The game that impressed me with its story No Longer Game

Today, I accompany Bo and Ao's story in our No Longer Home review content, which draws attention with its different style and gameplay.

There are some games that take away with their story. It makes you forget the time even while playing. It impresses with its story, and it takes this impressiveness to the next level with its gameplay. Here, No Longer Home is a game of this consistency. I witness Ao and Bo's self-discovery as partners in the story of two friends looking to the end of their time together in a London flat.

System requirements

Requires 64-bit processor and operating system

Operating System: Windows 7 SP1

Processor: Intel i3 or equivalent

Memory: 2GB of RAM

Video Card: DirectX 11 compatible GPU

DirectX: Version 11

Storage: 1 GB available space

No Longer Home begins with Ao And Bo meeting through a chat at the beginning of their friendship. With this short conversation, we begin to learn about the personalities of our characters even before entering the game. Ao and Bo are about to graduate from their university and this first conversation is in such an ambiguous situation that they both discuss their fears and anxieties. When the game restarts a year later, we learn that Ao and Bo now live together in an apartment and are trying their best to make a living. Unfortunately, Ao and Bo fall apart soon after. Thus begins the unique story of No Longer Home.

No Longer Home offers a more intimate story than you might expect from the start. As soon as the game starts, it reveals to the player that it is semi-autobiographical and heavily based on the lived experiences of two developers, Hana Lee and Cel Davison. Playing as both Ao and Bo, it is quite possible to find a piece of yourself during the time you spend in each room of the apartment. I can view every room of the house isometrically, and I'm in for new surprises as you rotate each area to reveal new items and new areas to explore.

The mental state of the characters is also understandably outweighed by this impending separation. Through the game's story, conversations, thoughts and feelings; it explores themes such as future uncertainty, indifference and indecision, what it means to truly be "yourself", and the larger sociological institutions that shape the way we live our lives. Ao or Bo can have internal reactions to something mundane. This not only provides depth to our characters, but also reflects the importance of tiny things in our memories. . Similarly, while No Longer Home focuses on many serious things, it also remembers that even in times of uncertainty and stress, life isn't all that optimistic.

Exploring, the core mechanics of the game

The gameplay of No Longer Home is quite simple. While following the conversations between Ao and Bo, we also explore various rooms. There aren't many objects to interact with, but the things you can explore always lead to new information that will help deepen your understanding of the characters. One of the most enjoyable parts of gameplay is giving the player the opportunity to control the flow of conversations. I am able to choose between multiple dialogue options, which can be split between both a single character and various participants.

Musically, it offers some beautiful pieces that are more preoccupied with setting the mood and tone of the scene than creating a catchy melody. Whenever a character speaks, music connected to the dialogues enters and supports the gameplay.

No Longer Home, the story of Ao and Bo

No Longer Home is usually able to give the player everything he wants to give. It was a bit of a challenge for me to find the things he didn't do well. It delivers exactly what is expected of a short and personal story. I would have liked to play the story of Ao and Bo a little longer. Offering 3-4 hours of gameplay, No Longer Home tackles the issues it presents in a natural, unobtrusive way and allows the player space to reflect on themselves. Even if you're not sure you can relate directly to the situation Ao and Bo find themselves in, you can give this story a chance.