Gone Home is one of the most emotional games I have ever played. Never have I felt so connected to a character after only spending roughly two hours with them, I quite literally walked through their life. It takes a story most writers and developers would shy away from because they don’t know how to do it properly or they’re scared because it’s too controversial. The risk of this game alone is what makes it so brilliant.
Gone Home is about a girl, Katie Greenbriar, coming home from a trip to Europe. To her surprise however, nobody is home. Using notes and clues throughout the house, she must figure out where everyone has gone, leading to some incredible surprises no one could predict and some incredibly emotional moments.
When I first played this game in 2013, I really didn’t like it. I thought it was supposed to be a horror game when I paid my $20 for it on Steam. When I played it I was waiting to be terrified. I didn’t really read or listen to the actual story, obviously this is my fault and not the game’s fault. Now that the game is on Xbox One, I have seen it for its true colors. Even though I knew the “twist” when playing through it this time, I still felt shocked. I felt the emotion. If a game can still deliver on something like this even when the player may know what the overall outcome is, that is an incredible accomplishment.
I don’t want to talk too much about the main story as it’s hard to talk about without spoiling, but I will delve a bit into it. The story is centered around Samantha and her struggles as an angsty teenager. It is incredibly emotional and even if you don’t have the same lifestyle as Samantha, you can relate to a lot of things. It shows you never really know what’s going on in someone’s life even if you think you do. On the outside, you may see one thing, but on the inside you see another. It’s a story I will never forget and I am sure will inspire many other developers and writers in the future. If this is the kind of storytelling that Fullbright is capable of, I can’t wait for Tacoma.
While the overall story is about a girl’s life and her struggles to be who she really is, there are lots of little stories to see from other family members. There’s a strange story about the family’s religion which is highlighted by the Bibles on their bedside tables. However, their daughter Samantha has her Bible packed away inside a closet. Her choices in life show maybe she believed in God at one point or that her family sort of forced it on her, but now she has left that behind and doesn’t actively go to church or do any Bible studies.
There are multiple other stories, like their dad is a struggling writer obsessed with John F. Kennedy and his assassination. His books are centered around a James Bond-like character that must save the president’s life through time travel and other science fiction elements. He is struggling to get his stories published. There are multiple rejection letters from publishers saying this just isn’t what they want. He has manuscripts for sequels lying in trash cans. It’s an interesting side plot that has no real relation to the overall main story of Gone Home but is a nice touch.
One of my other favorite stories is in just one note to Katie and Samantha’s mom. You can find a note where a man is clearly flirting with their mother implying that their mother may be having an affair. It adds much more to the somewhat minor characters.
The setting of the game is one of the best places in any game ever. The atmosphere is pure brilliance. The game takes place in a mansion on a rainy night in the 1990s. When you walk into the house, most of the lights are off, making you a bit hesitant to proceed further into this giant, old, creaky home. As you explore you find VHS tapes, SNES cartridges, cassette tapes and other 90s things. It isn’t shoved down your throat. It is done tastefully and adds character to the house.
The game is also incredibly creepy due to its atmosphere. The rain, thunder and the old house make eerie sounds as you lurk the halls of the Greenbriar residence. You constantly feel like something is going to pop up at you or that something is watching you, but nothing supernatural actually happens. It is heavily implied throughout the game that the previous resident of the home, Oscar Masan, is haunting the home. I won’t go into details, but as you read notes and explore it will tell the dark story of his life and could imply that he is following Katie as she explores the home. It’s never truly made clear, which isn’t a bad thing. It’s a nice little touch that adds more to the game.
The last thing I want to touch on is the commentary mode. This is a great insight on the development of the game and shows how deep the story was for the writers and voice actors. There is one specific commentary track that made my heart feel a bit heavy. One of the voice actresses talks about how emotional and personal this game was for her and actually breaks down in tears during the recording of the commentary track. That alone should be enough of a reason for you to listen to these commentary tracks.
Summary
Overall, Gone Home is a phenomenal game and should be considered an achievement for the entire gaming industry. It takes conviction to tell a story like this. I can’t give Fullbright enough credit for making this game. The game is filled with masterful storytelling and real life lessons. It nails the mysterious atmosphere perfectly. I can’t wait to see what Fullbright has to offer with Tacoma when that releases later in 2016.
Cade is a games journalist, Gaming Writer at ComicBook.com. They contributed 108 articles to ICXM between 2015–2017, focused on opinion pieces, game reviews, and Xbox news: served as Editor-in-Chief at GameZone before joining ComicBook.com.