Home is Where One Starts...
Released May 2015
Home is Where One Starts... is a short, first-person exploration game in the same vein as Dear Esther or Gone Home. It’s a story about childhood, hope, and the miracle of memory. You play as a little girl from a broken home somewhere in the American South.
77% positive · 720 reviews
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Where to buy
Steam $0.74 $2.99 −75%
Can't confirm — worth a look
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Evaluation
Home is Where One Starts... is a short, self-contained first-person exploration game that launched on May 12, 2015. The developer, David Wehle, released a feature update on August 31, 2015 adding Linux support, subtitles, and trading cards. In March 2016, he announced he was moving on to a new project, The First Tree. On April 20, 2020, he returned to the game with a surprise remastered edition — a major overhaul that included a 64-bit engine upgrade, graphical improvements, controller support, and bug fixes. In that same post, the developer was clear that this update was motivated by a desire to preserve the game for future players and that he generally prefers to move on to new projects rather than revisit old ones. No further updates have been posted since April 20, 2020, and no new content has been announced. The game is a complete, finished experience — a short narrative piece that the developer has explicitly described as a concluded work. The 2020 remaster represents the final, polished version of the game.
Evidence
Developer released a remastered edition with major technical and graphical overhauls, citing a desire to keep the game playable for future players. Noted that he is 'normally not one to work on old projects' and prefers to move on to new things — framing this as a farewell update rather than the start of ongoing support.
Developer announced he was moving on from this game to fund and develop his next project, The First Tree.
Media
Details
Developer
Publisher
David Wehle
Achievements
8
Platform
Windows, macOS, Linux
Controller
full support
Steam Deck
Not rated
Players
Single-player
About this game
“I remember when I was a little girl, waiting at the end of my driveway. I had already missed the school bus, but I stood there anyway… envying the birds.”
Home is Where One Starts... is a short, first-person exploration game in the same vein as Dear Esther or Gone Home. It’s an experience where every object has been carefully placed to tell a poignant story—a story about childhood, hope, and the miracle of memory. You play as a little girl from a broken home somewhere in the American South. Exploring the lonely countryside reveals clues and vignettes which help the player answer the question of where home is—and how one can get there.
Home is Where One Starts... is a short, first-person exploration game in the same vein as Dear Esther or Gone Home. It’s an experience where every object has been carefully placed to tell a poignant story—a story about childhood, hope, and the miracle of memory. You play as a little girl from a broken home somewhere in the American South. Exploring the lonely countryside reveals clues and vignettes which help the player answer the question of where home is—and how one can get there.
Key features:
- A quiet, non-linear story told by the future self of a reflective narrator
- Inspired by the rural countryside and stories like John Steinbeck’s East of Eden and Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life
- A 15-30 minute experience that can be completed in one sitting
- An experience that focuses on atmosphere rather than action or puzzles
- A rich, detailed environment that rewards players who explore with story insights and secret endings
Are these done yet?
Last evaluated Jun 27, 2026
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