Gone Home by The Fullbright Company

 

Image source: www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gone_Home

Amy, you might say, have you lost your mind? Gone Home isn't a book at all. It's a video game.

Too right you are my hypothetical friend, but when we started this whole advent calendar thing I did say I would be suggesting alternative methods of story telling. And at its heart, that's what Gone Home really is: a unique, interactive narrative.

Gone Home is an open exploration game that is a cross between Dear Esther and puzzle games like Myst. There is no real game play aside from first person exploration. There are no real puzzles except maybe interpreting the subplots and deciding where to explore next.

Let me try to give you an idea what it's all about, even if you don't play games:

You play in the first person perspective of a daughter coming home from college. You're family has moved since you were away so this is the first time you've ever actually been to the new house - something your father inherited. So the house, fairly expansive, is unfamiliar to you.

You begin on the veranda as a storm rages outside. You can walk around, pick up objects, interact with them and examine them. Picking up a decorative duck and flipping it over may reveal a price tag, long forgotten, still stuck to it's bottom. 

There is a note on the door. An apology from your sister. You wonder what has happened. You search for the spare key and when you enter the house you realize no one is home. Where is everyone?

So begins your exploration of the house. This is somewhat guided by a series of locked doors and tidbits of narration from your sister. These are awarded when you discover certain details and slowly reveal the main plot. 

There are multiple subplots: the location of your parents, the fate of the crazy old relative that once owned the house, your dad's obsession with writing novels about the Kennedy assassination. Details about each can be found if you explore the house thoroughly, but none are ever explicitly stated. Unlike your sister's story, subplot details can be missed and the final verdict is left for the player's interpretation.

My first play through I forgot to unlock a safe that held crucial information about one of these stories. I later went back and discovered the truth of my father's childhood in the house and how it shaped his entire life thereafter.

Also, if you're an 80's/90's child, you'll appreciate the nostalgia, as the story takes place in 1995. Cassette tapes, VHS, references to 90's music and television are strewn about, and I personally enjoyed  finding these throughout the environment. 

The stories of Gone Home are painful, poignant and beautiful. I cried at the end and have never felt such joy in a story as I did at the final revelation. I wish everyone would play this game, hear it's story and its important message. If you don't believe gaming and interactive media can compete with literature and film as an art form... Please take a couple hours to play this game.

You can find the game on the Gone Home site or Steam (which will probably discount it significantly at some point during their Holiday Sale). The game is also coming to Wii U sometime soon and potentially other consoles as well.

12 days until Christmas!