Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Storytelling masterpiece ‘Gone Home’ is headed to the Nintendo Switch

By
GONE HOME | Nintendo Switch Announcement Trailer

Nintendo helped shape a generation of kids and teenagers during the ’90s, as the Super Nintendo console delivered several classic video games that have stood the test of time. So, it’s only fitting that the period piece Gone Home, which is set during that decade, will be coming to Nintendo’s latest console, the Switch, later this month.

Recommended Videos

Publisher Annapurna Interactive will bring Gone Home to the Nintendo Switch on August 23. The announcement trailer for the game doesn’t tout any Switch-specific features, but the basic gameplay on other platforms was very simple. You control sort-of-protagonist Katie as she returns from a trip abroad to find her house completely empty, and you must use environmental clues and notes left by Katie’s sister to uncover exactly what happened to her.

Related

Unlike many other contemporary first-person adventure games, Gone Home isn’t focused on horror, but a feeling of angst and young love that perfectly captures its mid-’90s setting. Notes, drawings, and even cassette tapes make mention of the era’s grunge and “riot grrrl” music, as well as games like Street Fighter. For anyone who grew up during that period, the nostalgia is enough to make you tear up.

Gone Home‘s narrative structure is also unique in that nothing actually happens during the course of the game. The events at hand have already played out, and the main character is never seen. It’s almost like reading a book you already know the ending to, just so you can learn the “why” rather than the “what.”

Following the success of Gone Home in 2013, developer Fullbright ported it to several different systems, including the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The studio then released the science-fiction-themed, first-person adventure game Tacoma. The game builds on what made Gone Home successful, but with a deeper and more thought-provoking narrative that packs in some real mysteries. The game originally launched on Xbox One and PC before arriving on the PlayStation 4, and we’re willing to bet it will make its way to the Switch eventually, as well.

We can’t wait to jump back into Gone Home later this month so we can cry in public.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Gabe Gurwin
Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
Every rumored video game console: Nintendo Switch 2, PS5 Pro and more
A PS5 sits on a table.

History would tell you that 2024 isn't a year where you should expect a lot of new game consoles. We're smack dab in the middle of a console generation and we've already seen the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series S get upgrades during it. A wave of brand new consoles is likely four years away if the precedent set by previous generations holds up.

And yet, we're swimming in hardware rumors these days. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo all have rumored systems in the works. On top of that, we're on the verge of an early second generation for portable PCs like the Steam Deck. Companies like Lenovo and Asus are also plotting follow-ups to their own devices. It's a lot to keep track of, with scattered reports sharing rumors about the status of each. To help you stay on top of the news, we've rounded up every major gaming device that's currently in the works. You can expect to see some -- if not all -- of these in the next year.
Nintendo Switch 2

Read more
World of Goo 2 might just be the Nintendo Switch’s next must-own co-op game
A built structure in World of Goo 2.

When I sat down to demo World of Goo 2 at this year’s GDC, I noted to the developers on hand how surprising it was to see a sequel after so long. “It’s been, what? Ten years?” I said. I was very far off the mark: They noted that the original World of Goo launched in 2008. After playing a few levels (and having an existential crisis over time’s rapid passing), I’d find myself wondering how such an obvious slam dunk didn’t come sooner.

Like its predecessor, World of Goo 2 is a physics-based puzzle game where players craft structures from little, gooey critters. It presents a series of engineering challenges, as poorly built structures will topple under the weight of all those jiggly little pals. Rather than reinventing that concept entirely, World of Goo 2 adds some wild new ideas onto that stable structure that opens up its puzzle potential. The result is a chaotic co-op game that’s a perfect fit for the Nintendo Switch.

Read more
How to transfer data from Nintendo Switch to Switch OLED
Pokémon on Nintendo Switch OLED.

If you've picked up a new Nintendo Switch OLED, you already know that it's a substantial upgrade from the previous iterations of the console. What you may not know, however, is how to transfer your data from your old Switch to your new Switch OLED.

Unfortunately, the transfer process isn't as straightforward as you might expect, so it can be confusing to get things going. However, we've got all the details on how to migrate your user data from one Switch to another, even if you don't have access to your previous system and best Switch games. Here's how to transfer your data from your Switch to the Switch OLED.
How to transfer data from Switch to Switch OLED
Step 1

Read more