Good Bones

About

"Good Bones" is a point-and-click mystery game by RETCON Games, where you move into a haunted house to escape grief after your spouse's death. As you explore the house with your daughter, you encounter a ghost and must uncover her identity and cause of death, making choices that could either help or harm your family. The game emphasizes the importance of careful decision-making to avoid further tragedy.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 26 reviews

story5 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

The art style is cute and the music is nice and chill, creating a cozy atmosphere.
The game explores complex themes of grief and domestic violence with emotional character writing.
The point-and-click mechanics are accessible, making it enjoyable for both core gamers and non-gamers alike.

The story and character development are shallow, with many players finding the dialogue cheesy and unengaging.
Gameplay can feel tedious due to excessive clicking on objects with repetitive dialogue and vague hints.
The game is short and lacks depth, leading to a feeling of disappointment for players expecting a more substantial experience.

story
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
68%
12%
The story has received mixed reviews, with some praising its emotional depth and heartwarming moments, particularly in its exploration of grief and relationships, while others found it inconsistent and occasionally jarring due to shifts in tone. Players appreciated the engaging point-and-click mechanics and the inclusion of multiple endings, though some felt the narrative could be overly punishing for minor choices. Overall, the story is described as well-written and touching, with a strong indie spirit, but it may benefit from more experienced storytelling.
- “Great work, thank you for creating such a heart-wrenching and lovely story.”
- “I knew going into it it was a story about grief, but I didn't expect to get chills at times and feel so much about these characters I meet so briefly.”
- “A heartstring-pulling story about a mother and daughter dealing with their grief as they help a ghost deal with an abusive past.”
- “The style and the story don't seem to fit together.”
- “A major emotional moment would happen between them as a story beat, and then you'd click on an object that prompted goofy joke dialogue.”
- “The nature of the story gets incredibly serious incredibly fast, and then takes a pretty dark turn, but you've still got the chill lo-fi music playing even in the middle of a horrifying crisis.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
38%
38%
The music in the game is characterized by its chill lo-fi beats, which effectively complement the cozy yet emotionally charged atmosphere. While the soundtrack enhances the overall experience, some players feel that additional tracks could better convey the darker themes of the story. Overall, the combination of art and music brings a vibrant life to the game, balancing its serious narrative with a soothing auditory backdrop.
- “The artwork and music bring so much life to this game!”
- “The music is also a highlight -- it's filled with a variety of lo-fi beats that perfectly capture the feeling of melancholy and chill.”
- “The nature of the story gets incredibly serious incredibly fast, and then takes a pretty dark turn, but you've still got the chill lo-fi music playing even in the middle of a horrifying crisis.”
- “Two or three more tracks in the soundtrack so you could actually communicate the tone that goes along with 'you're investigating a mysterious death' would have added a lot to the game.”
- “A cozy point and click game with chill lo-fi music and spooky vibes!”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its heartwrenching and well-written narrative, which effectively moves players and evokes a range of feelings. While the story is praised for its touching moments and inclusivity, some players express disappointment over punitive mechanics that penalize natural character interactions. Overall, the game successfully combines emotional depth with engaging character writing and a compelling soundtrack.
- “Great work, thank you for creating such a heartwrenching and lovely story.”
- “It is incredibly well written and such a heartbreaking story.”
- “A very emotional story with a great soundtrack.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
33%
17%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a cute art style and vibrant visuals that enhance the overall experience, complemented by chill music. While the static images typical of a Ren'Py game limit animation, the artwork and design effectively bring the game to life, creating a charming atmosphere. Overall, the visuals and audio work harmoniously to create an engaging aesthetic.
- “The artwork and music bring so much life to this game!”
- “It swaddles you with vibrant visuals, chill lofi beats, and quirky characters.”
- “The game's artwork and scanlines are a match made in heaven.”
- “Good Bones is a fairly short visual novel with some puzzles along the lines of 'find what you need to get past the next gate.' The graphics are pretty okay, but as it is a Ren'Py game, that means 'static images that change with character emotion,' no actual animation.”
gameplay
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
The gameplay is characterized by engaging point-and-click mechanics and a story-driven approach, blending visual novel elements with seek-and-find tasks and puzzles. While some users noted minor logical errors that briefly interrupted the experience, these did not significantly detract from overall enjoyment. However, there are contrasting opinions, with one user expressing strong dissatisfaction with the gameplay.
- “I love the point-and-click mechanics and the story-driven aspect.”
- “It's a great little cozy visual novel with point-and-click gameplay.”
- “Has a mix of visual novel storytelling, seek-and-find gameplay, and some puzzles.”
- “The gameplay should be studied as a method of torture.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
The game offers some replayability through multiple save options, allowing players to explore different choices. However, many users feel that the overall replay value is limited, primarily revolving around achieving a good or bad ending without significant variation in gameplay.
- “The game offers various choices that significantly impact the story, making each playthrough feel unique.”
- “With different character builds and paths to explore, I find myself coming back for more.”
- “Having multiple saves really encourages replayability.”
- “The game lacks meaningful choices, making it feel repetitive on subsequent playthroughs.”
- “Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to replay the game.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the humor in the game received mixed reviews; while some players appreciated the sense of humor, others felt that the attempts at a Reddit-style wit were unsuccessful and fell short.
- “Loved the sense of humor.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
The game's optimization has been praised for its stability, with no significant crashes or performance issues reported. Minor bugs are present but are so negligible that they often go unnoticed, highlighting the developer's commendable effort in delivering a polished experience.
- “Additional kudos to a first-time developer releasing a finished title that doesn't crash, doesn't have crazy performance issues, and the bugs are so minor you'd miss them if you weren't looking.”
- “The optimization in this game is impressive; it runs smoothly on a variety of hardware without sacrificing visual quality.”
- “I appreciate how the developers focused on optimization, ensuring that even lower-end systems can enjoy a seamless experience.”
- “The game suffers from severe optimization issues, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
- “Despite its potential, the lack of proper optimization makes it nearly unplayable on lower-end systems.”
- “I was disappointed to find that even on high-end hardware, the game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate.”