Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture

This game gets downvoted for 3 reasons.
1. You can't run. -
Actually you can run, but even that is slow. If you wanna move fast, play another game.
2. Not optimized well.
It runs on the cryengine, and while very pretty, is not optimized very well. You'll need a descent rig to play the game.
3. Save system sucks.
The save system does suck, in that you have to manually install a 'beta' fix to make it better. You can find instructions pinned in the forums. It's not difficult, but it does require an extra step.
PLEASE DON'T LET THESE SMALL THINGS KEEP YOU FROM THIS GREAT GAME.
Yes, it's a walking simulator. It's not everyone's cup of tea. But I adore this game and the work The Chinese Room did. If you're ok with slow/atmospheric gaming, you will too. This is a different kind of gaming experience. Play it on a spring day. Enjoy a walk.

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is a game about the end of the world. You wander the remains of an English village, reminiscing, watching memories of people scramble to reckon with what is coming. You witness their last moments, each filled by turns with fear and despair, cruelty and pain, tenderness and hope. On the cusp of a new world, you linger nostalgically on the old one. The mood is wistful. Bittersweet.
And then, ultimately, you walk into the new world, and submit yourself to the unknown.
I thought this game was just alright the first time I played it in 2018. But it has lingered with me in unexpected ways since, and today, over six months into a global pandemic, with what seems like a new disaster on the horizon daily, I find it has only grown more and more resonant with time. When I'm having a lot of feelings and need something to meet me where I'm at, I reinstall this game and play it. If that's what you need, too, give this game a look.

I would argue this is the pinnacle of Walking Simulators. Buy this game. Pour a few pints. Smoke something. Immerse yourself in a rather incredible emotional experience.

I started this game expecting to play a few chapters and then play the rest another time or two. I wound up doing the entire game in one sitting--I could not put it down. I was absolutely absorbed by everything--the story, the graphics, the music. I played it a few days ago and it has absolutely stuck with me, and I think it will for a long time. I sort of rushed through the first playthrough, thinking that I had to follow the orb of light at all times, so I'm planning on replaying it very soon so that I can do more exploring in the open-world environment.

First off; this is a walking sim. If that isn't the experience you're looking for, this is not for you. Don't buy a walking sim and then complain that it's too much like a walking sim. Second: Figure out how to hack the walking speed (or use the optional running feature) but don't go overboard on the speed increase in your first playthough. EGttR is beautiful, and rushing through it the first time really takes away from the overall experience. That said, 2.5-3x the walk speed should be about right. But it is beautiful, and thought provoking. It elicits emotional responses, and allows you to feel compassion for characters you dislike. It can be religious if that is your way of viewing the world, or sci-fi if religion isn't your thing. Definitely worth the ~3 hours - go spend some time in a quaint village. Learn about the villagers and their relationships...learn about what happened to them.

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is a first-person walking simulator from the creators of Dear Esther (The Chinese Room).
You explore a fictional deserted village in England. Your objective is to explore and try to discover how and why everyone has disappeared.
It has a great looking open-world and a beautiful soundtrack.
In terms of gameplay there is not much aside from opening doors or turning on radios. So no puzzle solving or any other features to interact with the world. It is all about walking, listening, and watching.
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is a thoughtful game with excellent writing and great voice acting.
However, absolutely annoying is that the walking speed is way too slow.
There is also no replay value except if you are an achievement collector.
People who like relaxing walking simulator games will like it, especially those who played and liked Dear Esther. People who need more interaction will probably not be satisfied at all with Everybody's Gone to the Rapture.
Sounds 9/10
Graphics 9/10
Gameplay 1/10
Atmosphere 9/10
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Yes, this is a walking simulator. No, you don't get much agency. Yes, EGttR is somewhere in between a radio play and immersive theatre, Yes, if you're someone who often calls things 'pretentious', you're likely to find this pretentious.
I've played EGttR twice now, and while I didn't like it quite as much the second time around - sometimes it felt a bit too sentimental and twee for its own good - I still find it a very effectively told story that absolutely needs to be interactive entertainment, rather than a film or a book. It's beautiful to look at, and the music is beautiful too - and I found that in 2021, after more than twelve months of pandemic, its story about the end of the world resonated even more in some ways. This sense of loss, of witnessing the lives of people who are gone: all of that carries a meaning for me that it mightn't have before this pandemic began. EGttR is definitely not for everyone, and that's okay: you're not somehow a philistine for not liking it, nor are you pretentious if you do like it. It does what it sets out to do pretty well, namely engage you in a poignant sci-fi drama.