Everybody's Gone to the Rapture

The Chinese Room has managed to create one of the most insightful, meaningful, and emotional games that we’ve seen in some time, perhaps forever, and bravo to Sony for taking a real punt with something so completely arthouse.

99 percent of videogames are built on video game conventions we all know well. Everybody's Gone To The Rapture steps outside of the bubble and not only shows that that is possible, but also does it in an excellent way. This title offers gameplay elements that are truly worth exploring. It is more than just unique, it is brilliant and personal.

An extraordinary piece of work, with things to say about pacing, writing, world-building and the communication of emotion that feel profoundly valuable to the industry...Its sense of purpose is overwhelming.

It's important to realize that Everybody's Gone To The Rapture isn't exactly a game. Considering that its developers also made the equally non-game-like Dear Esther, this should come as no surprise. Rather, it's essential you think of it as a story that you just happen to be experiencing on your PS4. Otherwise, it will just seem like a walking simulator in a nicely-rendered English country village, and then you're just missing the point — and the beauty — of it all.

Is Everybody's Gone to the Rapture a game, an experimental piece of interactive fiction, or is it perhaps even art? Whatever it is, the experience it delivers is a memorable one. It's gorgeous to look at, fantastic to listen to, and spins an intelligent and somewhat esoteric sci-fi mystery that's truly gripping through to its very end.

Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture’s greatest accomplishment is making you care for its departed characters. Their personal stories give you an incredible glimpse of what life was like in their little corner of the world. They’re not the nicest group of people. They can be selfish, stubborn, and downright stupid. But that’s what makes them feel real and memorable.

An exceptional story, told via one of the most vivid game worlds around. [Oct 2015, p.70]

Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is a wonderfully poignant, moving sci-fi journey.

Unforgettable. [Oct 2015, p.108]

It's a beautifully told story of love, loss and the feelings of humans. You may call it a "walking simulator", but the journey to this world is much more than that.

Those that chose to invest their valuable time in this 5 hour gem will be rewarded with one of the most compelling experiences in recent memory.

It’s not a perfect game – There are some cheesy, overly melodramatic scenes that border on Soap Opera-esque levels of ridiculousness and the resolution will most certainly be unsatisfying for some – But it’s almost a perfect experience.

But overall, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is an enthralling tale, told with aplomb, leaving just enough to interpretation to provide a satisfactory conclusion for everyone.

A unique take on the apocalypse that must be experienced to be believed.

For as much as the game’s setting is beautiful, living alone in its empty world feels very bleak. If the story went on any longer than a handful of hours, it might be too depressing to handle for some gamers, but the short campaign seems the perfect amount of time to visit this world.

What Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture accomplishes with the well-worn post-apocalyptic genre is remarkable.

Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is an interactive work of art.

As light on gameplay as it is, Everbody’s Gone to the Rapture is as beautiful as it is thought provoking.

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture immerses the player into a catching mystery that swiftly swings from anxiety to curiosity, while asking to explore a beautiful setting in order to unravel what happened in a small English town where everybody disappeared.

Give this a try. You may fall in love.

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is a story-driven masterpiece. Even though you will be able to finish it within 4-6 hours, it will leave you breathless and blown away.

The Chinese Room goes back to its roots of digital storytelling, in a slow-paced sci-fi story delightfully quiet and deep. Probably less original than Dear Esther, but a wonderful and amazing experience nonetheless.

An unforgettable experience, Rapture deserves to be played by anyone with a fondness for stories.

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is a masterwork – a gorgeous and subtle experience, which treats you as an adult, without ever indulging in pretence. It cares about its characters enough to give them interesting and meaningful things to say, while also playing host to some truly breathtaking art direction and music.

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture uses subtle cues to guide you through its world and then gives you the space to digest what you find. It's a wonderful example of what games can achieve narratively while presenting minimal physical engagement and tasking player imagination with the rest.

Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture is brave, it’s challenging, and it’s essential. How The Chinese Room has managed to convey this level of narrative artistry, while simultaneously offering us the freedom to dig through it’s characters’ lives so freely, is beyond me. It has to be experienced to be believed.

It won't be for everyone, but for those that love Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, it'll stay in the memory for a very long time indeed.

Deeply beautiful and emotional, but falls prey to the elements it’s critiquing.

It finds, despite everything, the light; it dwells there, and asks you to walk in it.

A beautiful world, amazing soundtrack and a fantastic story full of mysteries, touching scenes and emotions.

While it has its problems, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is a memorable, emotional ride through post-apocalyptic England, rife with mystery, intrigue, and a sense of the unknown.

Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture is not for everyone but it's so unique and daring, and so good at what it does, that you simply have to be made of concrete to not be touched by the story it tells.

This is like a magical novel. If you’re looking for something different, something quiet, you just might find what you need in this beautifully crafted adventure full of secrets.

An authentic creative experiment: visually spectacular with an intriguing plot - we'll continue visiting every corner of Yaughton in search of the truth.

Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is about discovering a story on your own, piecing together the details as you stroll through the countryside. What begins with curiosity in trying to explain what exactly happened soon gets you wrapped up in the lives of who it happened to.

Some will be put off by the lack of action and wonky pacing, but those who stick around will experience one of the best videogame stories of recent years. [Issue#261, p.72]

A slow, soaring game with real heart, set in an often stunning realised setting. [Oct 2015, p.91]

Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture is a brave experiment, and one that’s paid off for The Chinese Room. If you’re a console-only gamer, it’ll be unlike anything you’ve ever played before – we say that with admiration.

But while Journey fostered a connection with others, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture left me feeling completely alone as a player and desperate to find out why. The answers came slowly, and they might not be utterly satisfying at first, but that's what can happen when you go where everyone is not.

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is a slow yet thrilling adventure set in a small town whose population has disappeared. The player can not do much else than walk and listen, but thanks to the magnificent scenery it is easy to be drawn in to the mystery. Even so, a descent amount of patience is recommended to cope with the slow pace.

The simple gameplay mechanics, slow pacing and amount of focus the game requires may turn off some gamers off. However, those who are open minded, love exploration and want an emotional experience will enjoy the game.

It is a title made for a very specific audience.

Despite the beautiful detailed environment and the promise of entertaining soap opera-style clips, Rapture is a real test of patience – because it’s just so damn slow.

The mystery surrounding the disappearances, and the hearts pulled into the gripping narrative are well-thought-out and beautiful, in an eerie way.

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is unconventional game. Directed to a rather narrow audience, concentrating on history and unhurried exploration over fast and spectacular action.

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture's take on interactive fiction is admirable, even in its struggle to manage personal discovery alongside narrative composition. I love its calamitous tranquility, I identify with the plights of its characters, and I'm enamored with its confident storytelling, but its reluctance to disclose its disposition adversely affects its capability.

Beautiful and intriguing, frustrating and flawed, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is nevertheless still worthy of your time.

Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is an ambitious game that is fundamentally about the acceptance of death. It shows how video games can tap into the ordinary without unwieldy mechanics.

Subtle and slow paced, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is not a game which everyone will love, but those who have the patience to try it out will be captivated with its beauty.

A beautiful, heart-breaking journey into the end of the world.

This is a video game as a piece of literature. Some may call it art, but I like to think gaming has evolved beyond such a contemporary definition. The Chinese Room had a story to tell, and they have done so in such a unique fashion that I eagerly await their next adventure.

The Chinese Room have created a compelling cast of characters with interesting stories that come together in some really cool ways throughout the game. The powerful soundtrack and beautiful landscape of Yaughton only help to make the whole experience even better.

Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is not a game, but it can be appreciated for other elements like its fragmented and mysterious story, impressive landscapes, detailed environments, excellent soundtrack and ambiental audio. Maybe this project is not for those who are waiting for a videogame but it's an interesting way to offer us a story and a world in that we are only tourist and observers in a slow and contemplative experience.

I like the style and the setting. Having to frequently run around to find pieces of the story can be annoying, but the fascinating and touching story kept me playing.

This game would have been stronger if the world was smaller and more outspoken. But, that is just a minor thing, Everybody's Gone To The Rapture is a great game in which an interesting non-linear story is told in a unique way. Very dreamy.

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture has an original and engaging story to tell over its roughly 5 hours of play time. If you enjoy narrative-driven games it could be worth a look, but it's not a huge step forward for the genre.

I can only provide thoughts my own experience, and my experience with Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture was one of delight and wonder punctuated by many unfortunately long stretches of interface frustration.

It's all about storytelling, and the narrative is really sound and well written. More than anything, the experience lacks rhythm, as those endless strides across the village could've really used some small shortcuts, but it's still an unique experience.