Opinion: Gone Home

 
Gone Home is an 'Interactive Exploration Simulator', which sells itself with 'no combat, no puzzles'. It's an unusual approach for a game, one that could be a bit of a hard sell to some, but it's definitely worth your time if you have any interest in a good story. The game is slow and pretty short; I finished it in about 3 hours, although I pored over each room and looked at every item (something I'd recommend, so you get the most out of the story and the experience). But what you have here is quality over quantity, a condensed experience that doesn't overstay its welcome and packs a punch with a well told narrative.

The game is set in 1995, it sees you returning home to your parents house after some time travelling across Europe. The house seems empty and there's a storm raging outside. A note from your sister begs you not to 'go digging around to find where I am', hinting at some larger mystery in play.

Whilst there is little 'gameplay' here, the game world itself is full of environmental storytelling. You'll be so busy snooping about, reading discarded notes, postcards, diaries and listening to cassette tapes you find in drawers that before you realise you're drawn in. Occasionally you'll find something particularly relevant and you'll be rewarded with a spoken 'journal entry' from your sister Sam, detailing certain events and moments from her life and their relevance. These aren't to be understated, these slowly form a very empathetic core for the story that pulls you through the game.

The characters in the game, notably your mother and father and your sister, all feel very real despite their lack of actual physical presence, thanks to the attention to detail within the environment. To take just one example from the game (so as not to spoil anything major), your father appears to be a struggling writer. He's lacking in confidence, his study has inspirational notes to himself to spur him on. The typewriter on his desk holds a partially complete review of a stereo system, whilst the bin nearby has crumpled up and discarded openings to his next story. Elsewhere in the house a copy of his first book lies tucked away carefully, stuck to back is a condescending note from his own father detailing his disappointment in what his son has written. The note scorns his use of science fiction, stating that he can 'do better'. The fact he has written this mantra on his noticeboard infront of his typewriter shows how this feedback struck him hard. This is just one little moment from many that weave together, building up layers to create a crossing narrative of lives, personal and flawed and raw.

Something I found particularly interesting is how Gone Home felt at moments that it was going to fall back on various video game tropes... The dark and stormy night, the flickering lights, the creaking house, hints of the occult. There are notes detailing potential spiritual activity in the house, there are many letters and diary entries that fill out the history of the house and rumours of a psychotic lineage that leave you half expecting to see something flitting across the doorways, or to hear someone approaching as you pore over old journals in the attic... but the game and the story it tells is much more human than that. I'd say it was mature, but that is not meant to be derogatory to other games, but is just to say that this game deals with sensitive subjects in way that doesn't need to fall back on anything else to communicate how powerful the events of real lives can be. There is a simplistic and honest story here, your own expectations for something beyond the mundane are constantly pulled back to earth, but in a way that I found invigorating.

Whilst the game closest in style would probably be Dear Esther, especially in terms of gameplay (exploration without much interaction), Gone Home is a much more transparent story, and much more immediately powerful one too. One that creeps up on you piece by piece until suddenly you realise you're crying, or at least I was. On a personal level I found a lot to relate to in the story, and I suspect it's one that will have a lot of impact and relevance to a great number of people.

If you're looking for something with a big twist, this isn't it. There's nothing supernatural here, nothing shocking or sinister, nothing out of this world. But what is here is a simple but potent story about family and love and heartache. It's one that is told with honesty and in a way that feels real. It's this element of reality that grounds the game and gives it its power.

Gone Home is available on Steam and direct through The Fullbright Company's website.