Everybody's Gone to the Rapture Review

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is a profoundly sad game and that's not necessarily a bad thing in fact it's that aspect of the game that saves it. Because while the central mystery of why or even how everybody has disappeared in this sleepy little English village is the driving force of the story it quickly falls to the wayside when you catch glimpses or more accurately echoes of the lives people had in this town. The game is what has become known, facetiously, as a walking simulator. Basically it means that your interactions with the world are limited, in this games case it's limited simply to opening doors, turning on lights, and listening to radios and telephones with messages on them.

The games story is told through mysterious balls of light that wander around certain areas of the village leading you to points of interest. Once you get close enough silhouettes of light appear depicting moments in the lives of the people who lived in this town. These scenes and the stories they tell are the real strength of the game, phenomenally well voice acted and written, these people and their interactions feel real and relatable. Each area of the game, there are 6 in total, you follow a specific character; they may drift in and out of other characters stories but each area tends to focus on one character and their final days in the village.

The thing that ties all these little scenes and characters together is the focus on relationships. Not just of a romantic nature but familial, friendships, or even with god. I guarantee at least one of the characters or one of the relationships depicted will strike a chord with anybody who plays this game. And these are complicated stories, their isn't the happy one, or the tragic one, they are all messy. Everybody shares the same moments of sadness, regret, hope, fear, joy. This game was an amazing experience, one of great joy and at the same time, sad reflection because it forces you to think about similar moments in your life.

The truly wonderful thing about Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is that these are topics video games don't ever delve into and it's a game like this that reminds me why I love this medium so much. It's the only interactive storytelling medium and that is such a powerful device that it's astounding more games don't take advantage of it. But that's a topic for another post. Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is not what I was expecting, it sets up a big mystery about a potential Rapture that; minor spoilers: is quite dissatisfying. But instead serves up this incredibly poignant interweaving story of people and their relationships. I loved every second of Everybody's Gone to the Rapture but not for any of the reasons I thought I might.

(5 out of 5)