Home Behind

About

Home Behind is a survival game where you play as a refugee forced to flee your home and travel 1500 kilometers to safety in Europe. With randomly generated events and experiences, you must manage your mood, nutrition, and water levels while avoiding disease and hardship. Unlock 15 different jobs, each with unique starting skills and items, to help you survive in your epic journey to be reunited with your daughter.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 229 reviews

gameplay14 positive mentions

stability8 negative mentions

The game has an interesting premise and attempts to tackle serious themes related to war and survival.
Crafting and resource management elements provide some depth to the gameplay.
The art style and music create an engaging atmosphere, making it enjoyable for casual play.

The gameplay is overly reliant on random number generation, leading to frustrating experiences and a lack of meaningful strategy.
Many parts of the game are poorly translated, with significant text remaining in Chinese, which detracts from the overall experience.
Combat mechanics are clunky and unresponsive, making battles feel tedious and unengaging.

gameplay
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
53%
22%
The gameplay has been widely criticized for its repetitiveness and lack of depth, with many reviewers noting that it feels simplistic and reminiscent of mobile or browser games. While some appreciate the crafting system and find the mechanics charming, the overall experience is marred by poor explanations of game mechanics, quality of life issues, and a reliance on luck, leading to frustration and a sense of monotony. Despite some redeeming qualities, the gameplay ultimately fails to engage players for extended periods.
- “The gameplay itself is wonderful and charmingly simple with a crafting system that really has you doubting what you absolutely have to leave behind.”
- “Don’t get me wrong, the controls work perfectly with the gameplay mechanics we have here.”
- “The gameplay is solid.”
- “I forgot how repetitive the gameplay is, how little there is to do, and how little your decisions matter.”
- “The gameplay is boring, repetitive point & click, with limited options.”
- “There's so little gameplay or even interactions that make a whole lot of sense ... there's just not a lot here.”
story
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
59%
12%
The story in "Home Behind" has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it interesting and thought-provoking, particularly regarding themes of conflict and rebellion, while others criticize it as shallow, poorly executed, and lacking in coherence due to translation issues. Many reviewers noted that the narrative is straightforward and often overshadowed by gameplay mechanics, leading to a disconnect between the story and player experience. Overall, while there are moments of depth and engaging side characters, the execution leaves much to be desired, detracting from the overall impact of the story.
- “The story is interesting and has well-chosen side characters, whose appearance and dialogues are a very good addition to the story (and the reason the story has interesting plot twists).”
- “The story has some surprisingly poignant things to say about the nature of why countries collapse and why people rebel and take up arms against each other, but against the simple framework of killing nearly every bad person to get to the end, it seems a bit misplaced.”
- “The story is pretty good and can make you think about current events a bit differently.”
- “I didn't pay much for it, but I can't really recommend it when there are games out there like 'This War of Mine' which offer more challenge, variety, and better storytelling.”
- “The story itself is very shallow and generic - at least from what I've seen so far - but then again, I'm spoiled by what they call 'story-rich' games where game developers actually try to make you care and believe in the characters whose lives you supposedly control.”
- “The story sucks.”
music
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
68%
16%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its design while others find it repetitive and poorly suited to the game's themes. A common complaint is the lack of separate volume controls for music and sound effects, making it difficult for players to balance audio during gameplay or streaming. Additionally, many feel that the upbeat soundtrack clashes with the game's serious narrative, detracting from the overall experience.
- “I like the design, the music too, and if I don't compare this game to others, it can be nice.”
- “Second, because the art and the music are nice.”
- “Sound: 3.5 wonderful instrumental background music.”
- “The music for the game itself is pretty much the same tune over and over; at full/normal volume, this gets repetitive and boring way too fast.”
- “So for a streamer like me, it is hard to stream this game and give it any exposure as it's impossible to hear the game sounds or my speaking over the music.”
- “You are taking human life, and play some upbeat rock music!? The music overall isn't any better - it is too happy for a game where you play for a character who lost everything.”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
56%
17%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the beautiful and appealing art style, particularly in its 2D design, while others criticize the overall quality as poor and simplistic. Despite the charming visuals, inconsistencies in asset quality and storytelling detract from the overall experience. Ultimately, while the graphics have their merits, they are seen as a double-edged sword that can both enhance and undermine the game's appeal.
- “The graphics for the game are quite beautiful.”
- “Every atmosphere is well drawn in clean, colorful artwork.”
- “Long story short, this game comes with great storytelling, design, and graphics.”
- “Its graphics are poorly made.”
- “There is so much appeal to visuals here that I don’t understand why they chose to leave this out.”
- “What totally ruins the whole concept of this graphic are some contradictions in many assets of the game, for example, the 'story' or the bad dialogues.”
replayability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
45%
27%
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the random events and unique experiences that enhance replay value, others find the implementation lacking and the need to restart tedious. The profession system and collectible elements add some depth, but opinions vary on whether these features significantly boost replayability.
- “Basic survival game with lots to collect, unlocking new starting traits/jobs, adding to the replay value.”
- “The game offers replayability to a whole new level; not only is it fun to play, but every playthrough is different with new and unique random events occurring, no new game will ever be the same as the previous one.”
- “Every new game is random so it has a very high replayability value.”
- “A lovely idea, but it's poorly implemented and there's little replay value.”
- “The game puts a lot of weight on replayability, but the experience of restarting everything from scratch is just kinda lame.”
- “-the replayability from 'randomly generated' just means you'll encounter the exact.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent bugs and glitches that disrupt gameplay, including random dialogue appearing in Asian scripts and unresponsive combat mechanics. Many players report game-breaking errors that severely hinder the overall experience, leading to frustration and disappointment despite the game's potential.
- “The game is buggy; about once every two minutes, there would be dialogue or something else that was suddenly in an Asian script, and that's not the only issue.”
- “Full of bugs and glitches, many of which I have experienced are either game-breaking or severely hindering.”
- “It's unpolished; random parts are in Chinese, kind of buggy, etc.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its deep, touching stories and well-developed characters that players can easily connect with. Many reviews emphasize the game's ability to evoke strong feelings, comparing it to impactful titles like "This War of Mine," while also noting the challenge of fully engaging with all characters. Overall, players appreciate the blend of gritty themes and emotional storytelling, making for a memorable experience.
- “Beautiful and heart-wrenching with characters you can easily get attached to.”
- “A gritty, emotional, and surprisingly fun game that exists at an odd halfway point between the old Oregon Trail and survival games like Don't Starve.”
- “Make no mistake, I wasn't looking for another this war of mine, where you could see the effects of war, feel the emotional impact of every event, and your ability to survive was based on your actions.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be quite tedious and reliant on random number generation (RNG), requiring multiple attempts to succeed, often between 35 and 50 times, depending on their build. This grindy nature can lead to frustration, as encounters feel repetitive and drawn out.
- “Lodging spawns randomly at the last section on the map in numbers ranging from 3 to 7, so you will have to beat the game anywhere between 35 to 50 times with an intelligent build; it's very grindy.”
- “A very grindy game that involves a bit of RNG.”
- “At first, I thought that these encounters were ridiculous and tedious.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by its absurd and chaotic elements, including amusingly crafted items and unintentionally funny scenes resulting from rushed editing and translation issues. Players noted that the lack of voice acting contributed to the overall comedic experience, making the bizarre dialogue and scenarios even more entertaining.
- “The game features a wealth of things you can craft that will be useful, but the cooked items are hilarious.”
- “Rushed editing, untranslated speech bubbles, punctuation chaos, and misspellings gave way to oddly hilarious scenes that left me wondering what I signed up for.”
- “I bet that some funny voices or any voice acting at all, no matter how unskilled, would have at least put a smile on my face enough to overlook some of the game's other weak points.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
Character development is generally well-received, with unique designs that give each character a distinct identity. However, some users question the choice of color palettes and design elements, suggesting that they may not effectively convey the intended emotional depth.
- “Character designs are all decently done with enough attention to give each of them their own unique looks.”
- “Sure, not everything has to be black and white to show desperation, but why would you choose this color palette? Why would you choose character designs like this?”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with any of them.”
- “I expected more growth and complexity from the characters, but they all seem one-dimensional and predictable.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviewers note that while the game includes promotional splash screens for upcoming projects and add-on content, the monetization strategy does not feel overly intrusive or disruptive to the gameplay experience.
- “It's one thing to have a splash screen in the corner advertising your upcoming projects and add-on content.”
- “The constant push for in-game purchases feels more like a cash grab than a fair monetization strategy.”
- “I feel like I'm being forced to spend money just to enjoy the game fully.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The atmosphere is praised for its vibrant and clean artwork, contributing to a visually appealing and immersive experience.
- “Every atmosphere is well drawn in clean, colorful artwork.”
- “The game immerses you in a beautifully crafted world that feels alive and vibrant.”
- “The sound design and visuals combine to create an enchanting atmosphere that pulls you in.”