Games Where You Go Back 'Home'

Hey, All.

I just wrapped up Hotline Miami and came to the realization that I really like games where the character has a place he or she returns to constantly, such as a home. Beside Hotline Miami, the first example that first comes to mind is a somewhat obscure adventure game called Pleurburgh: The Dark Ages, and I think some Police Quest-esque game had a similar feature. Seems to be utilized most often in adventure games and such. I was wondering if anyone had any more suggestions for games like this.

Also of note: I'm not really looking for games like Harvest Moon or any of these simulations, as I prefer the darker more gritty style of the games I mentioned above.

Any suggestions or anything would be awesome!

EDIT: Some folks mentioned Silent Hill 4 and The Cat Lady, and although I have played these, they are an excellent example of the mechanic I am looking for.

Can't you get houses in pretty much every last gen Bethesda game?

Dark Souls II is a game that I've played recently that uses this mechanic.

@turtlethetaffer:

Yes. Perhaps I should refine my question though. I am not really looking for RPG style games such as Oblivion/Skyrim/Morrowind etc. I suppose I'm thinking more along the lines of adventure. I know that Indigo Prophecy did this to a small degree in the beginning. You have a place, and you progress in the game, and each segment you play changes your home. For example (and this isn't a game that I know of; just an example), your house may get progressively more cluttered as your character focuses on his work or investigations or whatever drives the plot.

I suppose this question is a bit abstract, and I can only really give those games as reference on this. Thank you for your response though. Played all of the Elder Scrolls games from Morrowind forward and love 'em all!

@Minishdriveby:

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll check it out! Sounds like a cool game anyway; Actually have been looking into checking out the first one lately.

@bjornir: Try Silent Hill 4. Your apartment gets progressively more twisted as the game goes on and you complete levels. The apartment is the hub where you essentially select levels by exploring the apartment and finding portals.

The Cat Lady. It's a rather dark and gritty adventure game about depression and death.

One of the most under looked game of recent years. It got great reviews but didn't seem to get much widespread attention.

One of Wildstar's best features was its housing. I spent hours tweaking my house, adding on rooms, accessories, a porch, lounge/bar complete with open mic. And, of course, you can visit other people's houses. Too bad the questing was a tutorial in "how not to do an MMO."

@turtlethetaffer:

Awesome suggestion, except I've played it lol. Thanks anyway though, since that is exactly the mechanic I am looking for.

@toast_burner:

I have also played The Cat Lady. Great game, and I love how they handled this mechanic in it.

@Ish_basic:

Thanks for the suggestion, but I am not really looking for a house that you manually tweak; Moreso one where the game handles the decay/change of your place over time.

The Sly Cooper series and Ratchet & Clank: Up your arsenal use that mechanic often.

The Mass Effect games have this a little, but it's not really a defining characteristic.

I know what you mean, though. It's a very simple way to make you feel like you have an impact on the world, but somehow it can be extremely satisfying. Having some place to return to and then seeing the things you have collected or achieved. It's a bit like an in-game achievement system. Can't think of other games though.

Maybe Red Dead Redemption? You buy properties that you can go back to.

"Games Where You Go Back 'Home'"

How about "Gone Home"? :)

But seriously, most of the games that have this mechanic will be RPG style games or games with strong RPG elements. The Fable series is known for this and is "RPG light". In those games you can purchase pretty much any building in the game and live in it (or rent it out if you don't want to live there). You can even raise families (one per town) by marrying a local and you can decorate these homes with the trophies you get from defeated bosses.

Deus Ex HR also has an apartment that you can return to so long as you are in Detroit, which makes up the first 3rd of the game.

Otherwise, Vampire Bloodlines is another good example. While based on a pen and paper RPG, it's an FPS RPG at its core like Deus Ex. In each city your vampire has a "haven" which is an apartment you can return to. It doesn't really change or evolve, but sometimes people will leave you messages or you'll need to return to use your computer to check emails.

-Byshop

in Final Fantasy 8 Balamb Garden does feel like home, in a school dormy way, the largest mobile home I've ever seen but still homey. You return to it, defend it from attacks, have memories with other students there etc. The story doesn't prompt you to return as often as other games mentioned here but for a campus with familiar wall paint and settings, it did have the feeling.

In Thief, you have a hideout that adds collections to the display cases automatically as you find them in the world. It's a very good stealth game with a dark and gritty environment.

Silent Hill Homecoming. It's a great game, despite it's 6.5 score here. The last hour of that game is insane, and you go home...

@trollop_scat:

I have enjoyed the Silent Hill series, but never played Homecoming. It doesn't like as if you return constantly, though? Or that it changes over time...Still sounds like a fun game, but don't really think it is particularly classified in the way I am looking for.

@CrillanK:

That pretty cool how it will save your collections. That is a nice feature.

@platinumking320:

Do things change over time as you are gone? Such as NPCs changing state, or having different personal issues? If so, that sounds pretty cool actually. Sort of along the lines of loafofagame's suggestion of Mass Effect. However, what really itches the scratch that I have are games where, as I've said, the environment changes over time in some sort of mostly-linear fashion. For example, turtlethetaffer suggested Silent Hill 4, and although I have played it, your house becomes corrupted and messed up, and mail gets slid under your door and such.

@Byshop:

Gone Home looks like a good game, even though you were joking a little bit. That's one I plan to check out. Also DE:HR is one I've been looking into anyway, so I think I might get that one if I can't find any games to really scratch this current itch.

Vampire Bloodlines is yet another game that does indeed have this mechanic to some extent; But I've played it! *facepalm*. I wish I could remember every game that I've played that has this feature, since I feel bad when someone recommends a great one and I've already played it, lol.

@mastermetal777:

I don't think the properties change over time at all though do they? I think they are more along the lines of the Elder Scrolls series if I am not mistaken. Played Red Dead Redemption, though it's been a while.

@loafofgame:

I have played Mass Effect 1, and been considering ME2 and 3 when I get a change to indulge in a long game. I see how they would utilize this to some degree, since the NPCs always have side stories and things going on. However, I am looking for more along the lines of your home or environment changing, moreso than the NPCs. I love this feature, too. Collecting things is nice, like in the Elder Scrolls series, but I don't know what it is about things like Silent Hill 4, but it just really makes me feel happy inside lol.

@behardy24:

Does Ratchet And Clank use the mechanic of things changing over time?

I really appreciate all of the replies I have been getting on here. I have already gotten plenty of ideas from all of your great suggestions. I wish I could better articulate the atmosphere and concept behind this mechanic so that I could somehow find all of the games that implement this.

Gone Home is awesome, but it's not for everyone. It doesn't meet the criteria for what you're looking for in this thread, but it's a lovely interactive novel in which you explore a single environment (your family's home) and inspect objects, notes and listen to voice over narration to discover who the characters are and what the story is. There are no monsters or traps or any of the things you might expect from a normal game. However, I loved it.

Another couple games that would seem to meet your criteria that I hadn't thought of would be many of the Bioware games like KOTOR 1 and 2. You don't have a "house" per se, but you obtain your own ship that you travel the galaxy in that acts as your home base. The party members you find are there when you return and there are activities and conversations you can get into in the base and party members may argue with each other, creating drama you have to deal with.

Rise of the Argonauts also has this with the ship you get (I've heard) but I didn't find the game to be all that great so I didn't get very far.

Finally, Dead Rising 1 and 2 (but not 3). In both of these games, you establish a home "base" that acts as your safe house and rescued people end up here. Over the course of the game, changes happen and survivors will give you lots of drama that you'll have to return to deal with to keep everyone happy.

-Byshop

Heavy Rain? I just think you are looking for something uber specific and likely aren't going to find many things that match up in a way that will satisfy you.

@agrippi: Heavy Rain (like a lot of adventure games) will have a "home" that you visit with each character (except Jayden) at some point but you don't have any control over when you go there as it's just another setting in the story. This is common in a lot of "contemporary" adventure games but really the character's homes are just additional setpieces.

-Byshop