Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture
Yaughton, Shropshire. 06:37am 6th June 1984. Deep within the Shropshire countryside, the village of Yaughton stands empty. Toys lie forgotten in the playground, the wind blows quarantine leaflets around the silent churchyard. Down on Appleton’s farm, crops rustle untended. The birds lie where they have fallen. Strange voices haunt the radio waves as uncollected washing hangs listlessly on the line. The televisions are tuned to vacant channels. Above it all, the telescopes of the Observatory point out at dead stars and endless darkness. And someone remains behind, to try and unravel the mystery. Immerse yourself in a rich, deep adventure from award-winning developer The Chinese Room and investigate the last days of Yaughton Valley. Uncover the traces of the vanished community; discover fragments of events and memories to piece together the mystery of the apocalypse.
Game Discussion
Steam User 18
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is one of those games that sticks with you, not because of intense action or fast paced game play, but because of how beautifully it tells its story. It's my all time favourite release and I love to revisit it every few years.
The graphics make you feel as though you're walking through a painting of the English countryside and the music is just incredible. The score really ties the whole experience together and adds so much emotion to every moment.
It's definitely a slow burn, so if you're looking for something action packed, this probably isn’t for you. But if you enjoy thoughtful, atmospheric stories, it’s absolutely worth your time and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Steam User 24
-Lux æterna luceat eis, Domine.
The light we cast
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is an immersive narrative experience, a walking simulator with a gripping story, beautiful graphics and stunning soundtrack. If you loved Dear Esther, Gone Home or What Remains of Edith Finch you will most likely appreciate what this game has to offer as well. Prepare for a dreamlike walk in 1984's Yaughton, an English village, where apparently everyone has vanished. Empty houses, cars left abandoned on similarly deserted streets: an inexplicable emptiness that would be terrifying, if only there wasn't such a mournful serenity to this desolation.
-Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine.
Despite Rapture's melancholic facade, watch out for lightborne poignance and the attrition that comes with everyday life. You may take a peek at vignettes from the lives of Yaughton's residents and bring their lowest points to light. In this most lonesome seance, bear witness: the people are gone, but their failures remain. Their shortcomings, forever part of the light they cast. It is human nature -to err is human, after all. As is the innate drive to seek answers. Much like you do.
The answers are in the light. Always have been. But what else lies there with them, nesting in the brightest afterglow, waiting? On the fringes of the dimmest constellation, watching? There, in the everlasting, glaring light.
Do you want to find out?
-Et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Steam User 14
I cried just explaining this game, incredibly haunting story and visually stunning. The voice acting, the things the people who's story you follow go through.. 11/10 would bawl like a child again
Steam User 10
This definitely won't be a game for everyone. But it is a hauntingly beautiful experience if you are someone who possesses the patience and inquisitive nature to (slowly) move through an unraveling story via atmospheric exploration rather than action and puzzles. The voice acting is phenomenal, graphics are lovely (especially if you are a fan of an English town setting), and the soundtrack is gorgeous.
If you are having trouble telling voices apart, I recommend turning the subtitles on.
Performance: You'll need a reasonably decent computer to play this game, but I did not experience any issues that I saw some mention in the comments. I had one event where I got stuck on stairs, but luckily reloading only meant replaying 6 minutes.
Steam User 8
This is a beautiful game you shouldn't play when you're bored because it's boring to the peak, very slow walk and slow storytelling. It's the game that you'll play because you really wanna know what you gon find in the end.
Steam User 10
This game is a masterpiece. The story is immersive, the atmosphere is great, the music by Jessica is phenomenal. The walking is a little slow but its not that bad if you hold down the brisk walk button. Please Chinese Room, make this game a VR experience
Steam User 6
It really is a shame that after all these years Sony never made Chinese Room fix the performance on this, this game had a disc release on console, there's a vinyl release of the soundtrack, it's published by Playstation so it's not just some cheap indie title. Rapture is easily one of the best stories I've ever played; the music, the voice acting, the scenery are all spectacular, serious 11/10 and are worth the ticket price alone; but the drops to 10fps make what should be a peaceful, and eventually heart wrenching, game a frustrating slog. Please, Sony or Chinese Room, fix this or give us a remaster, Rapture deserves it, Yaughton deserves it, Kate deserves it.