(In order to discuss what stood out for me in Gone Home in detail, I need to dive into what some people will consider major spoilers. If you haven't played the game yet and don't want anything spoiled, play the game right away then come back and read this.)
Let me clear something up right away: I don't think that games can't (or have not yet) delved into truly mature territory yet. Plenty of games have dealt with complex themes and difficult subjects, but what hit me the hardest about Gone Home was how it handled what was at its core. In the past 24 hours, after finishing the game, I've been thinking about the storyline that stood out to me the most and have been reading up on various pieces of analysis. Though I definitely failed to pick up on some subtle bits of information (Terry's story makes a lot more sense having read the confirmed subtext regarding him and Oscar), the main focus of the game with Sam still resonated because it felt the most real.
While I, as many people think, do not necessarily condone or approve of what Sam actually does by the game's conclusion (running away from home explicitly and possibly stealing her parents' possessions implicitly), the way the game conveys this plot is what hit me hard. First off, the writing within Sam's journals is raw, simple, and human. It's already incredibly rare to see a queer romance in video games given as much attention as the one at the center of this game, but the way it's detailed is surprisingly realistic. The relationship between Sam and Lonnie is treated like an honest-to-God love story and, though you can see somewhat where it's headed early into the game, the realism behind some of the events in their shared experience is achingly executed.
The journal entry that I thought was the strongest (and the clearest indicator of the power of this plot) was the one in which Sam describes eventually telling her parents about her relationship with Lonnie. Instead of outright denying her sexual identification, they tell her she's just going through a phase, a statement that hurts her harder than the other option ever could have. That alone emotionally floored me. I mean, wow. I could discuss in length why this entry itself had this much emotional impact, but, due to my own lack in speaking to this section's accuracy, I'm going to direct you to an article that says that much better than I ever could.
Secondly, I love how the game subverts common player expectations of execution to tell its story in the simplest way possible. Despite the constantly present storm buzzing in your ears and the effectively creepy sound effects (the creaking of floors and doors, obviously, but at one point, I distinctly heard a whispering of "Hey, you" out of nowhere), there are no scares or any threatening forces in the house. Why? Because, like Sam, the only things that could possibly stand to hurt you are those that occupy the house. The occupants (the chief perpetrators) may be gone, but the documentation of what happened is enough to create emotional scars. This is why simple exploration, the core feature of the game, works much better than it sounds on paper. Discovering how these scars are formed is the true tension of the game. By the time I realized where the events with Sam and Lonnie were going, the game turned into me steadfastly searching for the next entry, promptly followed by me feeling extreme sympathy due to these notes' openness and honesty. I started the game dreading where the "psycho house" business was headed, thinking I had it figured out. I ended the game racing to the attic, anxious and worried about how Sam's story would end.
The fact that a game made me not only willing to simply explore people's lives (people who we never actually see in person, mind you) peripherally, but enthralled to learn the next piece of their narrative merely by examining objects lying about is a marvel. I can't say enough in this game's favor; it's easily one of my most memorable gaming experiences ever, one which I'm certain I won't ever forget the emotional impact it's had on me.
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