Gone Home Review

Gone Home is the newest creation from Portland based outfit The Fullbright Company. It’s a game that plays out in a very similar way to last years Dear Esther, a game I admired greatly. The game begins by taking us back to 1995, you are standing in a porch, there is a thunderstorm roaring in the background and you have just returned from a year long trip of Europe. However, upon your arrival you discover your home to be empty. There is little more than a note on the door explaining ‘not to come looking for me’ signed by Sam, whom we learn to be our little sister. It appears our parents are also no where to be found and it is entirely up the player to learn what is going on. That’s the premise of Gone Home, to explore this vast home in hope of discovering what has gone on while you were away.

There is very little in the way of interaction in the game, you can zoom in on objects and you can pick certain items up to inspect them. These will sometimes offer clues to the story and in some cases trigger a voice over narrative from Sam detailing out her story over the past year. It’s key to note here that this game’s central and strongest focus is the story. In fact almost everything about the game is tailored to enhance it’s story. The voice acting work is well done and it’s this that really helps draw the player into the world of Sam and her story. This particular Story being the only one narrated is what draws the main focus of the game, but surrounding it are clues to smaller narratives that I personally found more interesting. It’s not that I want to say the central storyline is bad, in many ways it’s totally unique in the gaming world. It’s simply that outside of the gaming world it’s one that I wouldn’t call very original.

Graphically the game is fair to decent but not great and I did notice that the engine put a lot of strain on my system. One of the aspects I did enjoy is the use of high resolution textures that meant when zooming in on notes and tags you could clearly read exactly what was written. The game also uses real life hand written letters to give it a very real sense of character. I also enjoyed the way the lighting in the game really gave it an almost harrowing atmosphere. It’s with this that for me the game really comes to fruition, it’s creation of a strong atmosphere and much like Dear Esther there is a certain draw that really brings the player into the experience. It’s an almost mesmerizing experience and I played the game in a single sitting when I ran through it. All of which took about 2 hours. Unfortunately it’s also the kind of game that has very little in the way of replay value, but much like a beloved film or a great book those who return will do so for another telling of the story. And it’s this that I believe Gone Home really defines itself with, it’s the beloved film with the nice story, one that I’m sure will resonate with many people the only difference being this one is told via a game.