I almost want to recommend Gone Home, because it hit very close to home for me on a personal level. If I could give a medium/indifferent rating I would, but there's a few factors that force me to have to give a thumbs down rather than a thumbs up:

- $20 is a LUDICROUS price. It takes about 2 hours to complete at most and has basically no replay value. I got it in a Humble Bundle for about $2.50, which is far more reasonable. It'll have to go on like a 90%-off sale to be worthwhile.
- It is way, way overhyped on its page. It is definitely not 'epic', and absolutely not 'the greatest story ever told'. The 'mystery' is low-end as mysteries go; you get time to speculate on what happened but the revelations aren't earth-shattering. It's definitely no expansive exploration game; it's a small (and potentially enjoyable) trip through another family's experiences that will be familiar on some level to anyone who has been a teenager and lived with their parents.
- The story is inherently one-sided. It basically forgets that you're a character too - you're not some impartial observer, but a member of the family in the story; inherently, and deeply, involved. But we never see a reaction from you (well, not to the events themselves, anyway) or hear the parents' side of the story. It didn't have to be in a positive light, but it should have been there.
- The whole "horror mystery that really isn't" problem: when you play totally unspoiled (as I did) it feels like a horror game at first. (I'm glad it wasn't, as I don't like horror games.) You've got the tagline ("You arrive home after a year abroad. You expect your family to greet you, but the house is empty. Something's not right. Where is everyone? And what's happened here?"), the note on the door, the answering machine messages from the mother begging the daughter to pick up the phone, the 'psycho house' inherited from an uncle, secret passages and hidden compartments, all the lights are off, bits of occult, persistent rainstorm in the background, etc... depending on your viewpoint, it's either a brilliant bit of narrative misdirection, or a total shill selling itself on false premises. I lean more towards the former, personally, but can imagine the latter if you have certain expectations.

In short, while I enjoyed playing it, it's a very specialized experience that really, REALLY oversells itself. The RPS review says it best: "Approach neither from the position of hype or hatred." Just take it for what it is.

And don't pay $20 for it. Seriously. That's insane.

I almost want to recommend Gone Home, because it hit very close to home for me on a personal level. If I could give a medium/indifferent rating I would, but there's a few factors that force me to have to give a thumbs down rather than a thumbs up: - $20 is a LUDICROUS price. It takes about 2 hours to complete at most and has basically no replay value. I got it in a Humble Bundle for about $2.50, which is far more reasonable. It'll have to go on like a 90%-off sale to be worthwhile. - It is way, way overhyped on its page. It is definitely not 'epic', and absolutely not 'the greatest story ever told'. The 'mystery' is low-end as mysteries go; you get time to speculate on what happened but the revelations aren't earth-shattering. It's definitely no expansive exploration game; it's a small (and potentially enjoyable) trip through another family's experiences that will be familiar on some level to anyone who has been a teenager and lived with their parents. - The story is inherently one-sided. It basically forgets that you're a character too - you're not some impartial observer, but a member of the family in the story; inherently, and deeply, involved. But we never see a reaction from you (well, not to the events themselves, anyway) or hear the parents' side of the story. It didn't have to be in a positive light, but it should have been there. - The whole "horror mystery that really isn't" problem: when you play totally unspoiled (as I did) it feels like a horror game at first. (I'm glad it wasn't, as I don't like horror games.) You've got the tagline ("You arrive home after a year abroad. You expect your family to greet you, but the house is empty. Something's not right. Where is everyone? And what's happened here?"), the note on the door, the answering machine messages from the mother begging the daughter to pick up the phone, the 'psycho house' inherited from an uncle, secret passages and hidden compartments, all the lights are off, bits of occult, persistent rainstorm in the background, etc... depending on your viewpoint, it's either a brilliant bit of narrative misdirection, or a total shill selling itself on false premises. I lean more towards the former, personally, but can imagine the latter if you have certain expectations. In short, while I enjoyed playing it, it's a very specialized experience that really, REALLY oversells itself. The RPS review says it best: "Approach neither from the position of hype or hatred." Just take it for what it is. And don't pay $20 for it. Seriously. That's insane.