Way surpassed my expectations. This is what I imagine the exploration was supposed to feel like in the original Legend of Zelda. There are an insane amount of secrets in this game so you should go in blind. The secrets are so cool because they keep the pacing really good - at every turn it's like "Hey a secret" and you get that little dopamine rush. There are some great, tricky boss fights. The combat lock-on controls were not very good but it's fine.

The final puzzle blew my ass off it's one of the coolest puzzles I've ever done.

Gone Home is v difficult to talk about divorced from the context it came out in and the upheaval that surrounded it shortly after. And honestly I really wouldn't like to, as now it ends up being a formative part of why this game is important to talk about still. Said underpinnings of that upheaval being marred in seriously toxic rhetoric and extremely tred-on ground prevents me from really talking about the history of the game's release though, and it's better I just skip right ahead to the point I want to make with this. And it's that ground hasn't really ever ended, as sincerely as some people would like to hope.

If the negative reviews of this game aren't already an implication of this, reading them will kinda reveal that the romantic pairing and overbearing levels of emphasis on such might've not been without reason today. While I wouldn't ever prop-up Gone Home's narrative as a fantastic success especially even compared to its peers of today in the same genre, it certainly was one that struck me enough back then and proves to me that lgbt acceptance is still a long way to go, especially for me. I didn't come out as enby until very recently, or coming out as being bisexual until a few years after this game's release, but looking back on this now that 'feeling' of what I could come out as being monstrous and haunting to those unfamiliar with it definitely bounced in my head back then.

Not to imply that's the intent of the house being somewhat terrifying when you walk in, but exploring through nooks and crannies in the dark and desolate to find out truths about who you are is a lot more relatable and passionately strung together than a lot of things I could name. Even still, if that kind of narrative slides off you, I'd argue Gone Home is a pretty effective puzzle thread game, even if the structure is a bit linear! So to continuously see its reputation tarnished most definitely for the fences it made, and the comments made to it being so snide and without much understanding for what it is, I end up defending it for the simulacra it stands for me. And idk that's definitely some individualist toxic cross to bear, but i don't care.

This is perfect for anybody who likes to see artists talk about the creative process and dissect their art. This is not a game, it is a compilation of ten works by Deconstructeam, a company that I had not heard of until now. However, playing this game put them on my radar and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for any future games they make.

The games in this collection are short and simple. But they are each paired with a documentary video that will take you behind the scenes with the creators. I loved being able to hear the Deconstructeam trio talk about each piece. They cover a wide range of topics and talk about the aspects that they like and don't like in each game. This part of Essays on Empathy brought the whole collection together. It's what separates itself from being just some random Itch.io bundle. This is an introspection.

I would've dropped Essays on Empathy after the first game, "Underground Hangovers", but then I watched the video and was able to see the faces of the creators. Hearing them say "Yeah this one is pretty shit and can be real obscure, I'll be surprised if anyone can beat it", was interesting. They knew the game was not really great, but they left it in the collection. Deconstructeam were not trying to make a collection of ten perfect games, no. They chose ten games to reflect their growth over this six-years-or-so period. The reflective nature of Essays on Empathy is what made me fall in love with it.

Yes, all of the games are not perfect. Some of them were not my style at all. But to be able to play through these ten works in chronological order was an amazing experience. Seeing the ways in which the developers improved and expanded on their formula was so inspiring.

I will be talking about this game in an upcoming video so keep an eye on my channel in the next month for more about this collection.

(P.S. Behind Every Great One was my favourite game.)