Gone In November
- August 17, 2016
- Florastamine
Get on Steam"Gone In November" is a single-player adventure game that explores the theme of depression. As a patient with a terminal illness, you'll experience the character's emotional journey, filled with texting inactive social media accounts, watering cacti, and isolating yourself. The game challenges the player to confront feelings of loneliness and the impact of modern society, where closeness can still feel isolating.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game tackles heavy and important themes such as depression and illness, providing insight into the struggles faced by individuals dealing with these issues.
- Some players found the story to be emotionally impactful, resonating with their personal experiences and offering a sense of comfort.
- The game is inexpensive, making it accessible for those interested in exploring its narrative.
- The execution of the story is poor, with confusing dialogue, grammatical errors, and overlapping text that detracts from the overall experience.
- The graphics and overall design are considered subpar, leading to a lack of immersion and engagement with the game world.
- The gameplay is primarily a walking simulator with minimal interaction, resulting in a short experience that many players found unsatisfying.
- story133 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it confusing, poorly executed, and lacking depth. While some appreciate the emotional themes surrounding illness and depression, they criticize the fragmented narrative, bad grammar, and short runtime that hinder a meaningful experience. Overall, the game attempts to convey a poignant message but often falls short due to its unclear storytelling and execution.
“A very well written story, it feels as if the developer is taking you on a deep dive into his life and thoughts.”
“This game hit me in a certain spot that I cannot seem to explain unless you play it for yourself; the story is very touching and sad, and you have to have the mentality to hold yourself in playing this.”
“Overall, there isn't much gameplay, but the story is powerful enough to give a good experience while following someone who isn't as fortunate as the rest of us.”
“Furthermore, 'Gone in November' is an exceptionally short game, leaving little room for significant exploration or in-depth storytelling.”
“The story is piecemeal and poorly structured, making it lose any capacity for evoking emotions.”
“The unclear parts of the story mar what seems to be a strong beginning, and the intriguing points lack sufficient development.”
- graphics39 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The graphics in this game have received largely negative feedback, with many users describing them as bland, primitive, and lacking in detail or cohesion. While some appreciate the simplicity and its effectiveness in conveying mood, others criticize the lack of customization options and the overall low quality, comparing it unfavorably to mid-90s titles. Overall, the visuals seem to detract from the experience rather than enhance it, despite a few positive remarks about their artistic intent.
“Fun and interesting take on the puzzle genre with satisfying audio and graphics.”
“Graphically, the game looks pretty solid for a 3D indie title.”
“The visuals, while basic, are done artfully and enhance the mood.”
“The graphics are worse than a mid-90s mod.”
“There's no options to change the resolution for the game or customize the graphics settings.”
“The level design and graphical elements also fall very flat, even for a cheap little indie game.”
- emotional18 mentions
- 94 % positive mentions
- -11 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is a mixed bag, with many players finding the story deeply touching and capable of evoking strong feelings, including sadness and introspection. However, some critiques highlight issues with execution, such as poor translation and lack of coherence, which detract from the overall emotional impact. Despite these flaws, several reviewers emphasize the game's ability to resonate on a personal level, making it a worthwhile experience for those who appreciate heartfelt narratives.
“The game is a short walking simulator that has a simple and heart-wrenching concept.”
“This game hit me in a certain spot that I cannot seem to explain unless you play it for yourself; the story is very touching and sad, and you have to have the mentality to hold yourself in playing this.”
“A very sad and depressing game... it literally hit me in the heart while playing this game and almost made me cry... life is too short to be sad, but this game sort of reminds me of myself a bit... :(”
“The story feels unfinished and boring, lacking the depth to engage players emotionally.”
“The emotional impact is minimal, making it hard to connect with the characters or their struggles.”
“I expected a rich narrative, but it was over in just a few minutes, leaving no lasting emotional impression.”
- gameplay17 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily a walking simulator, offering minimal interaction and lasting only about 20-30 minutes, which many players found to be short and unpolished. While the mechanics and graphics are criticized as lacking, the emotional depth of the story is noted as a redeeming quality, though the overwhelming dialogue and poor writing detract from the overall experience. Overall, the gameplay is described as mediocre and boring, with suggestions for improvement in future iterations.
“Gameplay is your standard walking simulator title, and it does everything pretty well.”
“Overall, there isn't much gameplay but the story is powerful enough to give a good experience while following someone who isn't as fortunate as the rest of us.”
“I'll rate this up with some advice to the dev for the future: spend more time on the gameplay itself and don't rush, it'll help the story unfold cleanly.”
“There's no actual 'real' gameplay, just walking.”
“The gameplay is boring, buggy.”
“The gameplay is to walk for 20-30 minutes while reading text that pops up on your screen, that is if you can handle reading a terrible so-called story with horrible English.”
- music13 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as decent and fitting, effectively contributing to its somber and depressing atmosphere. While some players appreciate the soundtrack for enhancing the emotional tone, others find it unremarkable and overshadowed by repetitive sound effects. Overall, the music is seen as a supportive element rather than a standout feature, with mixed opinions on its quality and impact.
“The soundtrack is fitting, and I actually quite like it.”
“The soft, sad-sounding music is fitting for this game, and the themes it attempts to tackle.”
“The background music and environment was good at setting a depressing mood.”
“The music is alright, but it is ruined by the footstep noise which is the same all the way through and is like having a loud grandfather clock in your ears at all times.”
“Unbearable music and sound effects.”
“The game is far from pretty to look at, music is alright but nothing to brag about.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is criticized for its poor execution, leaving players feeling disconnected and unengaged. While some appreciate the dark and depressing elements, others find it lacking depth and coherence, leading to frustration with the gameplay mechanics. Overall, the atmosphere fails to resonate with a significant portion of the audience.
“The atmosphere makes me feel everything really went to the end.”
“The game turned into an atmospheric experience that encourages exploration and interaction with the environment.”
“The game had a good idea, but very poor execution by developers that don't seem to grasp the importance of a proper atmosphere.”
“I recommend it if you like depressing things and that dark atmosphere, but if you don't like walking around and reading a lot in a poorly made game, then don't.”
“Couldn't get into the atmosphere of the game (if there even is one).”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous glitches that hinder gameplay, such as difficulty interacting with objects. Reviewers suggest that the storytelling could have been more effectively conveyed through a different format, as the current walking simulator experience is marred by bugs and a lack of engagement.
“Even though this game has a lot of glitches, for instance the part where you have to decide what to do with the knife placed in the kitchen, it takes a lot of time to figure out the position you have to be in to tap on the knife.”
“Telling a story about depression and end-of-life issues would have probably been better told through a visual/kinetic novel format rather than through a buggy walking sim.”
“The gameplay is boring and buggy.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the humor in the game is perceived as lacking, with some players finding it more absurd than amusing.
“The humor in this game is absolutely ridiculous and keeps me laughing throughout.”
“I love how the game blends absurdity with clever jokes; it's a constant source of entertainment.”
“The witty dialogue and hilarious scenarios make every moment enjoyable.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game lacks replayability, yet it provokes thoughtful reflection long after playing.
“It has no replayability but leaves you thinking about it afterwards.”
“Once you finish the game, there's little incentive to play it again.”
“The lack of varied outcomes makes replaying feel pointless.”
