Homebody Review

Meeting back up with old friends after a long time apart can be quite a daunting experience. What do you say to each other? How can you sum up the years of your life into a couple of sentences? These type of situations are normally very stressful, ones that I try to avoid as much as possible.

Homebody examines these anxieties to tackle the premise of when the past catches up on you. Developed by the people behind the hit web series Game Grumps, Homebody is a retro-inspired journey harking back to the survival horror market found back on PS1. But it’s much more than that – let me tell you all about it. 

Homebody has a very strong beginning. You see a car parked in a layby, as the passenger Emily, who you are playing, is having an anxiety crisis. She is on the way to meet some old friends, rocking up to a rented house so that they can see a meteoroid shower. There is tension between them all, some unresolved things from the past. But we don’t know that yet. 

When she arrives we get to talk to all those in the house, starting to guess at past relationships. Soon the power goes out and you are all being stalked by a killer. One by one the group are wiped out, until you are killed… and then… well, I’m not going to say anything more for fear of spoiling. What you need to know is that the writing and narrative are very successful in mixing the quite real conversations between friends and the strangest of passing time. It throws in some surreal fantasy elements and a sort of slasher movie at the same time. It’s a blend that shouldn’t work, but it does and keeps you hooked throughout. 

Basically, Homebody is a big escape room, where you have to solve a series of puzzles and try to work out how to get out of the house to break a loop. You play in the third person, with the retro style of the room delivered via a fixed camera; you’ll need to get used to that. You can examine things but there isn’t any inventory to be had. There are minimal hints as well, but the game does give you pointers, found in the in-game conversations and clues. 

The puzzles are the main thrust of the gameplay, and some of these can be quite tricky and need some heavy thinking at times. There is also a good varied bunch of enigmas to try and solve, including a pipe and fluid measurement one as well as some Minesweeper. Of course, talking and interacting with characters is important as well, if only to move the story on and for progress through the game. I think sometimes Homebody has moments in which you don’t feel settled enough in the structure and can feel a bit lost at times. But perhaps that is all part of the tone of the game. 

The visuals are wonderful in terms of delivery of strange imagery in the more dreamlike scenes. However, the fixed camera angles take a while to get used to, but when you do they are essential to building that tension when exploring and surviving. The colours are great and the attention to detail in all areas is superb. That said, the basic character faces will either be loved or hated, depending on your taste.

The sound is good, yet quite sparse at times. I like it and the effects which all work well throughout the game. 

Homebody may well take you by surprise. The writing and narrative are great, with some brilliant character creation dealing with a range of very real problems. The structure is interesting as well, even though at times you will feel at a bit of a loss for what to do. The puzzle designs are clever and varied with some treats for riddle fans out there, but ultimately it will be the basic visual designs which dictate the love.

On the whole though, Homebody is one that is both original and fascinating.