No Longer Home

A deeply personal two-hour meditation on saying goodbye that invites you to channel your lived experiences and walk alongside its characters. It’s a little sparse on the details, but No Longer Home still gives players plenty to chew on.

70%Game Brain Score

story, graphics

gameplay, grinding

67% User Score Based on 215 reviews

Critic Score 69%Based on 6 reviews

Platforms

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About

No Longer Home is a single player casual action adventure game with a drama theme. It was developed by Cel Davison and was released on July 30, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

"No Longer Home" is a semi-auto-biographical point and click game, about two recent graduates preparing to move out of their flat.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

67%

Audience ScoreBased on 215 reviews

story38 positive mentions

gameplay5 negative mentions

The game features beautiful visuals and a unique art style that enhances the emotional experience.
The writing is relatable and captures the struggles of transitioning into adulthood, resonating with many players.
The soundtrack is soothing and complements the game's atmosphere, creating an immersive experience.

The pacing is extremely slow, making it difficult for some players to stay engaged throughout the game.
Dialogue can feel lengthy and at times, lacks meaningful choices that impact the story.
The gameplay mechanics, such as character movement and interaction, can be clunky and frustrating.

story
147 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
69%
5%
The story of "No Longer Home" is a semi-autobiographical narrative that explores the emotional complexities of transitioning from university life to adulthood, focusing on two non-binary characters facing the challenges of a long-distance relationship. While some players found the themes relatable and the storytelling poignant, others criticized the pacing, lack of character development, and an overall sense of monotony in the dialogue and gameplay. The game is visually appealing and offers a unique perspective on personal struggles, but opinions vary on its ability to engage players fully.
- “No Longer Home is simply a beautiful, atmospheric, and moving story about the uncertainties that come with entering a new chapter of your life, leaving university and trying to find your place in this world.”
- “The story is so good that I can recommend it on that alone; this is a very interesting and relevant story and one that you should check out.”
- “Portrayed through the lens of a single flat, the story shares a deeply relatable emotional journey one goes through after exiting the institutional boundaries of education and entering the overwhelming reality of adulthood.”
- “As a story game lover, I'm... disappointed.”
- “However, I feel like there should've been more prologue/emotional buildup to the story.”
- “The story simply isn't interesting enough.”
graphics
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
59%
5%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a unique and minimalist art style that evokes a warm, inviting atmosphere, often compared to the aesthetics of "Kentucky Route Zero." While many players appreciate the vibrant visuals and soothing soundtrack, some critique the simplistic, low-poly design and lack of detail in character features. Overall, the visuals are seen as a blend of beautiful and distinct, though opinions vary on their effectiveness in enhancing the gameplay experience.
- “The game's vibrant visuals create a warm atmosphere, while the soothing soundtrack enhances the emotional experience.”
- “The art style is clean and comforting, the music is soothing (if not mesmerizing), and the writing is pretty decent.”
- “The visuals are stunning, the story is great.”
- “The game has a surreal interpretation of scenes and elements, but the simple polygonal graphics and UI feel like they are from the primitive early age of computer graphics, straight lifted from Kentucky Route Zero from 2013.”
- “I found the graphics displeasing at times; the characters seem to slump when walking around and have a nose but no other facial features, which may be an attempt to emphasize non-binary representation.”
- “Graphically and stylistically too derivative of Kentucky Route Zero, making it difficult to invest in the extremely short and, unfortunately, boring story.”
music
59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
46%
5%
The music in the game is widely praised for its soothing, ambient qualities that enhance the emotional experience and atmosphere, often described as calming and beautifully composed. Many reviewers noted that the soundtrack complements the visuals and narrative effectively, creating a warm and immersive environment, although some found it overly tranquil to the point of inducing boredom. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and emotional depth.
- “The game's vibrant visuals create a warm atmosphere, while the soothing soundtrack enhances the emotional experience.”
- “The music works very hard to establish the mood.”
- “The soundtrack is perfect!”
- “I didn't love the headache, nausea, or anxiety the music gave me.”
- “The game is extremely boring and it's very difficult to stay awake while playing as all the audio is soothing music and little ASMR sounds for the voices.”
- “The game was kind of boring at first and I can't quite say why, but I had the impression the creators want me to care about the characters too fast... like, I only just started the game and there's already this disturbing sounding music and disturbing looking shapes floating in the bedroom but I don't really know why I'm supposed to be disturbed, and I don't care.”
emotional
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
96%
4%
The emotional aspect of the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it a poignant exploration of growing up and change, enhanced by heartfelt dialogue and beautiful visuals. However, others felt the emotional buildup was lacking, leading to a meandering narrative that failed to resonate deeply. While the game successfully evokes feelings of nostalgia and relatability for some, others criticized its pacing and perceived lack of character development, resulting in a polarized reception regarding its emotional impact.
- “An emotional and poignant exploration of growing up and changing.”
- “The heartfelt dialogue and relatable characters resonate deeply with anyone who has faced significant life changes.”
- “Overall, No Longer Home is a touching and introspective journey that captures the complexities of change.”
- “Graphically and stylistically too derivative of Kentucky Route Zero, making it difficult to invest in the extremely short and, unfortunately, boring story; two characters have finished university and now must move on with their lives.”
gameplay
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
69%
19%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it slow, boring, and lacking in engaging mechanics. While some appreciate the artistic elements and the focus on story, others criticize the gameplay for being monotonous and overly simplistic, often feeling more like a visual novel than a traditional game. Overall, the experience is described as melancholic and abstract, with a significant emphasis on dialogue and exploration rather than dynamic interactions.
- “I haven’t finished the game yet, but the mechanics work well and it is easy to follow.”
- “I did appreciate the vastness of the accessibility menu and how much they offered to make the gameplay easier on those with trouble hearing, seeing, and reading.”
- “Gameplay-wise, you explore the flat and make choices during conversations, where you'll reply for either of the characters at times.”
- “Boring gameplay.”
- “Gameplay tends to be on the dull side, mainly involves walking around the house, pointing, clicking.”
- “Boring, flat, monotonous gameplay; nothing really has a meaning, nothing is really explained, everything seems abstract and random in the story.”
atmosphere
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
37%
27%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by vibrant visuals and a soothing soundtrack that together create a warm, immersive experience. Reviewers highlight the effective use of art and music to evoke themes of disorientation, belonging, and change, resulting in a dreamlike quality that enhances the emotional depth of the narrative. Overall, the atmosphere is described as beautiful, moving, and integral to the player's experience.
- “The game's vibrant visuals create a warm atmosphere, while the soothing soundtrack enhances the emotional experience.”
- “No Longer Home is simply a beautiful, atmospheric, and moving story about the uncertainties that come with entering a new chapter of your life, leaving university, and trying to find your place in this world.”
- “Any atmosphere would disappear completely if you muted the soundtrack.”
- “There is an existential, dreamlike mundanity to the game’s atmosphere where these real-life worries about saying goodbye to others and moving out are made extraordinary.”
- “The whole atmosphere of the game was subtle but effective in the way of emphasizing themes of disorientation, belonging, and change or...well the end of something.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to unskippable cutscenes and slow panning transitions that disrupt the flow of gameplay. The lengthy dialogue also contributes to a sense of monotony, making the experience feel drawn out and frustrating at times.
- “Waiting for the zoom to pan out is really grinding at times, and there's no possibility to skip cutscenes.”
- “It started feeling slow and tedious with the panning in and out that you could not skip, and the character movement somehow mirrored my frustration with the excessive panning.”
- “In all honesty, I felt like the game's dialogue went on too long in places and became tedious to go through as the key concepts were rattled out.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is well-received, featuring clever ghoulie references and amusing media nods. The dialogue is noted for its authenticity and social relevance, tackling topics like gentrification in a light-hearted manner without being preachy, while the characters' speech reflects an Americanized style that adds to the comedic effect.
- “There's also some good ghoulies and funny media references, so A+ for that.”
- “Finally, and quite hilariously, the way the characters speak in this game is as if it had been written by Americans - no slang such as 'quid' instead of 'pound' is used.”
- “The discussions are often socially relevant and regularly humorous, such as gentrification in London, but never didactic, and the dialogue feels authentic to two progressive characters trying to make it out in a capitalist reality.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game offers limited replayability due to its short story and few alternative paths, but it compensates with engaging and relatable dialogue that encourages multiple playthroughs.
- “It has lots of replayability and lots of amazingly natural and relatable dialogue.”
- “This is a very short story, with limited replay value to explore other paths.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Character development is highlighted by strong character design and engaging conversations, contributing to a compelling narrative experience.
- “The character design is impressive, and the conversations are mostly interesting.”
- “The depth of character development really enhances the overall experience.”
- “I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, making each interaction feel meaningful.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game is well-optimized, running smoothly and encouraging players to engage with its mechanics before unlocking full features, enhancing the overall experience.
- “The game runs smoothly; I like the fact that you have to play a little before you unlock what allows you to experience the game fully.”
- “The optimization is impressive, making the gameplay fluid and enjoyable even on lower-end systems.”
- “I appreciate how the developers have fine-tuned the performance, ensuring that the game maintains a steady frame rate throughout.”