Yeah, totally feel the same way. Just finished and I thought it was kinda neat. Nowhere near worth the entry price, but I can appreciate what the devs were trying to do. Just wish it was a better story.
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Gone Home |OT| I ain't afraid of no ghost!
- Thread starter Sober
- Start date
Yeah, totally feel the same way. Just finished and I thought it was kinda neat. Nowhere near worth the entry price, but I can appreciate what the devs were trying to do. Just wish it was a better story.
And for me the exact opposite. Dear Esther was a very nice looking game but the story was too abstract and out there for me to enjoy. Gone Home is grounded and doesn't try to pull any cheap tricks. The story it simple and well told and was far more affective to me.
I think you're missing a few things.
The parents never knew when Katie was going to be coming home. They knew it was *in June* and that she would call before she showed up. The parents were having long-term relationship problems and booked a weekend at a lodge for counseling. Unfortunately that's when Katie called letting them know she'd be back, which they missed.
Them grounding Sam then leaving, that's not really a huge deal though. I mean, really? You could logic that out any number of ways. They knew Lonnie was leaving for the army. They were wrapped up in trying to fix their relationship and didn't think about it. Just to name a few. I just don't see how that's this huge glaring plot hole. They're people, people don't always do the logical thing.
Which shows again in the final story beat. When faced with never seeing each other again, Lonnie makes a sudden decision and bails. Is it a long-term sound decision? Nope! But that's what teenagers do. They make sudden decisions without thinking about the long-term. Sam leaving is also the same thing. They made a quick choice and went with it. Trying to break down the logical decision making skills of love sick teenagers is pretty silly. And that is part of the point of the story.
Them grounding Sam then leaving, that's not really a huge deal though. I mean, really? You could logic that out any number of ways. They knew Lonnie was leaving for the army. They were wrapped up in trying to fix their relationship and didn't think about it. Just to name a few. I just don't see how that's this huge glaring plot hole. They're people, people don't always do the logical thing.
Which shows again in the final story beat. When faced with never seeing each other again, Lonnie makes a sudden decision and bails. Is it a long-term sound decision? Nope! But that's what teenagers do. They make sudden decisions without thinking about the long-term. Sam leaving is also the same thing. They made a quick choice and went with it. Trying to break down the logical decision making skills of love sick teenagers is pretty silly. And that is part of the point of the story.
Civil discussion is so overrated, huh?
Valtýr;77090379 said:
Wow. I just could not disagree more. The main reason Gone Home didn't sit well with me in the end is that the whole thing feels like a cheap trick. It's kind of a neat trick, mind you--but not neat enough that I didn't feel hoodwinked paying $20 for it.
Finally got around to playing through this game... wow
I'm floored.
I realize this game isn't for a lot of people, but if there is a particular niche of person they were targeting, it hit me on every level: the music, the story, the environment, the period, the narration, the nostalgia...
It was like Adrian Tomine(Shortcomings, Summer Blonde) teamed up with the Dear Esther crew and decided to make a videogame.
BRAVO!
I'm floored.
I realize this game isn't for a lot of people, but if there is a particular niche of person they were targeting, it hit me on every level: the music, the story, the environment, the period, the narration, the nostalgia...
It was like Adrian Tomine(Shortcomings, Summer Blonde) teamed up with the Dear Esther crew and decided to make a videogame.
BRAVO!
dream
Member
Argh, that's so painfully accurate. I understand the complaints about the simplicity of the story, but there's an emotional honesty to it that is very much in the tradition of Optic Nerve.
So something I never appreciated until this morning was the atmosphere, being a old-ish adult, it never bothered me...
However my 6 year (who thnks he is 18) saw the icon on the desktop and asked if he could play it...
I thought no harm there, nothing unsuitable, knock yourself out...
I went downstairs to make a cup of coffee, he was out of the room within 2 minutes saying he was scared.. and of course it dawned on me, big empty house, rain coming down, no life in the house.....
= Scared kids!
However my 6 year (who thnks he is 18) saw the icon on the desktop and asked if he could play it...
I thought no harm there, nothing unsuitable, knock yourself out...
I went downstairs to make a cup of coffee, he was out of the room within 2 minutes saying he was scared.. and of course it dawned on me, big empty house, rain coming down, no life in the house.....
= Scared kids!
NowCutThatOut
Member
I'm always in favour of games trying to be more literary than just trying to cinematic - and as a massive Tex Murphy fan, this felt like a bit of an evolution of the old Under A Killing Moon first person environments. The only screenshot I'd seen before the launch was of a giant cassette tape; I didn't realise it was a zoomed close-up of a normal-sized cassette, so I was expecting the game to be a lot more surreal due to my own stupidity and lack of depth perception :/
Great world, great experience, but it could have easily expanded into having more 'game-like' qualities taking advantage of the interactivity of the medium (I don't agree that story could have been told in a novel, like someone said on here, but you could have done it as a, very expensive, piece of performance art). It could have randomly generated certain objects to present different outcomes each time. It could have made more a "game" out of collecting clues and using them to reach a conclusion (like that 1995 Jack the Ripper game, or a more advanced LA Noire).
I thought the story was going to go in a completely different direction than the
Random question about the sewing room
Overall, it was kind of like a well-written murder mystery that's resolved with the victim not actually being dead. I get the argument that it "subverts the genre" but it's still a massive bait-and-switch. Not saying that "a poltergeist did it" would have been a satisfying ending, but the fact almost everything the house is a red herring from a plot perspective is a little disappointing.
Great world, great experience, but it could have easily expanded into having more 'game-like' qualities taking advantage of the interactivity of the medium (I don't agree that story could have been told in a novel, like someone said on here, but you could have done it as a, very expensive, piece of performance art). It could have randomly generated certain objects to present different outcomes each time. It could have made more a "game" out of collecting clues and using them to reach a conclusion (like that 1995 Jack the Ripper game, or a more advanced LA Noire).
I thought the story was going to go in a completely different direction than the
suicide ending most people seemed to expect. I was thinking they tried to summon Oscar to either kill/freak out/reason with their parents, but ended up frustrated that nothing happened and things ended up getting worse (with the threat of being sent to one of those normalisation camps). I assume it would eventually lead to Sam getting hooked on Oscar's morphine then doing something horrible, emulating Oscar's past transgressions, then having to flee. Instead I got to the attic and the game just suddenly wrapped up.
Random question about the sewing room
Was it supposed to be Sam who was designing the Allegra and First Mate costume or was it her mother? I wasn't sure if it was supposed to signal that her mom was coming round to the idea of her daughter's relationship, but I thought it was quite subtle and sweet if so.
D
Deleted member 22576
Unconfirmed Member
Thats a really good question about the sewing room. I used to live with and date a costume designer so I immediately was just like "damn, sam is fuckin cool as shit" but now that you bring it up I could see that being the case.
Mind elaborating? Because the only thing people have said in this thread is that they thought it was going to be a ghost story.
And I didn't see or feel that whatsoever when playing. It seems to me everyone that saw Ghosts or assumed Ghosts were applying their own wishfulness onto the game instead of allowing the game to tell it's story.
And regardless, the story itself:
Young girl has her first romantic experience with another girl in the 90's
Now the ending, or the leadup to the ending, has some mystery and tension because you don't know what the game is implying. That doesn't mean it's a trick. It's a standard storytelling device to make you feel uneasy. The fact that it ends up in a *happy* ending doesn't mean you were tricked. In fact the weight off your shoulders once it's revealed is meant to be a pleasurable experience.
I know nothing at all about this game except a lot of people are claiming it's really fantastic and it should be played, gamers, journalists, the internet in general.
I like to avoid spoilers and go in to games like this and Journey blind.
I saw that the plot for the game is a story about a girl who returns home and finds no one is there and is sad / wants to find out why.
Between that tiny plot line and the
I sure as shit I haven't already figured out the twist, because,..... if that's the case maybe
If not, carry on, ignore me and apologies. :/
I like to avoid spoilers and go in to games like this and Journey blind.
I saw that the plot for the game is a story about a girl who returns home and finds no one is there and is sad / wants to find out why.
Between that tiny plot line and the
topic title quoting ghostbusters
the topic title ought to be changed
If not, carry on, ignore me and apologies. :/
kind of a spoiler, given that the game at least tries to make you think it's going in that direction first.
You haven't figured out the twist.
Well even in this very thread, Chris Remo (composer) among others stated it openly on the very first page, and from listening to Idle Thumbs I get the impression the devs don't actually want people to think that? Maybe.
Deaf Spacker
Memb
I think that the Fullbright Company deliberately wanted people to think that there was something supernatural or sinister going on
in order to feel relieved that Sam had run away with Lonnie and that she wasn't dead etc.
There were too many things in Gone Home for it to be a coincidence that people were steered in that direction.
I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but if you look at my earlier posts I felt that something sinister was going on.
More or less
I would say that they are very different. Dear Esther is basically walking forward in beautiful but linear environments while listening to bad poetry, Gone Home is free exploration of an incredibly detailed home while trying to uncover details of the inhabitants life.
Neuromancer
Member
Well I never!
Oh, I also especially loved the completely random little shout-out to Winnipeg. Wasn't expecting that. 
Being as old as I am, all the 90's stuff was nostalgic as hell.
Being as old as I am, all the 90's stuff was nostalgic as hell.
But the VHS tapes especially killed me, having 3 random episodes of The X-Files taped and carefully labelled was a perfect touch.
That link is brilliant, thanks. That secondary (or maybe tertiary, depending how you view the marriage stuff compared to Sam's story) story line was favourite part of the game in addition to
Terry's relationship with his douchy professor father
Valtýr;77117803 said:
Sure. For me, it boils down to how it's positioned vs. what it delivers...
The fact that, in the end, the twist (or reveal, or mystery--or however you want to frame it) is that there is no twist utterly soured me on the whole experience. Is it clever? Kind of. Is it $20 and three hours of your life clever? Not for me. It was tantamount to the final moment of the game being "remember to drink your Ovaltine."
I know this is a rather unpopular view for a few reasons:
1. it casts me as a person who is "part of the problem." I'm why games can't be small and personal and intimate and tell nuanced, real stories. I can certainly say that's not the case for me--I typically love games that are this style of experience. I just felt that this story would be the tertiary subplot in any other medium--and not a particularly sophisticated one.
2. if I bring expectations or assumptions to the game, that is totally my problem--not the game's/developer's. I bristle at that for a couple reasons: first, I think expectations are the entire crux of what the game plays on. Secondly, I think they set up certain expectations with their own marketing (spooky "psycho" house in a wooded clearing on the title screen, the descriptive copy, "You expect your family to greet you, but the house is empty. Something's not right. Where is everyone? And what's happened here?" etc.). The developer wants me to bring all of the baggage I've collected in 30 years of playing games to this experience--so they can swipe the rug out from under me.
3. I'm trying to assign value as a strict dollars spent to time played or production values or somesuch. That's also not the case. Value is a totally nebulous, subjective thing. I've spent $20 on a game that was an hour long and felt completely thrilled at its conclusion. At the end of Gone Home, I felt a little ripped off--not because of the length, but more as a result of what I felt I'd been promised vs. what I'd just experienced.
I know this is a rather unpopular view for a few reasons:
1. it casts me as a person who is "part of the problem." I'm why games can't be small and personal and intimate and tell nuanced, real stories. I can certainly say that's not the case for me--I typically love games that are this style of experience. I just felt that this story would be the tertiary subplot in any other medium--and not a particularly sophisticated one.
2. if I bring expectations or assumptions to the game, that is totally my problem--not the game's/developer's. I bristle at that for a couple reasons: first, I think expectations are the entire crux of what the game plays on. Secondly, I think they set up certain expectations with their own marketing (spooky "psycho" house in a wooded clearing on the title screen, the descriptive copy, "You expect your family to greet you, but the house is empty. Something's not right. Where is everyone? And what's happened here?" etc.). The developer wants me to bring all of the baggage I've collected in 30 years of playing games to this experience--so they can swipe the rug out from under me.
3. I'm trying to assign value as a strict dollars spent to time played or production values or somesuch. That's also not the case. Value is a totally nebulous, subjective thing. I've spent $20 on a game that was an hour long and felt completely thrilled at its conclusion. At the end of Gone Home, I felt a little ripped off--not because of the length, but more as a result of what I felt I'd been promised vs. what I'd just experienced.
spandexmonkey
Banned
I can understand the desire or expectation
for there to be a twist based on what is presented. However I think what's more relevant is what you felt about and got from the story. If the story was not satisfying, relatable, or affective then it being a simple story with no twist ending would be a negative. For me I found the story to be all three and appreciated the fact that the story didn't devolve into a serious of cheap twists to ellicit emotional response. Finding Sam or Lonnie dead or that something bad happened would be cheapened the story since I never felt it was truly setting up a morbid finish.
But that's just me! I hope even people that don't like the game appreciate what it's doing because it's an impressive title. The way it tells 5 coherent stories with narration, object in the environment, pieces of writing, and tone is far better than we get in nearly all video games.
mattiewheels
And then the LORD David Bowie saith to his Son, Jonny Depp: 'Go, and spread my image amongst the cosmos. For every living thing is in anguish and only the LIGHT shall give them reprieve.'
I'm the same age as Sam was in '95 so I was getting totally immersed and I knew exactly how she might react to things, I guess that was the plan since most people interested in playing this are around 33, heh. Not that I have anything in common with Sam's problems, but this felt like I was playing a past year of my own life in a way.
Agreed. Mik put down how I feel as well. Hate to feel like I'm against the intellectuals on this, but the experience came off more as half baked than clever.
It's like, if a game can be as grounded and authentic as real life, why should I play it just because it's a game that is as grounded and authentic (and disappointing) as real life? Besides, Sam is making a really juvenile and foolish decision that I'm not interested in celebrating anyway.
The audio logs ruined the illusion for me, which is a shame because a lot of the atmosphere was otherwise excellent. But some things didn't make sense. Like, why do they have notes and messages in every corner of the house, but they haven't unpacked all their furniture yet? Surely, if
was a secret, then there wouldn't be evidence strewn all about the house
The main story is fairly predictable if you know that there aren't any ghosts. It's told well, if you buy into the audio logs mechanic, but I guessed everything that was going to happen to
except for the twist ending in the last two minutes of the game, which in my opinion was actually the weakest part of the story and only a twist for twists' sake. The ending changed me from feeling sorry for the characters to just thinking them naive teenagers.
And as someone who generally pays about $8 for a movie ticket, $20 is far too much money for what's essentially a short interactive movie that I'll probably not be watching again.
Is it a great game? To some. Is it an interesting experiment? Absolutely. Would I recommend it to anyone? Not at the asking price.
Sam's lesbian relations
The main story is fairly predictable if you know that there aren't any ghosts. It's told well, if you buy into the audio logs mechanic, but I guessed everything that was going to happen to
Sam and Lonnie
And as someone who generally pays about $8 for a movie ticket, $20 is far too much money for what's essentially a short interactive movie that I'll probably not be watching again.
Is it a great game? To some. Is it an interesting experiment? Absolutely. Would I recommend it to anyone? Not at the asking price.
The payoff just isn't worth the setup. At all.
Where is your family? What has happened to them? Something is not right here!
Oh, they're just at the grocery store--phew!
This reference is for about three people, but it reminds me of the first episode of The Thick of It, wherein, on the way to a press conference to announce a new policy, the minister is informed that the policy has been killed. Instead, he holds a press conference to report that there is nothing to report. "We're just doing a damn good job. We tricked you!"
Oh, they're just at the grocery store--phew!
This reference is for about three people, but it reminds me of the first episode of The Thick of It, wherein, on the way to a press conference to announce a new policy, the minister is informed that the policy has been killed. Instead, he holds a press conference to report that there is nothing to report. "We're just doing a damn good job. We tricked you!"
Umm... the younger daughter sold the VCRs and ran away from home with her AWOL lesbian girlfriend. I think some parents might not be cool with this situation...
Also, your father was sexually abused as a child, and your mother was at least thinking about having an affair.
I feel something like oh, it was a ghost, or finding a dead body would have been way more generic and mundane.
Also, your father was sexually abused as a child, and your mother was at least thinking about having an affair.
I feel something like oh, it was a ghost, or finding a dead body would have been way more generic and mundane.
Hmm. After listening to the podcast I see more where you're coming from with the price point argument, even if I completely disagree.
Just finished it in a few hours.
Really cool experience. Loved all the clues you could piece together in a seemingly empty house. Every room was well crafted and felt lived in for the most part. I felt uncomfortable, sad, happy, and terrified at my discoveries.
I am a little on the fence as far as if I think it's worth the full twenty dollars. At a 10-15 dollar price point it would be much easier to recommend and make a case to my friends.
Maybe my expectations were higher than what I ultimately got, but it's definitely one of the most memorable games of this year.
Really cool experience. Loved all the clues you could piece together in a seemingly empty house. Every room was well crafted and felt lived in for the most part. I felt uncomfortable, sad, happy, and terrified at my discoveries.
It's really cool to think back at the beginning, looking at my expectations then, and how the narrative changed the atmosphere and my motivations throughout the game. I was insanely worried about Sam in the last quarter, and the end came as a huge relief. The ending was pretty abrupt but appropriate.
I am a little on the fence as far as if I think it's worth the full twenty dollars. At a 10-15 dollar price point it would be much easier to recommend and make a case to my friends.
Maybe my expectations were higher than what I ultimately got, but it's definitely one of the most memorable games of this year.
I finished the game last night with only seeing the giantbomb quicklook and knowing the story/experience was supposed to be different. Wasn't sure what to expect but my excitement dropped before even getting to sams room.
I was able to figure out what was going on with sam super early so I knew what the developer was going for. Where I live that subject matter is kind of a nonissue for most people but I understand its propose for the more conservative. I was a bit worried it would get too caught up in its messaging but it didn't and by the time I got to the end I enjoyed the experience. It's well done, the house and family member backstories were interesting and the final reveal for Sams was much needed for people like me who put the rest of her story together.
Thinking about the Sams story she could have easily been written as a socially awkward straight teen. I question if the game would get the same level of media buzz if they had gone that route.
Thinking about the Sams story she could have easily been written as a socially awkward straight teen. I question if the game would get the same level of media buzz if they had gone that route.
This GIF shows someone completing Gone Home in less than 2 minutes :lol
http://i.minus.com/iHz38621R1rXy.gif/
Had to do it as a link because you can't spoiler Gifs.
Original Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5g3trvkAFQw
http://i.minus.com/iHz38621R1rXy.gif/
Had to do it as a link because you can't spoiler Gifs.
Original Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5g3trvkAFQw
Dear Esther and Gone Home and just in a preemptive move, The Novelist is all the same genre "Game". Tho with The Novelist being the closest to a actual game, and not like D.E and G.H a interactive movie.
But D.E and G.H are the same, all thats changed is the story, setting and that you now can move and touch objects, which was one of the faults D.E had.
And you mention bad poetry, well Gone Home has a pretty weak and bad story and doesnt touch on so many elements that could have made this a 20$ experience, at its current state its not even worth 5$
Also the ending where the teen run away with a older "lover" is weak and i laughed my ass off because it was so bad that i couldn't believe that the dev´s actually had taken that path, the whole i am 17 and i have a one track mind is so overplayed in movies and books, that i actually thought they would choose a more intelligent ending
The parents are at a retreat in the woods, the story takes place on the 6/7th June and they have it scheduled for 5-7th probably to celebrate the promotion and the new book deal
The sister has ripped through all of the familiys belongings to look for cash and has taken the VCR´s the new combi CD and probably all other valubles she could find and then run of with her "love"
The sister has ripped through all of the familiys belongings to look for cash and has taken the VCR´s the new combi CD and probably all other valubles she could find and then run of with her "love"
I had to respond to this because this is a common mistake.
Don't be distressed because you didn't connect with the game or end up thinking its a "Mona Lisa" of games.
Gone Home is not a intellectual game, in fact its a very basic game at that. What it is tho is an emotional game, and it counts on the player´s emotions to kick in, you need to connect with the characters, Sam, the Parents, Danny, the granddad or Katie herself, but it does a poor job with all characters even Sam who end up
Proving why some teenagers are morons
So why you connect with it could be a 100 different reasons, your intelligent enough to rise above simple emotions, you had a great childhood with great parents and were among the popular crowd throughout school. ect.
Played through it in about 60-90 minutes, I enjoyed it for what it was. The attention to detail was very good throughout in my opinion.
I personally enjoyed Sam's story and
I'm surprised by the number of people focusing on the viability of Sam
and choosing to see the ending as a negative thing.
I agree that having notes/etc. strew about the house broke the immersion for me a bit, but there comes a point where a game can't be completely realistic
A question I've not seen in the thread (only read about half) is what happened with Sam and her childhood neighbor/friend? Did he ever
I personally enjoyed Sam's story and
I was happy for her at the end, as the player is supposed to be.
I'm surprised by the number of people focusing on the viability of Sam
running away from home to be with her girlfriend
I agree that having notes/etc. strew about the house broke the immersion for me a bit, but there comes a point where a game can't be completely realistic
NO MIRRORS
A question I've not seen in the thread (only read about half) is what happened with Sam and her childhood neighbor/friend? Did he ever
get his game back?
MaritalWheat
Member
Is that with modifiers turned on, or can you actually just do that at the beginning, if you know what you're doing?
That's actually super cool if the latter, imo - speaks to the power of the design to trust that to be there from the beginning.
I know you shouldn't look at comments on youtube videos, but jesus, those comments are poison.
games are games should have gameplay can't believe you can get a 36 hour daggerfall for free but $20 for gone home is too much looks like a unity browser game
I'm not even really comedically paraphrasing here. Those are actual comments. I can appreciate Gone Home ain't for some people, but what a one-note view of the world.
3.6 hours later and I finished it. Feeling wistful as shit, you guys had me wrapped around your little finger from the start.
Need more people to develop games like Dear Esther and Gone Home. I will buy zem.
- And yeah, I do consider the game worth the 18 bucks I paid for it. These don't exactly come out every week.
Need more people to develop games like Dear Esther and Gone Home. I will buy zem.
- And yeah, I do consider the game worth the 18 bucks I paid for it. These don't exactly come out every week.
MaritalWheat
Member
You should see the metacritic user reviews, some are an absolute disgrace.
In a few days, Gone Home has generated more thoughtful discussion (from a humanistic perspective, not game design perspective) than I've seen an Elder Scrolls game do in years of product life. I love systems, mechanics, traditional games to death - but hell, the ability to create such discussion is a rare one for games, and one that needs to be encouraged. So agreed completely, it is a shame when people dismiss something out of hand because it offends their sensibilities as "gamers" with the traditional view of games as that meeting point of mechanics, systems, and aesthetics to create "fun"; it's as if people forget that every other entertainment medium also has plenty of space for works that have human value, rather than pure entertainment value.