The required criteria for something to labeled a game is up for debate, but it really doesn’t matter. Ask yourself: “Is it enjoyable?” If it is, then whether or not it’s technically a game is irrelevant.

I enjoyed Gone Home despite it lacking typical aspects of a “game.” The main character is a girl who’s just returned from traveling abroad but there’s no one home. By scavenging the house for clues, information is revealed at a steady pace until the main plot is resolved. During this process, details about her family are uncovered, forming several subplots that I assumed would tie together. While only the big question was directly answered at the end, speculations can be made about the others.

Set in the 90s, the game is packed with nostalgia; from SNES cartridges to magic eye posters (that actually work). It’s a great touch and it got a few laughs out of me, but the real value is in the mystery of the story. Curiosity kept me going, and the game kept giving me just enough motivation to keep pushing through it. At two hours it’s a little short, and I would have liked to have seen more about the parents and uncle. For $20 I can’t recommend it but if you catch it on sale, definitely pick it up.

If I had to rate my level of enjoyment on a scale of 1 to 10, it would be a 6. The brevity really killed it for me, but it’s a solid story and probably deserves a higher rating. Either way, Gone Home is a great debut by the Fullbright Company, and I’m looking forward to whatever they’re next project may be.