Subverting expectations and the Three Act Structure It soaks it in, drinks it, not wasting a morsel in fear that the one thing you overlook will come back to get you.Īnd now that the developers have your attention, they start to tell their story. The brain begins to take in every tiny detail, every ounce of information.
Once the game has lured you into a state of being constantly worried something is going to jump through the wall with a chainsaw, then they have you hooked. It’s an interesting track because it’s almost comforting… almost.Ĭapturing players in heightened awareness
The slow, eerie music adds to it as well. I played this game with a headset on and my god I jumped almost every damn time that one particular clap of thunder went off. Look at that image and tell me that doesn’t immediately shout Haunted House with a dash of Psycho?Īnd then with a flash of light and a blast of sound you find yourself in the shelter of a dark porch while a storm rages on outside. At some point I will have to kill or be killed.” This subconscious play begins right from the load screen, which I’ve added at the start of this post. Everything about Gone Home sets you up to plant you firmly in the belief “I am in a Horror game. Let’s start with the most obvious thing, atmosphere. SPOILERSSPOILERSPOILERSSPOILERSSPOILERSSPOILERSSPOILERS So let’s have a look at this game’s design and try to figure out what exactly it is that it does so well.
I’m glad I fought against for Gone Home because I can honestly say this game deserves every bit of it’s 9.5 IGN rating, if not more! I freeze up with paralyzing fear and refuse to play any further. But when it comes to actually playing horror/thriller games I cannot do it. I’m fascinated by the way a film or game can send the human brain into “fight or flight” mode through a medium that cannot hurt you and usually has to do with situations that are entirely fictional.
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