Gone Home

I had just completed the game, and I am dissatisfied so much, to say at least, that I have opted to write a review, which is not what I usually do. The environment this game presents might at first give a mixed impression of Layers of Fear and Amnesia. It claims to have lots of details, and there are lots of object to look at. The problem with these objects is that despite there are lots of them, majority of them are just the noise, as they aren't related to the story in any way, not even qualifying as red herring. Your interaction with the world is largely limited to "take this item, look at it, put it back". That's mostly it. The mere presence of an inventory in the game is an overkill - the game makes no use of it at all, you have to carry items in hands. Given the frustratingly slow pace the protagonist glides through the house, testing even simple ideas like "get the matchbox, try to light up candles" turns out to be a task that is easier to be abandoned rather than carried out. The story itself is short and boring, up to the level of making it hard to follow the plot. It's a somebody's lesbian love drama, reciting memories somebody had, digging into dirt clothes somebody had. Does it trigger at least a minimum emotional response? Not at slightest. It does literally nothing to even try to bond with the person who is playing this. There is no plot buildup, no advancement, no culmination. It just ends up abruptly at one point without answering anything, only giving a way for speculation, and only if you cared enough to immerse in the plot, which I couldn't force myself into. Summarizing, I have been expecting the classical quest and/or explorative experience, but instead got a far-fetched failed love story of people I don't care about within an environment that effectively prevents any exploration "at my own pace", forcing me to snail-crawl through the house. My expectations were not met. Wouldn't recommend.

This game was great the first and only time I played it. While this game is very 80s/90s reference heavy and has an intriguing atmosphere and story to keep you going, this is the only thing driving the game. I thought it was going to be some sort of survival horror because the description is very misleading ("You arrive home after a year abroad. You expect your family to greet you, but the house is empty. Something's not right. Where is everyone? And what's happened here? Unravel the mystery for yourself "), and while it gives off that ambiance there is nothing in this game that can hurt you. It's all psychological to get yourself thinking there is going to be something scary around the next corner but, there isn't. I quickly found out that there is nothing to this game other than to just find secret panels, notes and keys and wonder around the home looking for more clues to a love story (which I am completely fine with and found to be the best part of the game) that, once finished, you won't ever play again. This game, once completed, has no replay value. Once you're done you can literally go back and completed it in about 1 minute. The graphics (even on high) aren't that great. The interaction with objects is boring. Pick up object>Look at object>Drop object. With the exception of the Audio Cassettes that changes the music. The ending is so anti-climactic; by the time you get to it you already knew how it was going to end from reading all the letter and the house being empty. This game would have been better if it had been based around the prior creepy owners and the mysterious objects that can be found in the safe. This game is not worth $15. It's not even worth $5.

As others have pointed out, Gone Home only takes a maximum of two hours to complete 100%, and much less to speedrun. Its excuse is that it's an experience, rather than a game. But like all games of its ilk, that excuse is hard to swallow. I want the best of both worlds - a game that is fun to play, and is also an experience (Beyond Good & Evil). Sadly the gameplay in Gone Home is very basic, and all you really have to do is pick up scraps of paper thrown around the different rooms. You can interact with other objects, but why bother. And through these scraps of paper you start to learn the story behind this empty house - a story that seems half baked, and isn't very interesting. But you don't really need to concern yourself with the plot. If you're intrigued, great. If not, you needn't bother - you can collect those scraps of paper without having to read them, making the game last a little over an hour. And that's considering you interact with everything you can in each room. Gone Home is such a thin & basic game, people seem to have completed it 100% in under ten minutes.

This game is a very bland walking simulator that is one of the only games I regret purchasing. There are no scenic vistas, no challenging puzzles and very little actual story content. I sort of enjoyed the characters and felt a bit nervous at points due to the implied horror aspects. There was not enough time for the tension to ramp up and every time I thought I was about to enter a scary area or discover more story the thread was cut short. I would rate this a very strong DON'T BUY!

You walk around a house and read notes. That's it. No puzzles, no secrets, nada. You're not "playing" anything. There is not plot. There's barely a story. There's no reason to care about anything going on. I can't emphasize how mind-numbingly boring this program was.