I just finished playing the first computer game I’ve played since…I dunno, whenever The Sims 3 came out. It’s called Gone Home. It’s fantastic.

You play the game as Kaitlin Greenbriar, a 22 year old returning from an extended European adventure to her family’s Oregon home on a dark, stormy night in June of 1995. Kaitlin finds the house deserted and must explore every room (and secret passage!) for clues to piece together where her family has gone. The main “mystery” involves Samantha, Katie’s younger sister, who narrates a series of notes, short stories and journal entries to help tell a thrilling and emotionally-charged story. Even though I was basically picking up objects and reading documents for most of the game, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. (Actually, I was just sitting in my bed kind of tensed up, but whatever.) Gone Home only takes a few hours to play, but I think it’s an experience I’ll remember for a while.

Oh, also! There’s lots of riot grrrl stuff! And I’m a fan of anything that heavily integrates Heavens to Betsy.