Going home isn't about terror. It isn't about gunfights, nor finding a gem to shove into a statue's eye to open up a locked gate. There's no combat. There's no danger. You won't find multiple endings, you won't find a seven hour journey. What you will find, perhaps, is a piece of yourself, as you explore the house.

Therein lies the charm of this game. For those of us who grew up in the 90's, those of use who have nothing but memories left of high-school, and the social interactions therein, it calls to us, deeply. There is a main story-line, yes. There are multiple side stories, yes. Most of these are given to you on a silver platter, if you search well enough. If not, you will likely be able to piece together parts of it, just by finding things by pure chance.

While most of the story-line isn't groundbreaking, isn't "Unique", it's real. This is why some people absolutely adore this game. The voice acting is primarily centered on Sam, with a single segment that lets you hear two other female character's voices, but the acting that is done, is done spectacularly. Every tear, every laugh, every smile, and every drop of teen-aged angst, comes through so clearly in the voice acting, that you can almost see it.

Those of us who grew up reading books, playing old school video games, or did anything that really lent itself to your own imagination, can really appreciate this. It's something that is lost to current-age media, that seeks to constantly show everything to you, leaving no blanks to be filled in by our minds.

Gone Home does this exceptionally well, also, when it comes along to the side stories. Digging deeply, you'll uncover depth to it that you might not expect, and even see a few characters heading towards possible redemption, even surpassing their own flaws and fears. The father's story is a prime example of this, and without going into spoilers, I can honestly say, I see him coming to terms with his own faults as a human, and a father/husband. It's merely tints and hints, but for me, it shows strongly to me, even if what he is attempting doesn't work, he's found his own form of redemption. That is part of the beauty of Gone Home. Each person that plays it will fill in the blanks in their own way, they'll experience and view the story uniquely and with their own emotions springing forth from it.

It is this fact that makes it so enjoyable for people to discuss the game with each other afterwards, this exploration of their own emotions, and that of other people. To see how someone else viewed similar situations, and the opinions they formed based on them. At it's core, the game is a visual novel, wherein you explore a house and learn about the people that live in it, via what amounts to little more than rubbish strewn about. This state itself lends to a similar story, and is actually explained rather early on, if you are attentive. If you're not, you will likely realize it at the end, and it is this type of "Aha! So that's why!" moments that draw in puzzle gamers. While there are no overly-complex puzzles in this game, and most of it amounts just to little secrets you figure out, the "Aha!" moments are there, in the form of the story.

The entire thing may not even really register to you, until you have played the entire thing twice, or you may be very astute and discover everything on your first playthrough. Either way, the five story-lines all compliment each other, and branch forward in such a way that, when combined, really fleshes out every character, and exposes to them their inner most weaknesses, fears, and their paths to redemption.

So why should you buy Gone Home? Simply put, buy it if you think two hours of being thrown back into your high-school years in the 90's appeals to you, or if you simply want a story that will pull you through several emotions, without having to manipulate you into it. In the end, I think everyone of us has, at some point, felt some tinge of Sam, or Katie, or Dad, or Mom. Perhaps some of us may even have felt the ostracization of Uncle Oscar (though, hopefully for different reasons). It is this ability to empathize with the characters that truly makes this game what it is to the people that love it, the nostalgia of the 90's only further supplements this, by making it easier for us to ease our way back into our high-school years.

For some of us, those were the best years of our lives, where we loved, crushed, laughed, rebelled. We created art, we tried to impact our world, and mostly, we learned about ourselves. Gone Home revives those days and, perhaps, teaches us a little something about redemption along the way. I personally have played through it three times now.

My first playthrough, lasted two and a half hours. I discovered everything I possibly could, and enjoyed the story. I laughed at Sam's playfulness, I smiled at things that brought me back to my teen years, I slumped at the struggles the characters endured, and I almost cried as I saw each one of them have their hopes dashed, only to be lifted up again when I saw them heading towards redemption, and perhaps, peace with themselves.

My second playthrough was simply to beat it as fast as possible, and was merely one minute.

My third playthrough lasted an hour, made faster by the fact that I have the house memorized so well now, that I can actually navigate it in the dark. As I went through, read every bit of story I could once more, read every note, explored everything I could explore, I simply enjoyed the environment and the voice acting, the emotions evoked, and the small trip back to my youth.

In the end, I went through the house, cleaned everything I could up, closed every closet, every drawer, every door. I shut off every light. I made my trek up to the attic once more, in absolute darkness, and I stood before that last journal. I clicked it, and said goodbye to Sam, goodbye to Mom, Dad, and Katie. I said goodbye to a piece of my past, and I smiled.

In a way, I myself, had Gone Home.

I've just gotten into streaming.. I'm not the best streamer in the world and am always finding little problems I need to fix, but if you want to watch me play games, you can visit me at Vexrathus[www.twitch.tv]. Thanks for reading and I hope you'll join me in my gaming adventures!