Gone Home is a call back to the first person adventure games of the past. In comparison to the bloated gimmicks and puzzles of its contemporaries, its a stripped-down experience. What’s not important is how the player interacts with the physical world, but where the player goes and what they discover. It’s a noble attempt at creating a personal tale in a market saturated by AAA games and experimental indie titles, but Gone Home is ultimately a shallow experience.
After spending the last year trekking across Europe, 23 year old Katie Greenbriar has returned home to find her parents and younger sister missing. The family has moved during Katie’s absence, making the Greenbriar homestead just as unfamiliar to her.
Boxes marked with thick marker still clutter the foyer and spare rooms. Many rooms sit unused, pitch black, and the spacious lighting barely touches some corners of the cavernous gothic mansion.
The lack of a family computer is a little unusual, even for a game set in 1995, but plenty of books and laserdiscs line numerous bookcases. VHS tapes lay haphazardly in around the living room and bedrooms. Most rooms feel suitably lived in, while others feel like they have become dumping grounds for still-packed amenties. It’s an obnoxiously large house for a family of four.
