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[chicken_ramen]

With exploring these realistic environments and environmental storytelling the game actually reminds me of...SWAT 4. No kidding.

Spoiler

I feel the game is better for not stooping to such obvious tropes and staying grounded, even if there clearly is some misdirection in that direction at first.

And because of that

Spoiler

you don't know there's nothing to be worried about until the very end. When I saw the newspaper clipping for the 'Pray away the Gay' style camp I swore at the screen. When I thought something had happened under the stairs I rushed there (in as much as you can rush anywhere) and when I saw my sister's little sleeping bag in the attic, I felt both proud and relieved. It goes everywhere on it's journey and you get to feel all those punches. It's a game about the journey, not the destination and to be honest I'm glad it ended the way it did.

This is a rollercoaster that I got completely invested into.

My favourite details:

Spoiler

The two sex ed essays. It's the type of storytelling through contrast that the game does really well.

Also:

Spoiler

The creaking when you read that story in the music room. You don't know at this point whether there is something spooky going on or not. I turned on the record player so I could drown it out.

And possibly:

Spoiler

The grandad's review of his son's book. Such an awkward dad thing to do.

The game has a dedication it's protagonists that few other games even attempt. The only thing I wish for is a set of Mum+Dad audio diaries as an alternate playthrough type thing. I highly recommend this.

 

[Inferno313]

Wow, just wow... What a truly incredble and moving game. I just played through the whole thing in one sitting and somehow it just hit me, and became one of the most moving experience's I've had with a game. I've always liked hearing Steve on Idle Thumbs but jeez, I didn't know he had THIS in him! I guess I should play Minerva's den now.

 

[Kade]

It's intriguing, mysterious, sometimes haunting maybe? but not *scary.*

Like Dead Space.

 

[WhereAreMahDragonz]

It's intriguing, mysterious, sometimes haunting maybe? but not *scary.*

Okay. I'm down like Xbox One's sales.

 

[taoofjord]

Just finished it. Keep in mind that what follows is impressions from someone who has wanted to make a similar type of exploration-focused game for some time now.

Spoiler

I think it was a worthwhile experience but it didn't quite blow me away like I was hoping it would.

The good: The writing was strong, and the voice acting was better than I expected. I appreciated how the story stayed pretty classy the whole way through.

The less than good: The house never felt like a house to me. It felt too empty, lifeless and too spread out. And like a digital world, not like a real one. (A good example of a house that feels like a house would be the terrible/wonderful PC game "Scratches")

It seemed like almost every lightning strike and ambient sound effect was triggered by some action (walking into a room, picking up a note)... scripted events always take me out of a game that's going for exploration and atmosphere. It's fine if they want to have a couple scripted things but they relied on them too much.

I would have liked some more variation/depth in your interaction with the world and in progressing the story. I'm not talking about heavy duty puzzles, but I think they used notes too often.

Overall, I think it's a strong but relatively underwhelming entry into this kind of exploration/narrative game that I'd like to see more of, and expect to in a few years when the Rift is in a lot of people's hands.

 

[ThaiGrocer]

$20 for 3 hours? Yikes.

They've got bills to pay or they're keeping it high to make the Steam sale good feels. $5 sweet mother it's 75% off.

 

[Cth]

So far it's not grabbing me like I had hoped.

Maybe it's the repeated assets, or how the majority of objects serve no purpose for interacting with.

I've run into a few problems with the game as well.. if I'm moving with the touchpad when the journal starts, my character starts stumbling around as if possessed (ha!) and I can't get her to stop unless I save the game and exit. Fairly annoying and throws me out of the game every time.

I really wish the amazon checkout had used my gc as I feel I overpaid for the game currently. I'll see how I feel once I finish it, but I'd imagine I'm nearing the end based on how long people say the game is. I bought it through the developer's site so I have a spare copy which I'm gifting away, so it's not as bad.

EDIT:
taoofjord summed it up nicely. I'm also taking classes developing games, so maybe I'm being too analytical.

 

[Inferno313]

$20 for 3 hours? Yikes.

Eh, people pay $10 to see 90 minute movies. People paid $20 for Portal when it was a similar length. I felt that the quality of the experience made it worth the price for me.

 

[Damaniel]

Haha they both work too. One is

Spoiler

a heart and the other is a shark I think from what I could tell

I spent 10 minutes staring at them and couldn't make either out. My girlfriend glanced over at my screen, for five seconds tops, and told me what they were.

I hate those things.

 

[theowne]

I guess I'm part of the "underwhelmed" camp, I really loved

Spoiler

the beginning of the game, but I was left with an extremely anticlimactic feel at the end when all of it basically ended with a romantic comedy - type finish.....
I mean, I'm the guy who cried at The Walking Dead's ending, I love emotional experiences, but this one just didn't do it. It just kind of felt like a generic indie movie story about teenage puppy love.

It was wrapped within an extremely atmospheric environment, which is what kept me going, but ultimately when the story is over, it's hard to look back on the game as a great experience because the ending removes all the tension from my memory.

 

[border]

Why did they remove the Super Nintendo system from the game?

 

[Hofmann]

So far it's not grabbing me like I had hoped.

Maybe it's the repeated assets, or how the majority of objects serve no purpose for interacting with.

I've run into a few problems with the game as well.. if I'm moving with the touchpad when the journal starts, my character starts stumbling around as if possessed (ha!) and I can't get her to stop unless I save the game and exit. Fairly annoying and throws me out of the game every time.

I really wish the amazon checkout had used my gc as I feel I overpaid for the game currently. I'll see how I feel once I finish it, but I'd imagine I'm nearing the end based on how long people say the game is. I bought it through the developer's site so I have a spare copy which I'm gifting away, so it's not as bad.

EDIT:
taoofjord summed it up nicely. I'm also taking classes developing games, so maybe I'm being too analytical.

If it's still up for grabs, I'll gladly take it away from you.

 

[bender]

Just finished.

Spoiler

I was dreading going into the attack. Relief is the best way I can describe the ending.

 

[Dusk Golem]

As an added note, live in the city the studio is based in as well as where the game takes place in (Portland, Oregon), and they did a wonderful job at making it feel like Portland. Citing of real places around here, the fairly big indie music scene around here and the commoness of kids sneaking to see bands and garage shows here, even the plants in the greenhouse are the types of plants that grow in the region. They even have the proper area code to where the game is set in for the metropolitan area. Added a whole lot for me that they've obviously have put some of their experiences and research into the town they've settled their studio in into the game.

 

[commissar]

Really enjoyed it!

Loved all the little details, like reading

Spoiler

Sam's metalwork grading and then realising it was attached to the family portrait in the foyer

.

Though, after I finished I went and

Spoiler

put the developer and hydrogen peroxide in the bath with the hair dye just in case. It seems video games taught me some bad habits

.

More of this sort of game please!

 

[taoofjord]

I do want to add that there's other things the game does quite well that I didn't list a few posts up. I hope I don't discourage anyone from playing because I really do think it's worth playing.

 

[Damaniel]

As an added note, live in the city the studio is based in as well as where the game takes place in (Portland, Oregon), and they did a wonderful job at making it feel like Portland. Citing of real places around here, the fairly big indie music scene around here and the commoness of kids sneaking to see bands and garage shows here, even the plants in the greenhouse are the types of plants that grow in the region. They even have the proper area code to where the game is set in for the metropolitan area. Added a whole lot for me that they've obviously have put some of their experiences and research into the town they've settled their studio in into the game.

As a Portlander myself, I liked the choice of locale. I did have one minor nitpick though:

Spoiler

There's a ticket stub for an Earth, Wind and Fire concert that takes place at Keller Auditorium some time in 1995. At that time, the Keller wasn't called that; the name was changed in 1999 or 2000 (it used to be called the Civic Auditorium, I think). Very minor though.

 

[fallagin]

Just finished the game lmao at the

Spoiler

Exorcism or whatever under the stairs. Totally thought it was going to be something else obviously :lol

 

[Lo_Fi]

So, reviewers keep talking about the

Spoiler

one jump scare in the (beginning of the) game. Am I forgetting things or did I miss it? Or are they talking about picking up the crucifix in the hidden hallway?

 

[mattiewheels]

This game gives me the uneasy feeling that I'm invading this family's life. Really interesting that a game can involve me that much.

 

[Andrew Korenchkin]

This game gives me the uneasy feeling that I'm invading this family's life. Really interesting that a game can involve me that much.

Well, you do play as the daughter of the family after all.

 

[Jintor]

Man. Hell of a tale.

It's nice to see an environmental-storytelling thingy that doesn't involve swathes of blood all over the goddamn place.

Well worth the time, although if I wasn't an avid thumbs listener I wouldn't be able to say if it was worth $20. But... I don't know. It's unique, and it's engaging, and I loved poking around the house and fitting things together in my head.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

I wrote an article about relating to characters in the game.

 

[Jintor]

I am super glad though I went into this knowing almost nothing besides

- You're a girl who came back from Europe but no-one's home
- Spooky house
- Ghosts(?)

Made that sense of discovery that much sweeter

 

[chrominance]

So, reviewers keep talking about the

Spoiler

one jump scare in the (beginning of the) game. Am I forgetting things or did I miss it? Or are they talking about picking up the crucifix in the hidden hallway?

Yup, pretty sure that's it.

(the part below answers "why did people get so affected by this emotionally?" and so spoils the ending in general terms)

Spoiler

For me it was the music and the intensely raw feelings Sam put down in her journal, half-remembered from my own adolescence. This game doesn't patronize those feelings and that age period, but celebrates and sympathizes with it. And the voice acting was really, really good. It was just kind of heartbreaking in spots. Like how teenagers feel their love is the realest thing in the entire world, it got that across, and the ache of their separation and rejection of Sam's parents. Especially the line "They didn't even respect me enough to believe" really struck a chord. It just felt so real thanks to all the little details the game dots around all over the place.

This basically sums it up for me too.

Spoiler

Everything you feel when you're a teenager is the most EVERYTHING you've ever felt about anything before: your first crush, your first relationship, your first fight, your first breakup. As an adult you learn to insulate yourself from those things, not to leave your nerves quite so raw, but Gone Home was really good at reminding me what that period of my life was like, even though I've never been a teenage girl or a lesbian.

 

[chrominance]

Something I'm not sure has really been brought up yet: it's interesting that Gone Home goes out of its way to normalize things you do in video games that would otherwise be weird in real life. Like how you can dig through everyone's stuff and it's totally fine because hey, it's your house; or the fact that you don't really know the house layout because you've never actually lived there before, your family moved after you went abroad.

But then there's still this gap between your knowledge as the player and your assumed knowledge as Katie, and Gone Home seems to actively exploit this in a few cases.

Spoiler

For example, when I saw the conspiracy theory stuff in the father's study, I immediately thought, "holy fuck my dad is one of those wingnuts," but Katie would've known from the start that it was clearly research for his novels. But Gone Home, I think, expects you to think this is kinda weird because of the big "YOU CAN DO BETTER" post-its, which then gets explained as something else once Katie finds the letter from her grandfather to her father "congratulating" him on getting published.

It didn't happen often, but it felt like there were a few places where you're clearly supposed to be confused about certain aspects of your family, but if you were actually Katie you would already know these things. I don't think the dissonance detracts from the story, I just thought it was an interesting disconnect (and possibly unavoidable in this context).

 

[Jintor]

Yeah, I was thinking about that too. Like, did Katie already know

Spoiler

the parents were on a couple's counselling 'honeymoon' retreat when she was landing? Doubt it since her phone call didn't get picked up. So whether she was or wasn't in the same mindset of 'where is everyone' as the player is a bit ambiguous.

That said, I like it when Katie asserts her own personality a little by labelling objects ("Ugh, Dad") or

Spoiler

refusing to read any more of the page hidden under the table in one of Sam's rooms. As a player, I was like "damnit" but I can definitely see why Katie was like "NOPE")

 

[chrominance]

I like it when Katie asserts her own personality a little by labelling objects ("Ugh, Dad") or

Spoiler

refusing to read any more of the page hidden under the table in one of Sam's rooms. As a player, I was like "damnit" but I can definitely see why Katie was like "NOPE")

My favourite favourite instance of this was

Spoiler

seeing the gents mag in dad's library and going "Oh, Dad." and then later, after you realize Sam's gay, opening her locker and finding ANOTHER gents mag at the bottom and going "Oh, Sam."

The NOPE bit was a close second.

 

[Jintor]

It's a little interesting.

Spoiler

The code is written down somewhere. And it's a number close to his heart. I actually found the number afterwards. I guessed the combination and got it first time!

Wow, no idea how you got that just by guessing lol

My favourite favourite instance of this was

Spoiler

seeing the gents mag in dad's library and going "Oh, Dad." and then later, after you realize Sam's gay, opening her locker and finding ANOTHER gents mag at the bottom and going "Oh, Sam."

The NOPE bit was a close second.

It's interesting though.

Spoiler

I think the audiolog right after Sam basically spells it out, I think the one in the dining room, she mentions that it was probably obvious to Katie 'since She-ra'... so perhaps the moment Katie learned that Sam had been hanging out with a girl tonnes she would've jumped straight to a conclusion. But maybe not.

One thing I thought was strange was that there wasn't a lot of effort made to contextualise why you were getting drip-fed audiologs. I understand that it's basically Katie's letters to you, but why exactly they auto-startup when you find a key piece of... let's say, evidence, is never really rationalised at all, which I found interesting in context of the game as a whole. Of course there's other gamey stuff that's impossible to avoid, picking up objects by floating, not being able to run etc, but that one stood out to me.

Given the ending,

Spoiler

my interpretation was that it's just, like, Sam's journal is actually all in the book at the end and Katie is reading the journal off as appropriate as the player explores the house. I guess.

 

[Yuripaw]

just beat it, only played 107 minutes according to my steam client.

Spoiler

/sigh...i wish i didnt spend the money on this =/

 

[fallagin]

I wrote an article about relating to characters in the game.

Really good article. Thanks for that!

 

[Jintor]

Just finished the game lmao at the

Spoiler

Exorcism or whatever under the stairs. Totally thought it was going to be something else obviously :lol

Lol.

Spoiler

I actually thought they were going to bang, until I realised Sam had the house to herself anyway

 

[fallagin]

Lol.

Spoiler

I actually thought they were going to bang, until I realised Sam had the house to herself anyway

Yep, exactly what I was thinking

 

[Deaf Spacker]

Can someone please tell me if there's anything supernatural or plain fucked up in the game because the impression I'm getting so far during my play through is that one of the family members was slightly unhinged.

I'm probably way off base.

 

[Yuripaw]

Can someone please tell me if there's anything supernatural or plain fucked up in the game because the impression I'm getting so far during my play through is that one of the family members was slightly unhinged.

I'm probably way off base.

Spoiler

no...there isn't. This is one of the reasons I am kinda fuming about buying this game, because I felt like the name of this thread, and the way Giant Bomb's quick look presented this game...and even the game itself presents that maybe there's something off or supernatural about the story, but nope.

 

[Deaf Spacker]

Spoiler

no...there isn't. This is one of the reasons I am kinda fuming about buying this game, because I felt like the name of this thread, and the way Giant Bomb's quick look presented this game...and even the game itself presents that maybe there's something off or supernatural about the story, but nope.

Yeah the game is giving me the same impression too, I'm really getting into it but I don't want to progress and discover that the family's disappearance is down to a supernatural event etc.

 

[Tiktaalik]

Really digged the music in this game.

Finished it but just now realized I never opened the safe I found downstairs!

 

[Cth]

Here's a question, and I hope it's not offensive

Spoiler

While the game is progressive at examining LGBT issues within the realm of videogames..

.. would it be getting the same reaction if cute lesbians weren't used?

I feel that's a trope in itself, and may be an ugly fact that the game wouldn't be as marketable if the two were butch girls or guys.

 

[Jintor]

Here's a question, and I hope it's not offensive

Spoiler

While the game is progressive at examining LGBT issues within the realm of videogames..

.. would it be getting the same reaction if cute lesbians weren't used?

I feel that's a trope in itself, and may be an ugly fact that the game wouldn't be as marketable if the two were butch girls or guys.

Well, considering that whole thing isn't a factor at all in (deliberate) marketing, I don't really see that.

Spoiler

The important points to me I think are probably more to do with teenager issues, first love, forbidden/not thought of relationships, etc. I think it would probably have worked just as well with two dudes, and given the people entering the conversation so far, probably wouldn't have mattered too much.

But I get what you're saying.

 

[Yuripaw]

Here's a question, and I hope it's not offensive

Spoiler

While the game is progressive at examining LGBT issues within the realm of videogames..

.. would it be getting the same reaction if cute lesbians weren't used?

I feel that's a trope in itself, and may be an ugly fact that the game wouldn't be as marketable if the two were butch girls or guys.

I've also feel the same as you.

Spoiler

I feel like the only reason this game has gotten praise from certain people that it has, is because it is about a lesbian couple, and I can see it being appealing to those people...but to me it was just like "yawn, whatever" lol. This is nothing against lgbt community either, it could've been a guy and girl couple, and i still would've been disappointed with this game.

 

[Wok]

I would have loved to see

Spoiler

a cat

in the house.

 

[Mushroomer25]

Fuck it, just putting the whole thing in spoiler tags.

Spoiler

I agree this thing is overpriced. $20 for this sort of experience is highway robbery. It's well made, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the experience - but the value proposition is just bad. Fortunately, it's a local company (I'm in Oregon) - and I know a few people who I could convince to play it. So I feel like my money is being used well.

Onto the game itself. This game is what I really wanted Dear Ester to be. A narrative experience that could only exist as a game - relying on player discovery and the independent expectations of the medium. The little touches, like finding the Pulp Fiction ticket & realizing Sam blew off the dinner (written in the Mom's calendar). Or the way it uses a weather service announcement to create a sense of unease. The writing is top notch, VA work is phenomenal. I was completely absorbed into the story, and while the "twist" of Sam being a lesbian was slightly spoiled for me - it still just works.

The ending is genius though. The entire time, a part of the player is constantly expecting for a horror twist. The lightbulb shattering, the ripped up part of the note - it builds expectations. Then you get the second-to-last diary, and start booking it for the attic. It makes that moment of relief so much better.

So in conclusion. It's great, I enjoyed it, I want most of my money back.

 

[Jac_Solar]

Looks really cool, like my kind of adventure game (hate the ones where you have to tie the lightbulb to the string and then stick a magnet onto it to bait the mouse of the hole to unlock the door)

And even though there seem to be tons of lightbulbs around, and stuff that could easily be used as a string, the game requires you to find the unique lightbulb, string and magnet, which were designed specifically for that objective.

 

[Jintor]

Spoiler

So in conclusion. It's great, I enjoyed it, I want most of my money back.

I understand the value proposition problem, but it seems so... weird to talk about somehow. What price art and all that. The hours to dollars ratio is fucked. But where else on the market am I going to get this kind of experience? Besides Dear Esther, of course. Man, I just don't know.

 

[Mushroomer25]

I understand the value proposition problem, but it seems so... weird to talk about somehow. What price art and all that. The hours to dollars ratio is fucked. But where else on the market am I going to get this kind of experience? Besides Dear Esther, of course. Man, I just don't know.

It's new territory, for sure. But at the end of the day, I paid $18 for a three-hour experience. That's a pretty high asking price, no matter the quality. It gets even more testy when games like this seem to have a very short shelf-life. Within six months, you'll see this go for $5 on Steam in a sale - and within a year, it'll be practically free through a Humble Bundle. Honestly, I kind of bought this entirely to be a part of the discussion surrounding the game.

I think what it comes down to, is that games like this shouldn't really be bought. They should be experienced a single time - like a rental - but owning them outright is excessive. If I could pay for a Netflix-like service, where I can experience 5-10 handpicked indies like this a month - I'd sign up in a heartbeat.

 

[ViviOggi]

It's not that hard to find playtime estimates around the net, so if for whatever reason you feel like you wouldn't be getting your money's worth wait for the inevitable sale, a bundle or don't buy it ever. That's entirely fine. There's simply no meaningful discussion to be had past that point.

 

[Tajasaurus]

Just finished.

Spoiler

I was dreading going into the attack. Relief is the best way I can describe the ending.

Spoiler

Having to walk such a long distance was nerve wracking. I thought half way through the game that it was going to end with some kind of suicide, and seeing the way that sleeping bag was positioned when the light was off had my heart in my throat.

What an amazing game.

 

[Jintor]

It's new territory, for sure. But at the end of the day, I paid $18 for a three-hour experience. That's a pretty high asking price, no matter the quality. It gets even more testy when games like this seem to have a very short shelf-life. Within six months, you'll see this go for $5 on Steam in a sale - and within a year, it'll be practically free through a Humble Bundle. Honestly, I kind of bought this entirely to be a part of the discussion surrounding the game.

I think what it comes down to, is that games like this shouldn't really be bought. They should be experienced a single time - like a rental - but owning them outright is excessive. If I could pay for a Netflix-like service, where I can experience 5-10 handpicked indies like this a month - I'd sign up in a heartbeat.

It's not that hard to find playtime estimates around the net, so if for whatever reason you feel like you wouldn't be getting your money's worth wait for the inevitable sale, a bundle or don't buy it ever. That's entirely fine. There's simply no meaningful discussion to be had past that point.

I suppose things like being part of a zeitgeist or, in my case, a deathly fear of spoilers, are simply part of the value proposition already. But honestly, I paid something like $24 to see Pacific Rim in 3D. I guess that was also a terrible get, in retrospect.

I don't know. I feel like I got my money's worth, but I think at the same time - not living out of home yet or really working for a real living yet - I simply don't value my money the same way other people value their money. So it's a difficult conversation to have. I guess Vivi has the right of it.

There is probably a really interesting conversation to be had regarding lighting in this game. I swear to god.

 

[matrix-cat]

I haven't gone through the whole thread, but it seems like I'm one of the few who loved this game and thought Dear Esther was rubbish. Not pickin' fights or anything, because I don't really have a strong, well-conceived argument for how I felt about DE (more just a bit of dismissive eye-rolling ), but I actually hadn't even made the connection between the two before I saw someone bring it up - they really didn't do the same things for me at all.

I always get a giddy little thrill when I stumble across some unmarked sidequesting in an RPG, even if it's something simple as a scrap of a letter on a dead guy leading me to a loot chest or something, and Gone Home is That: The Game. I was glued to the screen the whole time, exploring every last corner of the house in the fastidious way I've never actually displayed in real life but always comes out in this type of game. My sense of adventure got a lovely workout, and I may have had to carefully blink a couple of watery eyes at certain moments.

I don't imagine it's flying off the digital shelves with that price. I bought it solely because of hearing it talked up so much on Idle Thumbs, and if it weren't for that I think I definitely would have filed it into my mental "Wait for the Steam sale" category. But, having played it, I feel like it was $20 well spent. I wish Hot Scoops and co. the best of luck with it.

 

[EatChildren]

Value is subjective. Always will be. I personally find measurable time a poor indication of what I personally value most in games. Satisfaction of play and emotional resonance take far higher priority, and generally dictate how monetarily valuable I perceive a game to be.

Given what I experienced with and took away from Gone Home, it was worth every single cent.