This is me telling you about a game you should be playing right now.
It’s called Gone Home. It’s an exploration game, where you walk around clicking on things and trying to figure out what happened.
In this case, you’re Katie, a young woman who’s just come home after a year in Europe and discovers an empty house and the feeling that something isn’t right.
This is why you should play it:
- It’s not horror. It has spooky vibes, and you might start to think that something is going to come out at you, but nothing does.
- It’s an independent game by a group of kickass people called The Fullbright Company.
- It runs on Windows, Mac and Linux.
- It’s short – it’s only around three hours, but then you can play it again with things unlocked or all the lights on, and really explore all the areas of the house.
- Were you a teenage girl in 1995? Do you wish you were a teenage girl in 1995? Get ready for a fucking nostalgia trip like no other. Home-taped X-Files videotapes. A “I want to believe” poster. A Lisa Frank binder. Electric typewriters. Riot grrl zines. Bratmobile and Heavens to Betsy on cassette tapes.
- I don’t want to give away too many spoilers, but it’s a queer love story. And it will kill you with everything about it.
- Fullbright Company had a place at PAX. They could’ve really sold Gone Home there and made some big cash. Then Mike and Jerry, the douchebros behind Penny Arcade and PAX started being douchebros again. And Fullbright said “No, we’d rather not be associated with you and your douchebaggery.”
Aw hell, people, Watch the trailer.Watch the launch trailer. Buy this game. If you can’t afford it, wait until it’s on sale at Steam.
Just, please. Support it. It’s such a fucking great game.
Reblogging this in lieu of writing my own Gone Home post — I just finished playing through it and I do not think I could be as coherent as this about it.
The game tells a great story; the house is moody and huge and terrifying but (most of) the things you learn poking through the rooms are quiet and personal and I already know I’ll want to play through it again, once I’ve let it sit in my brain for a bit.
This has been in my drafts for a few days but I thought I’d post it now because Humble Bundle’s got it up for 75% off.
Personally, I bought it immediately after reading these excellent reviews: