Review: Homebody (Nintendo Switch) – Pure Nintendo
If you’ve ever wondered what you’d get by crossing the movie “Groundhog Day” with the game “Granny,” Homebody is a pretty close result. In this game, you play as the timid and anxious Emily on her trip to visit some friends and watch a meteor shower. However, like all horror games, things don’t go exactly according to plan.
Upon entering the house you and your friends rented, the front door locks, and no one can leave. Things only escalate from there. After you’ve had a chance to explore the house a bit and catch up with your friends, the power goes out. Spooked out, Emily talks with her friends about these occurrences, but they convince her it’s nothing. They are soon proven wrong when a murderer enters the house to claim his victims.
In Homebody, you have to solve puzzles around the house to escape both it and the killer lurking inside. There are places in which you can hide to guarantee your safety from this bad guy. And even if you’re caught and murdered, the game doesn’t end; you just start the day over. Luckily, you are able to keep all of the items and clues you’ve found, so you don’t have to start from scratch.
Homebody starts with Emily in a tunnel. You have to walk to the end of it and trigger a cutscene. Once you’ve done so, you then are playing as Emily in her car on the way to the house her friends have rented. She’s speaking on the phone with someone, and sounds very clearly anxious to meet up with her friends, who she claims she hasn’t spoken to in quite a while. During her drive, you continue to talk to this person for a while, and have the option of choosing your own dialogue. Once the conversation is over, Emily arrives at the rented house, and this is when the gameplay actually begins. Like stated before, the first couple of minutes include you exploring the house and catching up with your friends. Talking to them allows you to discover why Emily hasn’t seen them in so long, and why she was so anxious to reconnect.
An early tutorial shows you how to interact with objects, and how certain things you come across are entered into your memory log, where you can access them at any time. This memory log is probably the most important part of the game, as items and clues you find are entered here and allow you to then solve puzzles to escape. One example of how this process works is the first puzzle you solve, in which you need to find a passcode to enter the property on which the house resides. You have a text from one of your friends in your memory log that tells you the password is on a post-it note by the device in which you enter the code. The puzzles aren’t too difficult at all, and if you ever get stuck, your friends provide you with some hints here and there.
The unique thing about Homebody, is that it not only focuses on the fear of being chased by a murderer in an unknown house, but also the fear of social interactions and awkward conversations. The game creates an environment in which it’s nearly impossible to feel comfortable at all because of Emily’s anxiety, and the obvious vibe of awkwardness and small talk her friends give off. Combining these two elements really makes you feel alone and vulnerable in a situation where you don’t want that at all.
On top of this, Homebody also has a throwback style to old horror games, and its graphics really compliment that. Even though the game is displayed in an aged 3D appearance, it’s still a nice style to look at, which makes the game so much more enjoyable.
The controls are also fairly simple, allowing the game to be easily played and understood.
Homebody is a very well-made horror game that focuses in equal measure on physical and mental fears. Its style and storytelling make it one definitely worth the play, as it’s scary, suspenseful, and touching.
