The first thing I want to emphasize that I will reveal nothing of the story and no spoilers divulge. That would
more than unfair. I'll tell my experience with the game and give my personal conclusion at the end.
The packaging looks good and promises the prospective purchaser an exciting experience. Text on the packaging
such as: "The house of Harbor Hill is waiting for you" and "Gone Home is a very special experience," give an idea,
what is going or what you might experience.
It is sent to an empty house, lights burning here and there, outside a thunderstorm, apparently nobody
at home. Everywhere there are things to pick up and look. The game knows how the players from the outset in his
To draw spell, because you just want to know what is going on in this house.
At the beginning because you have no evidence and to ask everything myself and explore needs, the game attracts more than
I thought.
After about 30 minutes of playing time, but suffers a bit the atmosphere, as it is, except for occasional thunder and buzz and hum of various devices in the house, dead silent. However, the fact seems to be so intended, it is the only work specifically with subtle soundscape.
At first one is so pretty in the dark with regard to the story, but the feeling that everything explore and read / need to hear. However, this complete freedom is more illusion than reality, because if you have the first evidence found, the game takes players literally by the hand and leads him on and on. Still, this is done so skillfully that does not really stand the actual linearity gross or disturbing.
After just over an hour of play, the atmosphere again rises quite strong and the game made it with me even me sometimes to conjure goose bumps. Up to this point very well.
In addition, there are many beautiful references to the 90s. One should, if interested in helping one, watch and read everything carefully.
Unfortunately flickers for 3 to 4 hours (depending on how fast the player), the guy across the screen. Even that would be, especially with an indie title, was not really bad. But a game that builds such expectations and atmosphere and then comes up with the most disappointing end to what I have ever experienced in an adventure game, I am more than disappointed. Unfortunately all I can write nothing, because otherwise I would have spoilers. But also from an indie titles can be more erwwarten than that. For me, the good reviews are partly incomprehensible.
Anything else in the game can be the place for the genre Adventure. One should not make the mistake and the game compare because of the word adventure with games like Black Mirror, Sanitarium and the like. At these pearls the game comes anyway nowhere near, but has not really have much in common with the "normal Adventures. Gone home valued at 99% to explore and discover.
Things that can be found, can indeed be regarded (as in other adventures too, but none of it can be use or plug in. Everything is important, the game is automatically. And if you can even use something, it is absolutely senseless stuff like for example, a the on and off of a ventilator.
The decor of the game:
Firstly, the game is advertised as Collector's Edition. Well, here one can argue whether the game, so how do you get it then supplied, has earned the designation Collector's Edition. A collector's edition is usually something special or even rare. When gone home this refers however more concerned that there is now the game as disk (since mid-2013, there is the game already on Steam). Of course even the odd goodie, but some of which are irrelevant and sometimes even almost unusable.
Take even the Designer's Notebook. An included book that seems to reflect the development process of the game. Well, that certainly would have been interesting, but the book is written in handwriting, almost completely illegible and, moreover, completely in English.
Furthermore, there is a black / white poster, the motif can also be found in the game. Nice, but also kind of pointless. Not even really beautiful it is. Too bad.
The sticker in the form and printed as an audio cassette, probably for people who lived through the time of audiocassettes, probably the most beautiful Goodie in the package.
The included soundtrack, now is not bad, but it is nothing special.
Well, as I said, here one can argue. For almost 20 you can not expect more probably. I think "Special Edition" would have taken better here. A collector's edition is something else (eg, the World of Warcraft CE's) for me.
Now more about the technology of the game:
First does not read any drive the CD. In 4 of 7 tried out drives, the CD is not recognized. Why this might be, is beyond my knowledge.
The game has (even if it appeared in 2013), a very old-fashioned graphics. Despite these outdated graphics and the low minimum requirements, the game stutters even at medium settings more than neat. I want to emphasize is that my PC current games like Battelfield, Thief, etc., without problems at high resolutions and detail. It must therefore lie at the game.
On my laptop, there were also very many graphical glitches in the game. The did not exist on my desktop PC. It may be, that does not come to play with the mobile graphics card deal, because on the package will be quakes, among others, the example Intel HD 4000 Graphics in Windows 8 is not supported.
My laptop is only 4 months old and as powerful as my PC. The 3 year old laptop of my acquaintance
into the game, however, without problems.
Crashes, there was throughout the season no.
My personal conclusion:
As I said, I went with very low expectations gone home zoom. The first 2-3 hours, the game even knows quite establish voltage to produce goose bumps and keep the curiosity of the player in line. That's the game briefly, was to be expected in my opinion. The absolutely poor and disappointing end not. I had after the credits, the feeling of having wasted my time. Thank the end like maybe, for me it was a complete star deduction.
The poor technique of the game, another because the Ruckelei in such a graphic poor game, I went partly a bit too far.
The packaging was in the game and everything else entirely in English, the third star was then for me to deliver. An adventure that so read and hörintensiv as gone home, bring someone with little knowledge of English absolutely nothing. Fortunately, there are in the Steam Community players who have taken the trouble to 99.9% all in German to translate. Just look at Google. Nevertheless, such a short game, the developers would also be able to translate itself.
I am quite disappointed and will probably not be able to access the next game the company. Too bad.
