I don’t know about you, but I thought the Steam summer sale was a bit of a bust this year. In a way, of course, I’m glad, because it means I wasn’t too tempted to add yet more titles to the backlog, although I’ve long since fallen off the ‘no new games in 2014’ wagon.
One title I did pick up was Gone Home, which was one of the most talked-about games of last year – although, being an out-of-touch old so-and-so, I didn’t really pay much attention to that talk at the time.
For once, such ignorance probably did me a favour, seeing as you’re probably best off approaching Gone Home while knowing virtually nothing about it. I’m not about to ruin it for you now, either, other than to say that I really did enjoy it a lot.
All you really need to know is that it’s an adventure with plenty of exploration but virtually no puzzles, and it’s fairly short (2-3 hours max I reckon) – so if such things bother you, make sure you acquire it at an acceptable price point.
Any further explanation is pretty redundant. The mechanics will be obvious to anyone who’s ever played a game (and even those who haven’t), while uncovering the story in little pieces – from the very start – is pretty much the whole point.
(I should point out that such secrecy is advised not because there’s anything mind-bendingly shocking to uncover here, more that the uncovering itself is such a fundamental part of the game that to say anything beforehand is to spoil a rather large proportion of the overall experience.)
Having finished the game and taken some time to look at the reviews, the general consensus seems to be that Gone Home is a triumph, a touching and original title that also represents a refreshing counterpoint to the macho nonsense that makes up the majority of the gaming world. I’d go along with that.
Best of all, though, it’s set in the 90s. What more could you ask for?
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I have to admit a REAL sense of dread coming up upon the conclusion. Again, to avoid spoilers, we’ll just say that I wasn’t looking forward to what I expected to find. I thought they played that well, and the story was surprisingly strong.
I don’t remember what I paid for it, but it was short indeed and questionable about being a game. I do think indies are in a tough space here, really needing to charge much less for their games, but certainly without as much of a potential audience as on iOS. I’d be all over these kinds of artistic experiments if they were priced in the sub-$5 (dare I say .99 cent) range.
Not because “hey, it’d be swell if all games were cheaper,” but because I’d be more likely to take a chance without reservations. And I would expect that not to happen until there’s enough audience for it to make financial sense for an indie to do. Meanwhile, progress either way is going to be slow.
July 2, 2014 @ 1:31 am
I didn’t pay very much. Looking at some of the review comments it seems the $20 price tag was a problem for some. I’m not the best judge though – while I probably wouldn’t have paid *googles* £11.65 for this, I also wouldn’t pay £40 for a new release either.
I don’t go to the cinema much, but I’d expect to pay the same amount (or more) for a ticket and a drink for roughly the same number of hours of story-based entertainment, so viewed from that perspective it’s not unreasonable.
Really enjoyed it though. Was struggling in the mire of half-finished games and reviews and just wanted something I could buy, play and enjoy in fairly quick time.
July 2, 2014 @ 9:37 am
True, and it worked out in this case. But paying $20 for a 3 hour game that wasn’t any good…
Stanley Parable never “clicked” with me, as an example. I played the demo, got some laughs, but for whatever reason, felt “okay, I get the joke” after one playthrough of the purchased game. Couldn’t pin down why, but overall, a dissapointment.
If I’d paid only a small amount, I wouldn’t call it a dissapointment. That’s all I’m saying. A very low price would make me more willing to try such games without hesitation.
July 2, 2014 @ 2:51 pm
Well, I *only* pay a small amount for games in general, and so I guess my capacity for being disappointed is greatly reduced as a result. Which doesn’t put me in the best position to pass comment!
I do find it easier to write off money for a bad film or a disappointing meal than a poor game purchase though…
July 3, 2014 @ 9:07 am