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. mintchoco0
    Nov 27, 2016
    5
    For me, this was almost the first video game that I have played with my computer. Although I did not have a computer mouse so the controlling of the game was not smooth as expected, it was an interesting game with specific details that lead people back to the aura of the 1900s.
    This is a general exploration game of an unfamiliar house that the main character has encountered. If you look    For me, this was almost the first video game that I have played with my computer. Although I did not have a computer mouse so the controlling of the game was not smooth as expected, it was an interesting game with specific details that lead people back to the aura of the 1900s.
    This is a general exploration game of an unfamiliar house that the main character has encountered. If you look around the house, you can observe fascinating details that the developers has hidden into the corner of every house. Not only the visual details, but there are also auditory details just scattered around the floor or on the furniture. It is just astonishing how they cared about something as little as hand-written like letters to crumpled notes. Never in any escaping game that I have seen such a complete story and little clues that match up for the whole story. Also, there were some missing information that you could not obtain unless you have looked thoroughly through all the house. It leads you to continue the game even after you have finished it, because finishing the game does not mean that you have understood everything about the relationships between the characters. Even if you have poked every end of the house, it gives very different impression. The conclusion that you lead differes depending on your experience, and that makes the game attractive.
    However, the ending of the game was not as I have expected. You can just end the game by chance, if you go to the right place. This was the most critical disadvantage of the game. There is no worthy reward for finishing the game. There is no more information given because you have successfully finished the game. Exploring is more emphasized then playing the game and seeing the ending, which was a disappointing point for me. The game just threw us a house, and nothing else.
    The graphics were okay, and the control was hard since I did not have a mouse, so had to use the mouse pad so the character sometimes did not move as I have wanted her to move. Therefore I rated this game as 5 for the extraordinary details and the game that has nothing but details.    … Expand
  2. Explicit
    Nov 27, 2016
    7
    I am a high school student living in Korea, and I have played through this game a few times as it was included in the curriculum in my English class. Although I was a frequent steam user, I have only got to know about this game in class since games of this type, walking simulators, are not exactly of my interest. I felt very uncomfortable and even irritated as I was playing this game atI am a high school student living in Korea, and I have played through this game a few times as it was included in the curriculum in my English class. Although I was a frequent steam user, I have only got to know about this game in class since games of this type, walking simulators, are not exactly of my interest. I felt very uncomfortable and even irritated as I was playing this game at first. However, as I played through the game a few times and found more and more evidences scattered throughout the house, the complexity of the story intertwined in each and every clue has started to catch my interest, and eventually I found myself looking for more possible story-lines that might have been hidden from my view.
    I would like to comment on the technical parts of the game than the story itself. One thing that I think is important for a walking simulator game, is its realistic environment. I am not a person who really cares much about the graphics of a game. It does not affect my game-play so much whether I have the highest or lowest graphics setting. However, one thing I have to talk about is the game’s ‘head bobbing’ affect. This ‘head bobbing’ effect in the video setting actually gives much more reality into the game itself, and give users the feeling that they are actually walking around the house. However, if you are not used to this kind of setting, this might in contrast create dizziness and eventually make you sick. There is a choice for turning off the bobbing effect though, so it does not really matter if you care enough to look for the button. Also, I have felt that this game, a walking simulator game, is much slower than a first-person-shooter games, too much that I felt frustrated that I could not ‘sprint’ in this game. But this also helped me look for evidences much more carefully and provided me more time to think about the story rather than simply running around looking for evidences.
    The technical part of the game Gone Home was in fact frustrating and made me impatient at first. However, as I have gotten used to the game, these factors actually helped me think and concentrate much better on the game. And although it is not mentioned in this review, the storyline of the story has been very interesting thus I would give this game a 7 out of 10.    … Expand
  3. Nocturne2521
    Nov 28, 2016
    5
    The best part was the atmosphere of this game.
    I was able to concentrate on the play time of this game with the unusual atmosphere and background photographs and background music. When I first turned on this game, I felt like I was really in this house alone, and the feeling of euphoria was real enough. The background music was something that the company thought was a big hit, so I    The best part was the atmosphere of this game.
    I was able to concentrate on the play time of this game with the unusual atmosphere and background photographs and background music. When I first turned on this game, I felt like I was really in this house alone, and the feeling of euphoria was real enough. The background music was something that the company thought was a big hit, so I thought it would be fascinating to those who missed that time by placing cassette tapes of music that fit the times.
    I was also impressed by the fact that the details for the hardcore player are arranged according to the manufacturer's intentions. I was also impressed that I could indirectly know the personality of the characters through report cards, various documents, and letters. In this way, I have focused more on the relationship between the characters than on the way of direct personality, and it seems that I have seen the clues without fail.
    But I am not American, and since I did not live in the 1990s, it was difficult and emotional to agree with the theme that penetrated the game. I could not sympathize with JFK conspiracy theories, feminism, rock culture that appeared in this game, and it was very difficult to understand when the contents of this part appeared.
    Playing time was also a little less than the price. GTA, Skyrim, Civilization, and other famous games are priced from $ 60 to $ 100, but the games have content that I can play for 10 hours, 100 hours, or even 1000 hours. But the game is worth $ 20 and the play time is 2 hours. I think the price of 5 to 10 dollars is a reasonable price.
    I could also picked up things such as business cards and books so that I could see them while rotating, which I think is unnecessary. Even if you only see some important things like that, you'll see almost the same detail, and development costs and time will be lower.    … Expand
  4. aplusstudent
    Nov 27, 2016
    4
    I found gone home a very enjoyable game and I was the first person to finish the game on the very day I downloaded it. The game really drew my attention because the characters in the game were very realistic and the scary mood of the game made it very interesting. Also being an inquisitive person, I had to figure out what was happening around the house.
    Gone home is played inside the huge    I found gone home a very enjoyable game and I was the first person to finish the game on the very day I downloaded it. The game really drew my attention because the characters in the game were very realistic and the scary mood of the game made it very interesting. Also being an inquisitive person, I had to figure out what was happening around the house.
    Gone home is played inside the huge mansion Katie, the main character we control and her family owns. Katie comes back from a long trip to find her home abandoned by her younger sister Sam and both of her parents. She has to go around the house and figure out what has happened in the house when she was gone away. Through the game as the user finds more clues about the whereabouts of the family members and especially Sam, Sam’s journals randomly play. These journals give critical information to what happened when Sam was not in the house. Overall the house is very detailed with many postcards Katie sent to the family and grade reports Sam got from School. The ending also has a twist plot which I will not spoil. The ending for me was unexpected.
    However the parts that I thought needed more work was amorphous details that does not conclude in the game. There are many clues to other characters in the game like Oscar, Katie’s grandfather’s brother and Rick, a new ranger assigned where Katie’s mother works.
    These cliff hangers and many unnecessary and amorphous details really draws the user out of the game when the game is finished. I hope the developers will develop these endings. That will make the game way more enjoyable.
    I actually got this game for free from a “source I cannot tell” but if I had to pay for this game, it would not have been worth the money. I think I will rather buy candies or another game than to play this game. Also since the game has no online material, after you finish the game, there is practically nothing you can do more.
    This is why I did not like the cliff hangers since even though you search everything in the house there are too many questioned unanswered and there is no way to figure them out. Therefore I give Gone Home a four.    … Expand
  5. stayathome
    Nov 27, 2016
    6
    Gone Home, overall, was a refreshing experience, to say the least. I’m not saying this in a positive or negative way—just that it was something new for me. Actually, I had to play this game for a class and to be honest, I don’t know if having been required to play the game made it more or less enjoyable. I tend to get bored of stuff easily (the main reason why I never seem to finish anyGone Home, overall, was a refreshing experience, to say the least. I’m not saying this in a positive or negative way—just that it was something new for me. Actually, I had to play this game for a class and to be honest, I don’t know if having been required to play the game made it more or less enjoyable. I tend to get bored of stuff easily (the main reason why I never seem to finish any video games, TV shows, or anime series), so at least the requirement forced me to even finish the game, something I’m not sure I would’ve done if I was just playing it out of my own will. On the other hand, being required to play the game made me, even if just a little bit, view it as classwork, which, let’s be honest, isn’t really something people typically enjoy.

    The game’s graphics were fine, I guess. I had to play the game on the lowest graphics setting, but even so, they were still okay. For gamers, the graphics were probably just average, but for non-gamers, they were probably already beautiful. At least by not having pixelated graphics, the mood of the game wasn’t affected and I was able to play the game without noticing how crappy the graphics were every now and then. For the interface, it’s just the average stuff. Nothing special. I mean, the game doesn’t really require much so… Everything needed to experience the game was there. The simplicity has its own beauty I guess, as there are no unnecessary controls that distract from the story.

    The mood of the game was, especially in the beginning, dark and ominous. It was like there’s always something around the corner preparing to kill you. I was looking out for jumpscares all the time. I even had to search if Gone Home is a horror game, just to put my fears to rest. But even after that, I was still constantly unnerved by the continuous pouring of the rain, occasional sound of thunder, and the flickering lights. The game just builds up so much tension and keeps you hanging, which I think, is really clever. It keeps you thinking—where is this story/game really going? And then you just get kind of surprised or dumbfounded as the story progresses that it was nothing like you thought it would be.

    Actually, I would say that Gone Home is more of a story than a game. To say in better terminology… an interactive movie? It’s a refreshing way to tell a story, and that’s what I like about it. It’s unconventional. The story, by itself, however, is nothing really special. In its core, it’s just about coming of age (and coming out of the closet haha) and the rebelliousness and confusion experienced by youth. Although, I would say that it’s amazing how we get to see the characters develop so much without even seeing them. The characters were colorful. They had different personalities that were amazingly apparent through a bunch of stuff scattered on the floor. The misleading setting also has its own charm. A seemingly haunted house and a dark, stormy night… who would’ve thought the story would turn out like that? It’s like a plot twist without really being a plot twist. I also found the side stories very interesting, and contributed a whole lot to the main plot without really distracting from it. It’s also nice that the story itself tries to send a message, one that is very relevant to our society nowadays.

    I do admit that, from a gaming viewpoint, I consider Gone Home to be boring. I mean, I don’t think you even ‘game’ in this game. But, putting all the factors together, it was quite worth it.    … Expand
  6. spikedloop
    Jan 2, 2017
    7
    Don't view every pencil and pen. It's useless. I advise concentrate only on note from your sister and note about your uncle, only then you probably feel the pleasure from game.
  7. Muyrka
    Apr 26, 2020
    5
    Got this game for free, so I would be more lax.
    OK immersive mansion walking simulator. Story in my view is weak, a bit cliche and not thrilling enough. Somewhere at the middle of a game you understand what is happening and it becomes boring.
    If you want something like this one but better - try "What happened to Edith Finch". It is much much better.
  8. TeenGirlGamer
    Mar 19, 2017
    10
    Oh My God! I started this game 2 hours ago and i just finished it.Now it's my favorite game.I loved everything in it.It just made me cry so much because it ended..♥
  9. Aloof
    Sep 30, 2021
    5
    I didn't like it at all, and to be honest, thank goodness I played it for free via Epic Games. It didn't involve me, I found it flat, banal, with a gameplay absent to the nth degree. The ratings it got from the critics were incredible so maybe I'm the wrong one.
  10. Gracz-org
    Aug 8, 2017
    7
    Gone Home jest tytułem idealnym dla osób, dla których w grach liczy się coś więcej niż ciągła akcja. Przemierzając zakamarki tytułowego domu nie nudziłem się ani na chwilę, a odkrywanie fabuły krok po kroku uświadomiło mi jak wiele twórcy mogą nam jeszcze zaprezentować w tego typu produkcjach. Co prawda grę tą można przejść w niecałą godzinę, ale… zdecydowanie wystarczyło to jednak, bymGone Home jest tytułem idealnym dla osób, dla których w grach liczy się coś więcej niż ciągła akcja. Przemierzając zakamarki tytułowego domu nie nudziłem się ani na chwilę, a odkrywanie fabuły krok po kroku uświadomiło mi jak wiele twórcy mogą nam jeszcze zaprezentować w tego typu produkcjach. Co prawda grę tą można przejść w niecałą godzinę, ale… zdecydowanie wystarczyło to jednak, bym zapamiętał ją oraz opowiedzianą w niej historię na długi czas ;-) Gorąco polecam!

    Pełna recenzja dostępna jest na blogu Gracz.org    … Expand
  11. Xghostx
    Oct 27, 2017
    8
    The game gone home is a mind and story game. In the game you will have to think a lot to get all the stuff and journeys that you must have, to complete the game. To complete this game, you have to be smart and think logical. If you do not like story games, this is not a game for you. This story is about a girl and her personal journeys. Throughout the game you get to know some of herThe game gone home is a mind and story game. In the game you will have to think a lot to get all the stuff and journeys that you must have, to complete the game. To complete this game, you have to be smart and think logical. If you do not like story games, this is not a game for you. This story is about a girl and her personal journeys. Throughout the game you get to know some of her stories, because you are picking up things that make her speak.

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

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

    This game is an amazing game because of the huge map you have to search to find all the information you need and all the journeys. I really think that this game should be used as learning game for people. This game challenges you to think and that is a very good thing for students who does not really like school. I recommend this game for people over 15 years, because you’re thinking skills has to be on point.    … Expand
  12. OatniAaA
    Oct 27, 2017
    8
    Game Review:

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

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

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

    I think that Sams confusion, bliss, excitement, and frustration was portrayed brilliantly. I think that the story is quite good but I am not sure if the two-hour long experience is worth the 20 dollar price tag. This is not because the game is bad in any way, it is just because the game has no game replayability value since you will find out everything on your first completion of the game. If I was to rate this game, I would give it an 8 out of 10. This is because the game is well made and exciting, but it is not my own personal type of game. But I would recommend everyone to pick the game up and give it a try.    … Expand
  13. RagingPoet
    Feb 2, 2018
    8
    Gone Home is 'walking simulator' with simple but highly detailed story about ordinary family. It has as few gameplay as this genre can maintain while still being called 'game'. But the storytelling through items is really nice.
  14. UncleEd
    Feb 14, 2021
    8
    This is an example of a good walking simulator. It gives the impression of a horror game, but in reality, it is a very well written young adult story. Voice acting is top notch. It takes about two hours to beat the entire game, but it will keep you engaged the whole time.

    8/10
  15. CyberRobotnix
    Jan 11, 2018
    2
    Pretty hard to rate this "game" accurately. To me, it's not even a game, but a boring simulator, even Twilight is probably more interesting than that piece of junk, YES I SAID IT!
    The unique reasons that my rating can't go any lower is because despite being a big scam, this game doesn't even have relatively bad graphics or musics and the writing is good, if that was a book it would easily    Pretty hard to rate this "game" accurately. To me, it's not even a game, but a boring simulator, even Twilight is probably more interesting than that piece of junk, YES I SAID IT!
    The unique reasons that my rating can't go any lower is because despite being a big scam, this game doesn't even have relatively bad graphics or musics and the writing is good, if that was a book it would easily get more praise and I could give it something like 8/10.
    The unique people that enjoy the game are either people that have never played games before, SJWs or even people with very low standards and that put story above everything.
    Do not play that shiet.    … Expand
  16. treakj
    Jan 16, 2018
    6
    Not a bad game, but VERY SHORT. I thought it was a horror movie. The game itself is used only as a vehicle to tell a story. Reminds me of "Heavy Rain". The visuals are acceptable, the sound is good. Voice acting is very good. It is interesting to piece the stories (like in Resident Evil, Bioshock, etc), but I think the story could be deeper. Since the story was the main point of this game,Not a bad game, but VERY SHORT. I thought it was a horror movie. The game itself is used only as a vehicle to tell a story. Reminds me of "Heavy Rain". The visuals are acceptable, the sound is good. Voice acting is very good. It is interesting to piece the stories (like in Resident Evil, Bioshock, etc), but I think the story could be deeper. Since the story was the main point of this game, it could try to achieve storytelling as, for example, "To the Moon".
    If there was some kind of replayability, like changing the player and the timing, changing points of view, putting more story and arcs, this game could have been very good.    … Expand
  17. Jucarock
    Apr 28, 2018
    9
    This game it will give you thriller moments but in the course of history you will get what is happening. Don't get baited by the many low reviews, this game is good. You have to respect the gameplay that is slower than usual and try to understand the history.
  18. El_Manco
    May 20, 2018
    8
    Cuando inicias tu paseo por la casa de los Greenbriar, sin idea de que va la historia, cualquier detalle acaba por parecerte una evidencia de algo. Según transcurre el juego, acabas descubriendo una historia repleta de personajes con conflictos y problemas, con los que acabas por empatizar por simple humanidad.
  19. michaelb1928
    Apr 17, 2020
    7
    There is a lot of love put into this game. Sure its short , theres no gameplay and no puzzles which is a missed opportunity but its still really immersive to lose yourself in the house. The story is decent and theres a nice twist at the end. Overall i enjoyed my experience, it still holds up in 2020.
  20. Gelaos
    Sep 20, 2018
    9
    If you're allergic to feminism, homosexuality or walking simulators, then you will hate this game. Actually it's not a game, it's just interactive visit of someone's house. But I loved it. All subplots of the main story (sister's sexuality, father's middle age crisis, problematic marriage, ...) are something that was explored in literature, movies or other media hundreds of times. Yet itIf you're allergic to feminism, homosexuality or walking simulators, then you will hate this game. Actually it's not a game, it's just interactive visit of someone's house. But I loved it. All subplots of the main story (sister's sexuality, father's middle age crisis, problematic marriage, ...) are something that was explored in literature, movies or other media hundreds of times. Yet it still grabbed me and didn't let go until credits started rolling.

    But for a game that takes 1-3 hours to finish (depending on how much of a completionist you are) the price of (currently) $15 is way to high.    … Expand
  21. thecasualgaymer
    Dec 22, 2018
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is important to people, it's some people's 10 because of that, however the huge amount of critical acclaim for this game is astounding. Yeah, spoiler she's reading notes from her sister after coming home and through that series of notes her sister is revealed to be a lesbian. There's also a subplot of notes about her parents shaky marriage that they are working on fixing. It's a polished experience, but not a fun one. Honestly the reason I think it resonates with some people is that it's THEIR story, and that's fine but any game with this little gameplay needs to have some truly amazing writing backing it up and at the end of the day Gone Home doesn't do anything universally ground breaking. If you like LGBT stories and dont mind walking simulators then this game could work for you, but anyone else is going to find themselves wanting more. If you're looking for a creepy vibe, horror esque story heavy walking simulator I'd recommend Oxenfree as an alternative.… Expand
  22. DJKrimson
    Nov 9, 2020
    6
    An okay slowpaced walking telltale game. I like the story told about Sam, and it's a good voice actor that are nice to listen to. But it feels a bit hollow, they could've done more with the story and they could've included some puzzling or something.
  23. UnGamedesigner
    Apr 22, 2021
    8
    Very nice game and quick to complete. A very simple graphic adventure in which you have to collect diary pages in order to complete the story they tell. History is truly a swing of emotions. Other than the wonderful storyline, the game doesn't offer much high, but it's still a very enjoyable experience.
  24. Philosophical
    Jul 9, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is a difficult game to review, not because it's bad, but because it's such an experience that it's hard to describe. But, I'm going to attempt to. First off, this is one of the best first person narrative games I've ever played, and there are a lot of reasons for it. Let's begin with the graphics. The graphics aren't anything to go insane about, but they're not horrible to the point that it looks like someone took a crap on a copy machine. One of the only issues I had with the game was that the default brightness was, in my opinion, too dark. It could just be because I can't see well, but I had to turn the brightness up, though it didn't hinder my experience. With the graphics being just good, the audio is a whole other story. There isn't much background music, only a bit of very atmospheric tracks that helped add to the immersion. The sound effects were used well, and at times made me jump because of how engrossed I was in this game. There isn't a lot of voice acting, but when it's used, the performances are great. The journal entries by Sam were read so well, it truly at times made me feel for this character we only saw in photos. This leads me into the next part of this review, the story. The story is very emotional, and I was tearing up every five minutes playing this game. This is one of, if not the best game to tackle the themes of sexual orientation acceptance, and does it very well. The emotional turmoil described through the journal entries truly struck a chord with me. This is definitely one of my favorite plots throughout the game, and I think that the length was just right, not too short to be unable to justify my purchase, but not too long that I'd fallen out of the immersion. The gameplay is probably the least impressive part of the game, though it's still good. The simple key placement makes it easy to manage. Other than that, the controls are very basic. Overall, this is one of the few games I would give a 10/10. Though I do believe that you should go through this game in one sitting, and go into the game blindly. This is how I did it, and I believe it enhanced my experience. Other than that, this is a fantastic game that you should grab for only 20 bucks. Now, I'm sure there are many people who were disappointed with this game, but you should realize, this isn't meant to be a 40-hour game, it's meant to be a short and sweet experience. It shouldn't matter how long a game is, but the actual quality of the game.… Expand
  25. Crimert
    Jan 16, 2021
    2
    The gameplay was boring for me and it made me disappointed. Therefore I didn't enjoy it. 2hrs on record.
  26. Lexington50
    Nov 1, 2019
    4
    Even allowing that the game is now 6 years old I have to agree with the person who said the high critics' scores are a indictment of gaming journalism.

    If you want to see this gaming concept fully realized and executed to a very high standard play Life Is Strange (trust me, you won't be disappointed). Gone Home is like a short, low rent version of that game - or to be fair, Gone Home is    Even allowing that the game is now 6 years old I have to agree with the person who said the high critics' scores are a indictment of gaming journalism.

    If you want to see this gaming concept fully realized and executed to a very high standard play Life Is Strange (trust me, you won't be disappointed). Gone Home is like a short, low rent version of that game - or to be fair, Gone Home is more like the creative progenitor for LiS and similar games.

    If you've read other reviews you already know the basic premise: on Wednesday June 7 1995 the player returns home on short notice after a year in Europe and finds neither her parents or younger sister are home. She then has to wander around the big, old house to piece together the events that transpired during her absence, essentially by searching the house for clues. The game uses sound effects of the "It was a dark and stormy night..." type and lighting to create mood in the big old house, not without effect. But literally the whole game can be completed in about 2 hours and involves nothing more than finding various documents that piece together the story, supplemented by voice overs of your younger sister narrating key passages from her journal at key points. The voice acting is good and the story - as far as it goes - isn't terrible, though it revolved around a theme that in 2019 is a bit of a cliche (and wasn't exactly fresh even six years ago). I strongly suspect that the story draws heavily on the personal experiences of one or more of the developers, and that it was likewise well received by people who can relate to it at a personal level. As for the rest of us - well, it's just ok. There are legitimate "feels" here, as the kids say, but only of a superficial and transitory kind. The story just isn't long or deep enough to be really engaging.

    You can also see the developers toying with additional story elements that could have been fleshed out to make a more substantial game, notably including "Uncle Oscar", the house's former occupant, who went crazy or something (this is never clearly explained), some backstory to the marital problems of the player's parents (which are very conventional but nevertheless could have been exploited for dramatic effect), and the teasing of potential supernatural elements. Unfortunately none of these possibilities are developed. Oscar has no backstory and the "haunted house" teases go nowhere, while the subplot about the player's parents is only developed insofar as it is required to explain their absence. Did the developers run out of time and money before they could realize the game they really wanted to make, which is so often the case, or did they just aim low and never intend these elements to be more that cheap atmosphere enhancers? Don't know, and upon further reflection I probably don't care.

    I can only reiterate what so many before me have already said: the ending is abrupt, brief, and provides no real sense of closure. Frankly it feels like a "we're out of money so we need to get this thing out the door" moment.

    This could have been a very good game with another year or two of development and a commitment to a more fully realized story and a somewhat more interactive environment incorporating things like simple puzzles. As it is the interaction in this game is with doors, light switches, picking up objects to examine / read them, and the one time you needed to enter a combination (there are actually at least 2 other locked containers in the game but I never found a combination for them and obviously didn't need them to complete it).

    If you enjoy this sort of game and are perhaps interested in the evolution of the genre it might be worth a playthrough at the current price of about $5 (I would certainly not pay more than that). Otherwise you're better off moving on as this is niche product that has nothing to offer beyond a short, simple, passably well told story.    … Expand
  27. ourendlesseason
    Dec 15, 2019
    6
    GH è una fusione fra una mostra in un museo dove ci fermiamo, nella maggior parte dei casi, a lanciare più di una semplice occhiata a tutto quello che ci circonda, ed un gioco investigativo. Non vediamo mai la protagonista in volto, la prospettiva è in prima persona: questa scelta non è così cattiva in quanto aiuta chi gioca a concentrarsi di più su quello che lo circonda e a sentirsiGH è una fusione fra una mostra in un museo dove ci fermiamo, nella maggior parte dei casi, a lanciare più di una semplice occhiata a tutto quello che ci circonda, ed un gioco investigativo. Non vediamo mai la protagonista in volto, la prospettiva è in prima persona: questa scelta non è così cattiva in quanto aiuta chi gioca a concentrarsi di più su quello che lo circonda e a sentirsi parte del gioco.
    L'obiettivo del gioco è quello di scoprire cosa si cela dietro la famiglia della protagonista, ma nessuna paura, nulla di pauroso succederà. Quello che si viene a scoprire è scioccante fino ad un certo punto: ci aspettiamo già che il gioco tratterà di argomenti delicati, in caso contrario la famiglia non si sarebbe presa la briga di nascondere le prove.
    Tutto molto interessante, ma poco avventuroso: non ci sono puzzle difficili e luoghi che non siano la casa.

    Gioco molto tranquillo, utile se si vuole passare qualche ora senza volersi scervellare troppo, ma non adatto a chi preferisce qualcosa con più azione.    … Expand
  28. Kekoto
    Apr 6, 2020
    9
    I got this for free and for the 2-3 hour gameplay I got I feel like 20 bucks aren't worth, wait for a sale. However, the atmosphere is dripping and there were times where I felt unease with the storm in the background and the occasional voices in the basement. The story is bittersweet and so heartfelt, I really enjoyed this game. It starts off with a creepy sort of feel but slowly revealsI got this for free and for the 2-3 hour gameplay I got I feel like 20 bucks aren't worth, wait for a sale. However, the atmosphere is dripping and there were times where I felt unease with the storm in the background and the occasional voices in the basement. The story is bittersweet and so heartfelt, I really enjoyed this game. It starts off with a creepy sort of feel but slowly reveals a love story along with many little secrets hidden in the nooks and crannys.… Expand
  29. Ternunda
    Apr 7, 2020
    8
    I've played this game just now -- April 8, 2020. It took me 105 minutes to complete it where I left just one stone unturned. Here are some points.

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

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

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

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

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

    TL;DR

    If you can get it on the cheap, this is a great game to spend 2 hours on. The story is charming and the world is wonderfully interesting to navigate. Just understand that this is an investment for 2 hours of your life, not a massively mastered and developed game that will give you 60 hours of gameplay. I would recommend this game to anyone looking for nice, niche storylines with no pressure on the player. Play at your pace. Enjoy the environment.    … Expand
  30. Alexb1096
    Jul 24, 2020
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. ITALIAN:
    Gioco carino perchè molto breve (dura circa 3 ore) però poteva essere gestito meglio.

    Nel gioco impersoni una ragazza che torna a casa negli USA dopo un lungo viaggio in Europa e non trova nessuno ad aspettarla.
    L'obiettivo del gioco è capire cosa sia successo, visto che sembra che i tuoi genitori e tua sorella siano scappati.

    Grafica carina ma non personale, audio invece molto bello con un'ottima colonna sonora e stupendi monologhi.
    Il gameplay è molto semplice dato che bisogna solo girare per casa ed interagire con gli oggetti.

    Un aspetto positivo ma gestito male è la possibilità di interagire con quasi tutti gli oggetti presenti. Trovata interessante che però non ha quasi utilità pratica. Inoltre alcuni oggetti sono presenti ripetuti in gran quantità all'interno della casa e quindi dopo aver trovato il primo di questi capisci che anche gli altri non servono a niente.

    La storia invece è carina ed empatica, ma lascia alcune cose in sospeso.
    Aggiungo qualche dettaglio nella sezione spoiler.

    Voto: 6.5/10

    SPOILER: Viene spiegata bene la storia della sorella, che lentamente si riesce anche ad intuire ed è molto carina, però l'assenza dei genitori è giustificata solo dal calendario presente in cucina e se non lo si dovesse trovare non si capirebbe più di tanto (si capisce che i genitori sono in crisi ma non viene mai citato il viaggio).    … Expand
  31. Almas_kz
    Apr 24, 2020
    7
    Плохая оптимизация, неудобное управление и сложный сюжет хотя в конце я начал вникать в него, но все же полностью понять не смог, даже в конце я узнал что главная героиня и ее подружка являются лесбиянками, но тайны и замки, закрытые кейсы чуть развеселили меня + презервативы в родительской комнате тоже, вообщем игра не совсем стоит своих денег и я бы не советовал бы покупать.Плохая оптимизация, неудобное управление и сложный сюжет хотя в конце я начал вникать в него, но все же полностью понять не смог, даже в конце я узнал что главная героиня и ее подружка являются лесбиянками, но тайны и замки, закрытые кейсы чуть развеселили меня + презервативы в родительской комнате тоже, вообщем игра не совсем стоит своих денег и я бы не советовал бы покупать.
  32. Skurttish
    Jan 12, 2022
    7
    An okay, short game. It was basically a movie, both in how long it was and in how little gameplay there is. I played it curled up on the couch and it was good for a quiet evening.
  33. hileger
    Oct 19, 2022
    1
    дерьмо лезби хуйта еще ходилка читалка ___________________________________=
  34. bergcamp101
    Aug 17, 2020
    4
    I don't like these kind of games. In fact, It's not a game. There are no mechanics, there is no plot. We should call it an interactive story and put it on some new shelf, and don't compare it with actual gaming.
  35. ErayTellezi
    Nov 17, 2020
    3
    Eski internet tarayıcısı oyunları olurdu, nesnelere tıklayarak bir esrarı veya cinayeti çözmeye çalışırdık. Onlar gibi ama ne hikayesi ne de oynanışı ilgi çekici. Zaman kaybı. Neyse ki süresi kısa.
  36. FirstSpawn
    May 26, 2021
    8
    Очень уютная и ламповая игра, и исходя из этого зайдёт всем любителям чая с печениями =)
  37. MusicScoresDK
    Dec 10, 2020
    10
    For the purpose that this game tries to achieve, it's perfect.
    For me, Gone Home was the game of 2013, and I would love for this story to be continued, to find out what happens with the family.
    What mostly stands out to me, is the voiceacting, the musicscore, the interaction with the environment and the level of detail found around the house. This is a story-based first-person game,    For the purpose that this game tries to achieve, it's perfect.
    For me, Gone Home was the game of 2013, and I would love for this story to be continued, to find out what happens with the family.
    What mostly stands out to me, is the voiceacting, the musicscore, the interaction with the environment and the level of detail found around the house.

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

    I respect that this game is not loved by anyone, but for me it ticks all the boxes for what I love in a game like this. It has funny, sad, serious and lovely moments, and the dynamic of the game changes as you learn more about the story. And I like this story, and I would like to know what happens next.    … Expand
  38. strangebrew123
    Dec 12, 2020
    2
    Clunky game with shallow storytelling. Maybe this was innovative back in 2013, but in 2020 Covid-central it's just plain boring! I expected more from the subplot but it was just left hanging. I guess that a LGBTQ+ story was seen as new and exciting back then, but things have seriously moved on. Plus the movement is so slow, she walks around like she's on sedatives. I only paid a fiver, soClunky game with shallow storytelling. Maybe this was innovative back in 2013, but in 2020 Covid-central it's just plain boring! I expected more from the subplot but it was just left hanging. I guess that a LGBTQ+ story was seen as new and exciting back then, but things have seriously moved on. Plus the movement is so slow, she walks around like she's on sedatives. I only paid a fiver, so I guess that I shouldn't have expected too much.… Expand
  39. Eniusza
    Apr 13, 2021
    7
    It's a very interesting story, with a cool atmosphere. There are some gameplay stuff that are bothering me, I don't see any point in picking up toilet paper billion times etc, and sometimes looking at objects wasn't working properly, or the fact that there was no actual model of character I'm playing (shame), but other than that I had fun playing.
  40. Perfect_Smith
    Dec 29, 2021
    10
    норм игра. вполне приятная история и бродилка по дому, симулятор клептомана.
  41. StarkAgentos
    May 24, 2022
    3
    Игра нереально кривая. Чувствительности по оси y маленькая, а настроить её никак нельзя. При наведении на объекты мышка сама на них наводится, что очень неудобно.
  42. navik8
    Feb 28, 2022
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As someone new to games, and who enjoyed Edith Finch, overall I enjoyed this game and the ability to walk around the house to gather the pieces at a more self-directed pace. My only disappointment was that the ending was a bit of a letdown. I felt like I was going to solve a deeper mystery when it was just *SPOILER ALERT* the sister just ended up running away to be her love interest. I am all for happy endings, I guess I was just hoping for more. I played part on an xbox and a switch, and found both versions enjoyable.… Expand
  43. succhini
    Jun 2, 2022
    8
    I am a person that really enjoys atmospheric games, where the setting and details are rich in detail.
    From the little tapes that you find, and put in the radio, to the little items you can interact with to enrich the story telling it was really enjoyable.
    There weren't that many "puzzles" at all, and made it for a very good game to unwind and get the feels for. The narrator had a    I am a person that really enjoys atmospheric games, where the setting and details are rich in detail.
    From the little tapes that you find, and put in the radio, to the little items you can interact with to enrich the story telling it was really enjoyable.

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

    It was fun exploring the whole place. Those that have rated this game low might not be those kinds of gamers that enjoy a laid back story telling sort of approach. But I enjoyed it.    … Expand
  44. hekoh
    Feb 19, 2023
    8
    pretty good walking simulator, i loved the immersion and the story. One of the first walking simulator
  45. Kraxlord
    Jun 18, 2023
    10
    Maybe one of the best games I have ever played! It's an intense story-driven experience for roughly 2 hours!
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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 »