbian, OBVIOUSLY we should give this an 11/10!" HELL NO. The whole lesbian thing is the worst plot twist I've ever seen. This doesn't even qualify as a visual novel, much less a game. Abysmally repetitive gameplay (you pretty much just walk and pick things up) and terrible graphics (they aren't everything, but you can't have giant eyesores everywhere) make"Oh boy, a main character's a lesbian, OBVIOUSLY we should give this an 11/10!" HELL NO. The whole lesbian thing is the worst plot twist I've ever seen. This doesn't even qualify as a visual novel, much less a game. Abysmally repetitive gameplay (you pretty much just walk and pick things up) and terrible graphics (they aren't everything, but you can't have giant eyesores everywhere) make this not even worth $5. I can buy VVVVVV for $5 and that'd give me more entertainment than this $20 pile of vomit. In fact, spend those $20 on La-Mulana. You'll get at least 13 times the length and there's actual gameplay. And then... I guess you can spend those other $5 on Mann Co. Supply Crate Keys.… Expand
  20. Xarxan
    Aug 25, 2013
    0
    I simply cannot believe how low games have fallen for something like this to be considered one. A fact that is not helped by the quite frankly pathetic and desperate pandering of the ''professional'' reviewers by giving it such high scores just to seem ''progressive'' and ''mature'' when all it really does is lower their credibility.
    It's depressing to even say this but the game itself is    I simply cannot believe how low games have fallen for something like this to be considered one. A fact that is not helped by the quite frankly pathetic and desperate pandering of the ''professional'' reviewers by giving it such high scores just to seem ''progressive'' and ''mature'' when all it really does is lower their credibility.
    It's depressing to even say this but the game itself is not what got it those high scores since it is barely a game to begin with but rather it's push by non gaming tumblr feminists who get high on the ''I'm progressive thus I'm better than you'' mentality.
    Nothing else to say about it really it's just a incredibly short and shallow attempt of the ''interactive movie experience'' with it's only real selling point being that it's ''PROGRESSIVE''.    … Expand
  21. pwnDonkey
    Sep 2, 2013
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I just watched someone else play this game on youtube, I'm so GLAD (get it? Gay lesbian, whatever whatever) I didnt pay $20 for this. It's basically propaganada against dont ask dont tell rapped in a 1 hr "game". By game i mean no puzzles, no nothing. It's like a bad M Knight Shamalan movie hiding behind gay rights. If you criticize it, you are a homophobe. OK, I'd rather be a homophobe and have $20 than give this a good rating.… Expand
  22. kiba95
    Jan 17, 2014
    0
    Most overrated and overhyped game of the year. Literally it doesn't deserve so high scores. The plot is not intereresting at all, after playing 30 minutes through - you already know the story. And the ending is just boring.
  23. SirGalaaz
    Oct 31, 2013
    0
    If you like to spend time clicking stuff, reading letters and listening to a stupid teenager audio tapes, this is your game. The critics cheated me, I never was so regretful buying a game.
  24. TheHighway
    Aug 24, 2013
    0
    This "game" has no gameplay; it's basically a $20 movie, and even the biggest blockbusters don't cost that much for me to go see. $20 for a boring, cliched movie trying to pretend that it is a video game. Yeah, nah, off.
  25. Friar_Zero
    Aug 22, 2013
    0
    This simply isn't a game and doesn't belong in this section. It is a fine and interesting piece of interactive fiction. In order to qualify for the designation of game it would have to have gameplay, which this completely lacks.There are no challenges in the game that need to be overcome in order to progress and no systems to be learned and manipulated. It shares no characteristics withThis simply isn't a game and doesn't belong in this section. It is a fine and interesting piece of interactive fiction. In order to qualify for the designation of game it would have to have gameplay, which this completely lacks.There are no challenges in the game that need to be overcome in order to progress and no systems to be learned and manipulated. It shares no characteristics with anything that has been called a game from ancient egyptian Sennet to Chess to Settlers of Catan to X-Com. The sooner that interactive fiction artists stop insisting on their work being judged and classed as a game the sooner interactive fiction can grow and develop as it's own medium. In the meantime this work is being sold and examined under the same criteria as a Call of Duty or a Dragon Age.… Expand
  26. Jimbo364
    Aug 20, 2013
    0
    I've played visual novels with more gameplay than this. Forced story elements and bland interaction leave a pretty empty experience. The fact that this can be completed in a mere few minutes makes any price over 1.00 a joke. If your interested in this, then you probably would be interested in the thousands of VNs already out there. They are much more worth your time, with prices starting at FREE.
  27. supez64
    Sep 1, 2013
    0
    Wow. Adventure game my ass. This is There is no gameplay, and the story is mediocre. It seems to be getting praise because it involves LGBT rights. Well, I think I may get some sewage, unload it on some toilet paper with "LESBIAN" written on it, put it for sale, and proceed to be called the future of cuisine.
  28. Ultach
    Aug 19, 2013
    0
    This is, to put it bluntly, not a video game. I don't mean that in a snarky way. You have people who go "Metal Gear Solid is a movie because it has too many cutscenes" or "Planescape Torment is a novel because it has too much text", but Gone Home is, even in the very loosest sense of the word, not a video game. Arguably, a book has more interactivity and skill involved, since you need toThis is, to put it bluntly, not a video game. I don't mean that in a snarky way. You have people who go "Metal Gear Solid is a movie because it has too many cutscenes" or "Planescape Torment is a novel because it has too much text", but Gone Home is, even in the very loosest sense of the word, not a video game. Arguably, a book has more interactivity and skill involved, since you need to possess the motor skills necessary to turn the pages.… Expand
  29. evilgamer3560
    Sep 8, 2013
    0
    If I wanted to read a retarded blog of someone I don't give a about ranting about his sexuality I would have made a tumblr account
    Even calling it a game is pretentious
  30. Drakhe
    Aug 19, 2013
    0
    you really call a game this i dont care about the story dont care about the graphics i just want to play! instead of a interaction book when we are going to learn?!
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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
See all critic reviews »