GONE HOME Review
By Dhruv Chopra
Gone Home is one of the most captivating story driven games of its medium. Set in the 90’s, it tells the heart touching tale of The Greenbriar family
You are Kaitlin “Katie” Greenbriar, the older daughter of the family, sister of Samantha “Sam” Greenbriar around who pretty much the whole story revolves. You’ve just arrived back to your new home, this mansion amidst the woods, from an amazing euro trip, and you just can't wait to meet your family.
The game opens with you at the doorstep of the old, sort of creaky, typical-horror-story-set-up kind of mansion. The pouring rain, along with frequent resounding noises of thunder help add to the dark vibe the game provides. The first thing you come across is a locked door with a note from your sister on it, which gives you a clear indication of the fact that something has gone horribly wrong. This opening immediately has you gripped and you can't help but feel concerned about Sam’s whereabouts and her well-being.
The gameplay of Gone Home is mostly just investigating through the mansion, room by room, drawer by drawer slowly bringing to light all the mysteries surrounding you.
You are Kaitlin “Katie” Greenbriar, the older daughter of the family, sister of Samantha “Sam” Greenbriar around who pretty much the whole story revolves. You’ve just arrived back to your new home, this mansion amidst the woods, from an amazing euro trip, and you just can't wait to meet your family.
The game opens with you at the doorstep of the old, sort of creaky, typical-horror-story-set-up kind of mansion. The pouring rain, along with frequent resounding noises of thunder help add to the dark vibe the game provides. The first thing you come across is a locked door with a note from your sister on it, which gives you a clear indication of the fact that something has gone horribly wrong. This opening immediately has you gripped and you can't help but feel concerned about Sam’s whereabouts and her well-being.
The gameplay of Gone Home is mostly just investigating through the mansion, room by room, drawer by drawer slowly bringing to light all the mysteries surrounding you.
The dark shadowy vibe and the eerie environment put forth by the developers “Fulbright company”(how ironic is that?!) is so easy to get pulled into due its convincing nature. It’s amazing how well the game captures the textures of the time period. I for one genuinely felt as i was there in that particular point in time. Everything felt so vivid. Gone Home tells the most human and grounded to earth story ever told through a game. Every little thing you come across like files, photos, letters, notes and documents provides some detail or the other regarding the inner lives of the Greenbriars. All of this helps reinforce the thought that the place you’re exploring is very real and these people you’re learning about are very real leading lives which are very real.
What i loved most about Gone Home was the fact that the game respects your intelligence, trusting you to be able to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. One more element that really pulls you in emotionally is the inadvertently triggered narrations of Sam’s journal entry which are heard in Sam’s voice. As you hear the pain in her voice, you develop compassion for what she’s going through, and are given a better understanding of the intensity of the situation.
Gone Home is a work of art. A lot of heart was put into making every character as human as possible and the environment as vivid as possible. It tells a believable story grounded in the real world that treats all of its characters as complex individuals. Though short, it’s a bang for the buck and a must have for any indie game fanatic.