For this critical play, I played the game gone home by Fullbright for PC. This game was designed for an audience around high school or college age (because the main character is a college student) but anyone above that age who likes mysteries would also enjoy this game. The important mechanics are the house and the objects placed aruond the house leading to the dynamic of walking around the house to discover the narrative of what happened to everyone. The game is closely related to loops and arcs because that is mostly what it is. The player starts with a mental model (in the beginning nothing) and then applies an action within the rules of the game (walking around and picking up objects) and then receives feedback to update their mental model (using the information found to try to solve the mystery). This loop continues with every object in the game. The arcs (which are not repeated) are each object the player looks at because it doesn’t help to read the letter again or listen to the record again. The player already has to information to move on in solving the mystery. As the game progresses the narrative gets more complex making the arcs more interesting. For example, the player learns about Sam and her discovering her body and sexuality.
The voiceover of Sam led the mystery along as without it the player could be totally lost. I liked the mechanics of having so many different objects and ephemera that the player could pick up to build the story. They were very realistic even with the handwriting on the letters/drawings. Another interesting narrative within the game is that as the player pieces together what happened at same time they are also making their own narrative as they experience the game. As the player walks through the house they hear sounds or the voices like they are going through their own story.
This game has a lot of plot lines which make the narrative more enticing using arcs so I cannot criticize this. The game could have more action like ghosts floating around to engage the player more. Overall, the mystery narrative and attention to details makes it really engaging to play.
