Make sure you play 'Gone Home' this weekend, as it's free for a short time

Just be aware that with this title, you are not playing to think and solve problems. You are a passive observer taking a not-so-guided tour. Not a good or bad thing, just a different flavor of game. Kind of an ideological museum walk through.

While I can recommend playing it if you're into walking simulators, I wonder what sense a free weekend makes for them. I played through the game on a single day (IMHO, you should, it will be a better experience), was happy that I had bought it - but wouldn't touch it again, as it has done for me what can do.

Quoting: EikeWhile I can recommend playing it if you're into walking simulators, I wonder what sense a free weekend makes for them. I played through the game on a single day (IMHO, you should, it will be a better experience), was happy that I had bought it - but wouldn't touch it again, as it has done for me what can do.

Pretty good PR for them though, especially when a new game coming.

Can I get a ignore function, please? Or a dislike button for comments that are mostly OT and toxic?


Last edited by Eike on 12 November 2016 at 2:30 pm UTC

Oops. Itch.io is down from all the people seeking for love and hope in these times...

Quoting: EikeCan I get a ignore function, please? Or a dislike button for comments that are mostly OT and toxic?

Will be looking into that soon, it's on my radar.

It's a good game if you're in the "walking simulator" genre! Perhaps a bit short for its price (full price, not when it's free obviously), and probably more telling for people who have lived in the nineties (for cultural references). On Steam the game may require to be launched with the "LC_ALL=C %command%" options (if the commands for moving don't respond in game). :)

this game is completed in 4hours, not sure the free week end is worth for developer.

Quoting: sigzthis game is completed in 4hours, not sure the free week end is worth for developer.

I don't think they're doing to to get sales.

Quoting: sigzthis game is completed in 4hours, not sure the free week end is worth for developer.

More info here. :)

Aside the fact that, as Liam previously noted, it's also a good PR for their next game Tacoma. ;)

Quoting: AnxiousInfusionJust be aware that with this title, you are not playing to think and solve problems. You are a passive observer taking a not-so-guided tour. Not a good or bad thing, just a different flavor of game. Kind of an ideological museum walk through.

There is a bit of thinking involved though, to work out the timeline of events. There are interesting implications to how everything plays out beyond just the main storyline delivered through the dialogue. It's worth digging into the little nooks and crannies to find scraps of the other characters' stories.

Quoting: riusmaOn Steam the game may require to be launched with the "LC_ALL=C %command%" options (if the commands for moving don't respond in game). :)

How about DRM-Free version?

Quoting: rea987

Quoting: riusmaOn Steam the game may require to be launched with the "LC_ALL=C %command%" options (if the commands for moving don't respond in game). :)

How about DRM-Free version?

That's a good question! ^^'

Apparently (source you can do that:

QuoteIn the linux version you might encounter the case of being able to look around with the mouse, but having the moving keys (w/a/s/d) not responding. To fix this, you have to set the locale to C before launching, with the following command : LC_ALL=C /path/to/gone_home.x86_64

Last edited by riusma on 12 November 2016 at 7:31 pm UTC

Quoting: GuestGreat, although short, game. Loved the story and the surprising twist at the end!

Just a heads up for others, a lot of people didn't find the ending to be a twist. I'm thinking it would be more of a twist if you don't take the time to interact with the environment. There is backstory in the items you pick up to observe that will most likely give the ending away pretty early in the experience.

I'm one of those people that wanted a refund because Gone Home doesn't meet any qualifications for being a game (there are no puzzles, no challenges, no enemies, no skill required). It's similar to Dear Esther, without as much of an environment or interesting story.

It's worth checking out for free, that way you can see if walking simulators are your style. If you play Gone Home and think that it's weak, but you like the animated storybook experience, there are other games that take that concept and do it much better. So if nothing else, you'll learn if this type of thing is or isn't for you. Best to keep your expectations pretty low for this though, as Gone Home is essentially a college assignment you turn in to show that you can make the camera move around an environment.

I don't think all the bashing for not being a "real game" is really justified. It's pretty much what it says on the tin. Sure, the teenage drama isn't everyone's cup of tea, and that and some fairly linear exploration is pretty much all there is to the game, but I don't get why this would be such a polarising title. Interactive stories have been a niche/genre of gaming for decades now. Walking sims or whatever, basically only technical details and methods of interaction have changed.

As for the story, people seem to either love it or positively hate it, while I found it just on the positive side of "meh". My wife seemed to like it slightly more. Worth a couple of euros certainly for the experience. The story was no worse than your average tv-movie, and for me the exploration made it all worthwhile.

I have to agree with JJNova on the (lack of a) twist though. Maybe if you ignore all the scattered hints and just power through the game or something. Not that every story needs a twist.

Quoting: riusmaApparently (source you can do that:

QuoteIn the linux version you might encounter the case of being able to look around with the mouse, but having the moving keys (w/a/s/d) not responding. To fix this, you have to set the locale to C before launching, with the following command : LC_ALL=C /path/to/gone_home.x86_64

Yeah, that applies for the new game BTW. Mouse can be a bit jumpy with 1080p, so I needed to downgrade the resolution a bit.

Quoting: liamdawe

Quoting: EikeCan I get a ignore function, please? Or a dislike button for comments that are mostly OT and toxic?

Will be looking into that soon, it's on my radar.

Ooh cool! Can we have it show who ignores a content by name kind of how "likes" work?

I got bored, sorry if that's Toxic. ;)

Quoting: AnxiousInfusion

Quoting: liamdawe

Quoting: EikeCan I get a ignore function, please? Or a dislike button for comments that are mostly OT and toxic?

Will be looking into that soon, it's on my radar.

Ooh cool! Can we have it show who ignores a content by name kind of how "likes" work?

I hope you're joking. That would serve no purpose. I don't see the use of knowing who likes posts either, but for ignores that's positively counterproductive. Wouldn't you ignore all post by a user, not specific posts in the first place? There are users that often post stuff I'd rather not read at all, but that doesn't mean I would want to insult them by broadcasting this to the community. (I don't think I'd actually ignore anyone, but I don't mind if others do.)

Quoting: AnxiousInfusion

Quoting: liamdawe

Quoting: EikeCan I get a ignore function, please? Or a dislike button for comments that are mostly OT and toxic?

Will be looking into that soon, it's on my radar.

Ooh cool! Can we have it show who ignores a content by name kind of how "likes" work?

No, as that would be a toxic feature and you're likely just trolling.