![]() ![]() The gameplay is closer to a visual novel than any other genre, which wouldn’t have been bad if it was actually interesting. It is bitter-sweet story that tries to pluck at the emotional chord of insecurity combined with the pseudo intellectual high horse attitude of the freshly graduated, sprinkling on top the weight of losing the friendly bonds due to the necessity of securing income or moving somewhere else. The developers chose to solely focus on the last couple of days of our heroes before they have to move out from a space, they shared with other friends during their university years. Beyond these weird encounters and a few limited interactions with the environment there is not really much else to do other than go through the endless dialogues. They represent the somewhat failed attempt of the developers to personify the psychological under layers of the main characters. On the other hand, you are free to explore the building and meet a few odd and inexplicable characters that are not really tied into what is going on. Also, there are no puzzles to challenge any of your brain cells. You cannot switch characters and you cannot go off script. You only have the illusion of a limited freedom in a few moments of this experience, since you can go with route A or B, but in the end the difference between them is minimal and they converge towards the same linear path that you are being shepherded on. You will control Bo and Ao in a sequence imagined and put together by the developers, with no influence or real choice involved. ![]() Of course, based on the lines you chose the interaction changes, but in the grand scheme of things No Longer Home inevitably stumbles towards the very same ending. The game unfolds as a series of dialogues, where your choices don’t really matter. And last but not least we have our two heroes, a boy and a girl, whose relationship is unclear at best. We have a circle of friends with various dynamics between them, who have strong opinions about everything, including each other. We have an apartment with a few rooms as the place where this short drama will unfold. It is like watching an approximatively two hours long Woody Allen movie about a non-topic that somehow gains almost cosmic proportions. A page about the struggles, inner thoughts and interactions of someone you don’t know, a complete stranger. But you have to go through all of it to understand exactly how personal it is and realize that although there are some perhaps relatable moments, it feels rather like reading someone else’s journal. You are warned from the beginning that this production is based on the personal experiences of its creators, and their entourage. No Longer Home is a very personal and specific experience, that many young adults should be able to relate to, but it fails as a game. ![]() Focusing on an interactive narrative experience can be just as engaging as any other genre, as long as it is crafted on enticing premises, an interesting setting and a good story. I am a fan of whimsical and well put together adventure games known by their derogatory classification as “walking simulator”. In this case the debate will center on the question if this production can be considered a game or not. No Longer Home is an indie production that evoke the experience you may have seen in movies or modern art galleries: a bunch of people tilting their heads to the left and right trying to figure out if a painting or a sculpture can really be looked at as “art”. ![]()
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