Developed By: The Fullbright Company
Published By: Midnight City
Release Date: January 13, 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One [reviewed]
If I’m honest, any hesitation I have in fully recommending Gone Home stems from a place of fear. Fear of what someone might think of me for allowing a game like this to affect me so profoundly. Yet, that’s precisely what the story is about. It’s about making a departure from what is normal or expected and following your heart. It’s underlying themes – love, family, struggle, triumph – are universal and they’re presented by The Fullbright Company with rare confidence. As the final credits rolled, my wife asked me if I liked it. For reasons I can only describe as immature, I was too embarrassed to say “I loved it.” Gone Home tells an undeniably beautiful story – one that I’ll remember in great detail for years to come.
Specifically vague.
Remember the first time you saw Metal Gear Solid? It looked like a movie, right? A few generations ago, it seemed the future of storytelling in games was to mimic Hollywood as closely as possible. Gone Home isn’t that. In fact, with little more than a few props, locked doors, and crumpled paper to convey Gone Home’s backstory, a lot was riding on the two voice actors, Sarah Grayson and Sarah Elmaleh. Plus, their characters never speak to each other and they have no on-screen presence. In spite of this, they delivered pure, breath-taking, and heart-felt performances. They brought me along a ride of emotions – from nervousness, to concern, to pride and joy. For everything this game does well, it’s greatest achievement is the convincing performances from these two wonderful actresses.
Material details are strewn throughout the house and every single one exists to provide insight into this family and why the house is empty. And that isn’t a spoiler. I want you to know there is nothing in the house because you can’t go in to Gone Home thinking it’s a spooky game – even if the splash screen evokes a sort of “Last House on the Left” feel. There isn’t a M. Night Shyamalan-ian twist at the end, or anywhere. But that didn’t keep me from being on the edge of my seat with chills frequently sent up my spine. The story is told as each section of the house is unlocked – technically, you can “beat” the game in under a minute by unlocking two doors – but through exploration, more pieces of the puzzle are revealed and then stitched together. This particularly makes a second play-through all-the-more rewarding as discovering previously overlooked clever foreshadowing only deepens one’s appreciation for Gone Home.
There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for why “Jan” and “Terry” are etched below “Mom” and “Dad.” And it’s hilarious.
There is nothing remarkably exciting about Gone Home. There are no set pieces, no jump scares (unless you’re terrified of thunder storms), and it isn’t a long game by any stretch of the imagination – clocking in under two hours. But I walk away from Gone Home recalling every diary entry, every opened drawer, and every unlocked door with as much appreciation as any 20-hour action-packed campaign. That’s about as close to a “con” as it’s going to get but I’m not holding any of this against it. Gone Home exudes confidence and never apologizes for what it is, or isn’t.
Final Verdict
Writing a review for Gone Home feels weird because as I recount my experience with it, I feel like I’m trying to justify something. As if listing specifc aspects of the experience do this game any justice at all. Gone Home falls into my “must-play” category of games and the best way to experience it is to know as little about it as possible. So reading this review is kind of silly, you should probably just go play it. Then enjoy the resulting self-reflection and share the experience with those close to you.
I’m not sure exactly how to translate “chills up my spine” to a numbered review but I strongly recommend you play Gone Home. Treat it like a movie. Take an evening, turn your cellphone off, and dedicate all your attention to this 120-minute experience. It’s likely different from anything you’ve ever played before and with such a short run-time, you have little to lose. I thought this was going to resemble an overly-pretentious art project rather than a 2013 Game of the Year contender. Instead, Gone Home leaves me with a new standard by which to hold other experiential video games.
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