The Way Home

One thing no one knows for sure is what happens after we die, even if there are probably thousands of theories and ideas out there. The most common of them is that we might linger as spirits or ghosts after our body stops working, which doesn’t sound that bad. However, this ethereal form is usually just a temporary stop required in order to reach another world.

The Way Home is an interactive visual novel in which you play the role of a ghost that wakes up on top of a hill without any memory of how it got there or why he/she died. The game is far from complex in terms of gameplay mechanics, but it has all the right ingredients to keep you invested for a few minutes, given the funny puns and simple plot progression.

As far as the story is concerned, your character feels compelled to go home, although he is unclear on where that is. Hence, one of the first things you have to worry about is picking the right route, which is achieved by choosing one direction or the other at various intervals. In case you make the wrong choice, the game abruptly ends, although you can quickly load a previous save and try again.

To add even more of a challenge to the whole thing, you also have to watch out for a black ghost that seems to be after you. Although it’s possible to have a chat with it at some point, the dialog choices can actually lead to another game over screen, so you have to pay attention to its attitude at all times. There are five different endings you can reach depending on your choices, so the replay value is pretty decent.

As far as the artwork is concerned, the actual ghosts are nothing more than blobs with funny faces on, but the backgrounds are a tad more detailed and enjoyable. Hence, you can visit a few different scenes over the course of the game, each one of which is different. The music is not bad either, but it’s definitely not worthy of any awards.

Even if it doesn’t bring any new elements to the table, The Way Home can be quite fun for a playthrough or two, especially since it doesn’t take long to go through the game from start to finish. Thus, it’s a great way to add some fun to a boring afternoon.