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Tag: gonehome

Live Thoughts of “Gone Home’s” Beginning

Student Posts

I am beginning to play through the game, “Gone Home,” from the request of my English professor, David Morgen. https://eng101f20.davidmorgen.org/quests/side-quests/side-quest-3-liveblogging-gone-home/. From what I can, the opening phone call makes the main character out to be a young girl who got to be on her own for the first time in a faraway place and has newfound confidence in her self by showing her trying to be independent, thus not wanting her mom to pick her up from the airport. However, the grim music and moody lighting of the start give a quick indication of the game genre. Upon arrival, the dark atmosphere, combined with the slow walking pace and heavy rainfall, gives off a mysterious and grim tone to the game. The note on the door with the names mom dad crossed out to show the main character’s oddities as she searches for her family and piece together whatever she possibly can.

Gone Home

Student Posts

I have started the game. My first impression with this game is that it is an open world game, kind of like Grand Theft Auto, but obviously with no violence. I admit that at first I didn’t know how to enter the house so I had to look it up.

I have just entered the house. First, I love that the visuals are immaculate and consistent. The overall theme is dreadful, scary, and quiet. This theme was conveyed very successfully through the wallpapers, the house wooden structures, the dim lightings, the dark colors, and the creepy bathroom on the ground floor.

I am now making my way to the left wing of the house. I am thoroughly impressed at the amount of details the authors put in. The handwritten notes are super realistic. Object arrangements are appropriate as well. The fact that I could grab an object and throw it down the floor or anywhere else gives me the feeling of being home alone, which is true.

One of the handwritten notes. Source: taken by me.

The story line and the clues are difficult to follow but that is appropriate since it mirrors real life. I have collected 3 journals now from Sam. I like her soothing and innocent yet depressing voice as it complements the theme of the house and game.

I am going up the stairs. Seems like the same pattern would occur throughout the whole game. My prediction is that we will be able to find Sam after collecting all the voice recorders and having visited the full map.

Overall, Gone Home’s mysterious theme succeeded in making me crave for more after playing the game. I always felt like there was something missing or about to happen while playing the game. Even though it was dead quiet for the most part, the suspense was all there. I felt like every little detail counts and when put together it would become a huge surprise or substantive to the story line.

GONE HOME

Student Posts

After I heard the voice message, my initial thought was that they were not very rich as she had to take a very late flight, which was the cheapest. But as soon as I entered the door, I saw this huge mansion and I was confused as to what was going on. Why would someone who can afford to live in this mansion have to think about taking a cheap flight. The lighting from the starting was very dark. Initially because of the setting like darkness, thundering and suspense music, made me think it was a mystery game. The note Sam left reassured that, as I would have to find clues as to where she could have gone. I think another thing that was strange that I thought that there was going to be at least her mom or dad as she had come from this long trip. This also establishes Kaitlin’s character, she is a kind person as she didn’t want her mother to worry about picking her up, and her mother and father thought that she was responsible enough to take care of herself, so they might have gone to look for Sam without leaving a note. 

I think scene was the most interesting for me was this place. It added to the suspense of the game as we find out that Oscar the person to whom this place belonged to her fathers uncle. I think this place establishes that there was a person who used to live her and went mad. This added to “horror” of the game. Involved in conspiracy theories and all, drove him to kill himself. Moreover, this establishes that Sam was bullied as she was often referred to the person who lived in the “psycho house”. 

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