History VideoGame / GoneHome

* WellDoneSonGuy: Dr. Greenbriar, the grandfather of the family, writes a very dismissive letter to his son Terry about the latter's recently published book, implying that Terry sought some kind of validation from him. Terry Greenbriar seems to have had two reactions to it: on the one hand, a defaced portrait of Dr. Greenbriar can be found near the letter, but on the other, the words "You can do better", with which in the letter ended, are posted on the wall of his study.

* NestedStoryReveal: Picture this. A girl comes home, [[ItWasADarkAndStormyNight on a dark and stormy night]], to find her house empty, panicy messages on her answering machine, and the bathtub is full of what looks like blood. You're probably thinking this girl walked right into a horror movie right? [[spoiler:Nope. The story is still a scary one, but it's more a metaphorical kind of scary. It's really about a girl who comes home and finds that NothingIsTheSameAnymore but [[HappilyEverAfter everyone is actually okay.]] The {{horror}} setting is there to set the tone for [[AnAesop the aesop]] instead of the genre of the game itself.]]

* AnAesop: Growing up is scary, even for adults who never really finish doing it.

* PeriodPiece: The game takes place in 1995, and the details are very accurate to the era. Cassette players (CD players were just starting to catch on, and not everybody had them), UsefulNotes/SuperNES cartridges that are themed after actual game genres that were popular at the time (including ones very strongly resembling ''[[VideoGame/AnotherWorld Out of this World]]'' and ''VideoGame/{{Bubsy}}''), posters and music that was popular at the time are all over the place. Not everyone owned a PC, and typewriters were still used along with handwritten letters.

*** The UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch version of the game includes actual SNES cartridges including ''VideoGame/SuperMarioKart''. (Sadly, they're not playable like the NES games in ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing''.)

* VersionExclusiveContent: The UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch port adds some genuine Super NES cartridges to the house's odds and ends.

* SharedUniverse:
** The creators state that, "[[OurLawyersAdvisedThisTrope In a totally non-litigious way]], [[https://www.polygon.com/platform/amp/2014/1/22/5335780/gone-home-bioshock-share-the-same-universe we very lightly imply that it also takes place in the same universe as BioShock."]] Considering they worked on the ''Minerva's Den'' content for ''VideoGame/BioShock2'', but do not actually have the rights to the franchise, the hinting, composed with not confirming anything, makes sense. Granted, in the same article, they also claim that ''VideoGame/SystemShock'' is in the same universe as ''VideoGame/BioShock'', with the same "non-litigious" reasoning while not owning either franchise, so any connections could be taken with a grain of salt.

** The creators state that, "[[OurLawyersAdvisedThisTrope In a totally non-litigious way]], [[https://www.polygon.com/platform/amp/2014/1/22/5335780/gone-home-bioshock-share-the-same-universe we very lightly imply that it also takes place in the same universe as BioShock."]] Considering they worked on the ''Minerva's Den'' content for ''VideoGame/BioShock2'', but do not actually have the rights to the franchise, the hinting, composed with not confirming anything, makes sense. Granted, in the same article, they also claim that ''VideoGame/SystemShock'' is in the same universe as ''VideoGame/BioShock'', with the same "non-litigious" reasoning, so any connections could be taken with a grain of salt.

* SharedUniverse: The creators state that, "[[OurLawyersAdvisedThisTrope In a totally non-litigious way]], [[https://www.polygon.com/platform/amp/2014/1/22/5335780/gone-home-bioshock-share-the-same-universe we very lightly imply that it also takes place in the same universe as BioShock."]] Considering they worked on the ''Minerva's Den'' content for ''VideoGame/BioShock2'', but do not actually have the rights to the franchise, the hinting, composed with not confirming anything, makes sense.

* ItWasADarkAndStormyNight: You arrive at your house your family had just moved in while you were gone, and no one is there.

* CreepyUncle: The reclusive uncle Oscar's mansion is so spooky it has gained reputation as the "psycho house" throughout the community. More darkly, [[spoiler:several clues suggest that Oscar abused his nephew -- Sam and Katie's father, Terry -- as a young boy.]] A full, spoiler-filled analysis can be found [[http://clockworkworlds.com/post/58411117679/the-transgression-you-can-do-better here]]; the analysis was later confirmed by WordOfGod on [[https://twitter.com/GoneHomeGame/status/368260700277202945 Twitter]].

* SecretPassage: There are several throughout the house, some of them pretty creepy.

* AnAesop: Growing up is scary, even for adults who never really finish doing it.

The game is more an exercise in narrative fiction than a game, heavily focused on exploration, and with few actual 'puzzles', but many hidden notes and tidbits easily missed if you don't scrutinize everything. Much like ''VideoGame/DearEsther'', a narrative unfolds as you explore the house, primarily chronicling Katie's younger sister Sam's life at home while Katie was abroad.

* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Arriving home at a stormy night with no one around? That's strange... Sounds inside the house that might be the ghost of your dead uncle? Might just be wind and pouring rain... Your sister ran away [[spoiler:with her girlfriend]] without her parents knowing? This is getting uncomfortable... Realizing that your family has a rocky relationship? Getting warmer... Finding a condom in your mother's drawer? Oh barf. Looking at your father's [[PornStash confidential literature]] beneath all those [[WhoShotJFK Kennedy conspiracies]]? Gosh, Dad.

** One of the achievements/trophies in the console edition lampshades this heavily, by requiring you complete the game in less than ONE MINUTE without any cheats. [[spoiler:If you know where the door and attic keys are, you can skip straight to the attic and 'complete' the game in next to no time at all.]]

* AdultFear: Arriving home at a stormy night with no one around? That's strange... Sounds inside the house that might be the ghost of your dead uncle? Might just be wind and pouring rain... Your sister ran away [[spoiler:with her girlfriend]] without her parents knowing? This is getting uncomfortable... Realizing that your family has a rocky relationship? Getting warmer... Finding a condom in your mother's drawer? Oh barf. Looking at your father's [[PornStash confidential literature]] beneath all those [[WhoShotJFK Kennedy conspiracies]]? Gosh, Dad.

* DVDCommentary: A commentary mode was added to the game through a patch. It features the developers as well as the lead singer of Heavens to Betsy, one of the bands in the game.

* EroticLiterature: It's implied that Katie and Sam's mother is having an affair (or wants to have one) with a colleague, emphasized when Katie finds an erotic novel about a forest ranger and a copy of Leaves of Grass the colleague has lent her.