Everybody's Gone to the Rapture (2015) is another one of those weirdly memorable walking simulators that I absolutely adore. While many people debate about these sims being "real games" I could hardly care less. As a serious lifelong gamer, I love them. This game, by the same brilliant makers of Dear Esther (another one of my favorite games in the peculiar exploding genre of walking simulators) left its mark, moved me like crazy. It was dazzling and unforgettable.
In Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, the player explores a small English town whose inhabitants have all mysteriously disappeared by some devastating post-apocalyptic cause. The player can interact with floating lights throughout the world, most of which can reveal parts of the story. The player can also interact with objects scattered throughout the world which help unravel the story, bit by bit. It was a very unique game, one that will linger on in my mind for a some while. The stories were so meaningful and moving.
As an art form- it's artistically mind blowing, kept me intrigued until the end, yet the pacing is very slow, relaxing even. The most ironic thing about this game is the huge amount of character development...in a game with no living, visible characters, what-so-ever. What-what? This game is so incredibly powerful, haunting, moving, emotional, thought-provoking and just plain all around beautiful. The visual sceneries are utterly breath-taking, and the music is rapturing.
I highly recommend this for fans of the walking sim genre.
STORY: 10/10
GAMEPLAY: 10/10
GRAPHICS: 10/10
ART DESIGN: 10/10
MUSIC: 10/10
OVERALL RATING: 10.
