I don't hate Gone Home. The "eh" score I have for this doesn't have anything to do with politics or the infamous history the gaming community and journalists have with it, even though at this point it's incredibly difficult to separate the two. I was a dumb kid back at the time this game was the cool hip thing to dump on, but didn't really have a say on any of it back then because I didn't play it which I get the feeling is still the case for a lot of the weirdos who still take the time out of their day to complain about this game.
My issues with Gone Home, playing it for the first time now in 2021 and trying to separate it from everything surrounding it and just playing it for what it is, is more just that I'm playing it in 2021. Gone Home probably isn't the first walking simulator game ever made, but I'd call it notable for being the one that made the genre well known and more approachable for other developers to create. The house is a character all on its own and I think the game re-creates that feeling of just wandering your own home at night with the lights off. It feels alien and unknown despite being your own home where nothing is going to hurt you. The place feels believable despite the clear small indie game budget that was responsible for making it, mostly thanks to just how you can mentally build the image of this family and their dynamic through each room and the little details inside of them.
I think the problem I have with Gone Home is just that the actual main plot thread, the one that's told through the audio journals, is just okay. It's nice LGBTQ+ rep, especially when considering this released during what was still like the peak dude-bro 360 era days, but it's also written almost as if the reveal is a "twist" which is something that so many other games of the genre these days have done far better with handling.
There's not very many other mechanics to the game besides just exploring the house which could be fine on one hand, but also again by 2021, so many other games in this genre have figured out other ways to let the player interact with the story and environment. Even just a few small puzzles to ponder and solve would've added so much more to Gone Home and let the player connect even closer to this setting and characters.
Gone Home also just kind of ends after (kind of unsuccessfully) throwing the player for a loop in the main story. You discover the secret and that's it, the game's done. It feels anti-climactic and that not a whole lot was really accomplished. It's not that I find Gone Home bad per se, I just think it's very okay. It's underwhelming compared to the likes of something like What Remains of Edith Finch which I consider my gold standard these days for these kinds of games. I'm happy that Gone Home set the groundwork, but I don't have a reason to ever give it another look after playing it.
My issues with Gone Home, playing it for the first time now in 2021 and trying to separate it from everything surrounding it and just playing it for what it is, is more just that I'm playing it in 2021. Gone Home probably isn't the first walking simulator game ever made, but I'd call it notable for being the one that made the genre well known and more approachable for other developers to create. The house is a character all on its own and I think the game re-creates that feeling of just wandering your own home at night with the lights off. It feels alien and unknown despite being your own home where nothing is going to hurt you. The place feels believable despite the clear small indie game budget that was responsible for making it, mostly thanks to just how you can mentally build the image of this family and their dynamic through each room and the little details inside of them.
I think the problem I have with Gone Home is just that the actual main plot thread, the one that's told through the audio journals, is just okay. It's nice LGBTQ+ rep, especially when considering this released during what was still like the peak dude-bro 360 era days, but it's also written almost as if the reveal is a "twist" which is something that so many other games of the genre these days have done far better with handling.
There's not very many other mechanics to the game besides just exploring the house which could be fine on one hand, but also again by 2021, so many other games in this genre have figured out other ways to let the player interact with the story and environment. Even just a few small puzzles to ponder and solve would've added so much more to Gone Home and let the player connect even closer to this setting and characters.
Gone Home also just kind of ends after (kind of unsuccessfully) throwing the player for a loop in the main story. You discover the secret and that's it, the game's done. It feels anti-climactic and that not a whole lot was really accomplished. It's not that I find Gone Home bad per se, I just think it's very okay. It's underwhelming compared to the likes of something like What Remains of Edith Finch which I consider my gold standard these days for these kinds of games. I'm happy that Gone Home set the groundwork, but I don't have a reason to ever give it another look after playing it.