Dot's Home

About

Dot's Home is a single player action game with drama and historical themes. It was developed by Rise-Home Stories and was released on October 22, 2021. It received positive reviews from players.

Dot's Home is a single player game about Dorothea (Dot) Hawkins, a young Black woman in her late 20’s living with her grandmother Mavis Hawkins in Detroit, Michigan. Following a cryptic conversation with her grandmother, Dot receives a mysterious key. This key allows Dot to open a door within her house and travel to another space in time within her own family history. In order to return home, Dot…

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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88%

Audience ScoreBased on 69 reviews

story15 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

The game features a touching story that effectively explores themes of family, community, and the impacts of gentrification.
The art style and animations are beautifully done, enhancing the overall experience of the game.
It's a short and free game that allows players to see multiple endings without needing to replay, making it accessible and engaging.

The gameplay is limited, primarily consisting of reading dialogue with minimal interaction, which some players found boring.
While the story addresses important social issues, it lacks depth and can feel overly simplistic or preachy at times.
The character choices have minimal impact on the overall narrative, leading to a feeling that the game is linear despite presenting multiple endings.

story
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
50%
8%
The game's story is praised for its depth and emotional resonance, focusing on themes of family, community, and social issues like gentrification and racism. While some find the time travel plot a bit silly, many appreciate the well-written characters and the powerful messages conveyed throughout the narrative. Overall, it is described as a touching and impactful experience, despite its short length and limited gameplay.
- “This game really surprised me with how in-depth it got with the story!”
- “A beautiful story about family and helping others; I absolutely love the animation style in the intro and cutscenes!”
- “A very nice, short game that does a great job telling the story of a family and neighborhood affected by gentrification, racism, redlining, and housing problems in the U.S.”
- “The reason for that is because of an old adage... if your story is your character demographic, then you have no story.”
- “But, choices made through the game that impact the story make little difference to any of the game except the end scene.”
- “Dialogues, just as lazy, in the 70s section of the story the bad real estate man I just mentioned spews racist words like 'your kind', 'your people' and Spanish word for black in immediate succession, it has the impression of someone who's not actually racist deliberately trying to look like one.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
17%
25%
The graphics in the game feature hand-drawn illustrations with a cartoony style that some players find charming and cute, contributing positively to the overall aesthetic. However, while the visuals are appreciated, many reviewers feel they could be improved and emphasize that compelling gameplay is equally important for a satisfying experience. Overall, the art style is seen as a highlight, complementing the game's unique narrative.
- “Dot's home offers a unique concept and visuals that initially intrigued me.”
- “It has a beautiful art style.”
- “The art style is also super cute!”
- “The graphics in this game are reasonably done hand-drawn illustrations in a somewhat cartoony style, but could be better.”
- “Simple graphics, but cute.”
- “Overall this is a pretty well-made story game; the visuals, OST, and dialogue are all well done.”
gameplay
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The gameplay is largely criticized for being limited and lacking excitement, primarily consisting of point-and-click mechanics and dialogue reading. While some players appreciate the educational aspects and charm of the narrative, many find the overall experience trivial and not engaging enough to warrant significant time investment. The high-pitched sound during warp transitions further detracts from the gameplay experience.
- “Not particularly mind-blowing with the mechanics or even the writing, but there's a certain charm here that I can't explain.”
- “As for the gameplay, [i]dot's home[/i] is mostly a point-and-click game, so you use the mouse to have Dot walk around and interact with objects, such as doors and newspapers.”
- “Not exciting gameplay-wise, but decent enough if you want history lessons about housing discrimination towards marginalized people; I would also say play this with an elder or anyone knowledgeable or experienced in this subject matter.”
- “No gameplay and a very painful high-pitched sound during warp transitions.”
- “Not exciting gameplay-wise, but decent enough if you want history lessons about housing discrimination towards marginalized people. I would also say play this with an elder or anyone knowledgeable or experienced in this subject matter.”
- “As for the gameplay, dot's home is mostly a point-and-click game, so you use the mouse to have Dot walk around and interact with objects, such as doors and newspapers.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The music in "Endings" is described as limited but effective, enhancing the story's setting and providing an enjoyable listening experience. While the soundtrack is not extensive, it complements the game's visuals and dialogue well, contributing to the overall quality of the narrative.
- “Overall this is a pretty well made story game; the visuals, OST, and dialogue are all well done.”
- “Endings, for a publisher named Rise-Home Stories Project, the 'bad' ending is really mild, with Dot getting a comfy apartment, a cushy teacher job with 'plenty of resources and well-behaved kids', your family seeing success amid all the redevelopment going on in the old neighborhood selling properties like hotcakes, and she's whining because she got a noise complaint for listening to/playing music at a loud volume.”
- “"Guess my music is noise, huh?" This is the argument you hear from obnoxious people blasting ghettoblasters from places like the subway, etc. I lost all sympathy for her at this point.”
- “As for the soundtrack, there were only a few present, but they depict the story's setting well, and they're enjoyable to listen to.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as hit-or-miss, often relying on the charm of its protagonist, Dot, whose unintentionally funny experiences add a lighthearted touch to the narrative. While there are amusing moments, the humor may not resonate with everyone, as some players feel it lacks the chemistry needed to fully engage. Overall, the game balances its comedic elements with a meaningful exploration of community.
- “Dot is such an interesting (and unintentionally hilarious) protagonist, and I love seeing her journey into the past.”
- “The game has its funny moments, but also does a good job of highlighting the importance of community in our lives.”
- “It reads exactly as when you try to recount a hilarious personal experience to a person you have no chemistry with, and you end it with 'I guess you just had to be there.'”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been criticized for its lack of stability, with users reporting significant bugs and performance issues, even on high-end hardware like the RTX 3080. Overall, the stability of the game is considered poor, leading to low ratings from players.
- “This game is not very stable, and I am not sure you should even call it a game. It's very buggy, and I was running it on an RTX 3080. For a free game, it deserves one star.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable. I expected better performance, especially with my high-end hardware.”
- “I encountered numerous bugs that disrupted my gameplay experience. Stability is a major issue that needs to be addressed.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its touching narrative that emphasizes healthy family values, resonating deeply with players through its beautiful and heartfelt storytelling.
- “A touching story that preaches healthy family values.”
- “Beautiful and heartfelt.”