I have a dilemma.

I want to tell you all about Gone Home.

I want to share how perfectly it captures a household of the nineties with every detail from letters printed on a dot matrix printer, to old TV shows taped on VHS tapes stuffed into cabinets. I want to praise the original music that perfectly supports the themes of the game. I want to share in detail all the themes the games explores, such as…well that’s where I’ll stop.

The thing is, I want you to play this game for yourself. I could tell you all about it, but the game is about discovery, and if I told you almost anything, it would ruin it.

So, here is what I’ll share with you. The game opens with Kate returning from a European vacation to a creepy old house in the Pacific Northwest. The wind and rain howl outside, and the lights flicker occasionally. No one seems to be home. As Kate, you navigate through the halls and rooms, clicking open drawers and doors. You will discover much about your absent family, and even the original owner of the house, while exploring every nook and scrap you come across. The story unfolds at a very satisfying pace. I really enjoyed Gone Home’s environmental storytelling, and I never found myself confused for long as to how to unlock the next area. My experience with Gone Home was about 4 1/2 hours, yours might be slightly longer or shorter depending on how thoroughly you search.

If you ever spent an afternoon in your grandparent’s attic going through old boxes, peeking into a life you never knew they had, this is the game for you. If you want a first person adventure that isn’t about shooting people in the face, this game is for you. If you haven’t played a video game in a long time, and want a slow paced game with simple controls, this game is for you. If you have felt the pleasantly hot sting of your first love, and felt no one understood you, this game is for you.

If you need a ray of hope in a world that seems darker every day, this game is especially for you.

It is free this weekend.

Please play Gone Home.