There are many games on the market today, visual novels and not, which contain oodles of content. Tons of endings, things to collect, places to explore, people to talk to, choices to make. And in the visual novel genre there are uncountable games wherein the fictional people a player meets can be mechanically enticed into relationships of many natures. Man I Just Wanna Go Home does not contain oodles of content, nor does it have a harem of tropes for a player to groom. But it absolutely oozes soul.
It's apparent immediately from the visual style achieved by artist and developer Aleksei Gerasimov, a jagged, impressionistic series of images and simple animations that capture an immaculate, soaking wet, smoke-scented vibe, unmistakably Slavic and working class. The player assumes control of a delivery person, stranded in a downpour, in the dead of night, in an unfamiliar part of the city, penniless and soaked, with the singular goal stated right there in the title; go home. The city rendered here is oppressive, dark, and even dangerous; interiors are more often warm and welcoming; and despite the clean lines and shapes, everything is covered in a layer of implied age and grime. Stark, high saturation colors paired with exaggerated shapes and perspectives create emotionally resonant visuals for every situation our protagonist finds them self in: the resigned exhaustion of an underpaid worker commuting home, the anxiety of unfamiliar spaces and situations, the small comfort of friendly strangers, the desperate, animal fear of death. Every frame projected into your eyeballs is a visual treat, handcrafted to make you feel what your put-upon protagonist is experiencing. The synth music of Nikita Sivushkin and limited sound effects hammer home this vibe too; not the sort of soundtrack that draws attention to itself, but one that creates time and emotion, pairing well with the rest of the aesthetic.
The writing is excellent as well, though the visuals are so strong that it feels somewhat muted in comparison. It sets the mood of the piece exactly where it needs to be, in the visceral immediacy of our characters moment-to-moment, drawing the player into the right head-space without too often relying on flowery language or poetic imagery. You know, kinda like the opposite of this review. The game's language is alternately blunt and sharp, getting across what needs to be said, hitting the player emotionally when it needs to, giving the visuals room to breathe when they better convey an idea or feeling. This is best seen in the character interactions, where everyone speaks like real people do: in clipped phrases of implication, with weighty emotional significance when it's warranted. No one feels like a caricature, even when they arguably are one: the giant bouncer, the scummy mob boss, the friendly bartender, the idiot cop. Each a figure seen in a thousand noir-flavored stories like this one, but here they each have a quirk, a tiny twist, written subtly into the short script, so they stick with the player a little more than just the impression of their trope. Over the multiple routes and playthroughs a player will take (it's a short game with multiple endings, after all), they'll see different interactions with several of them, fleshing them out just a bit, with an unspoken emphasis on the interconnectedness of all of their lives.
The multiple endings are very much worth seeing, and with the developer's implementation of an incredibly generous and simple save system, running through every choice twice to see how they play out is certainly the intended experience. It may grate against a certain type of player to see repeat dialogue or scenes, but frankly I was so bewitched by the stunning visuals and richly communicated experience of it all, it only even occurred to me when I'd made a mistake in my saving/loading/choosing cycle. Largely avoiding the pitfalls of other games in it's genre, the endings here mostly feel weighty and "earned," and not in a way that flatters the player's ego. You will not be rewarded for "doing the right thing." You will experience consequences for your actions that are not entirely clear at the moment of those actions. Many of the endings are darkly morbid, and in general the only commonality those have is the lack of curiosity that will lead you to them. Take an interest in the people of this small, damp universe, and you will experience the best it has to offer, pleasant and otherwise.
There is no "best" ending here, other than the one you, the player, decide satisfies you. How did you move through this mirror of our own world? Did you choose safety? Comfort? Risk? Greed? Kindness? These are all contained in the soul that pours out of this game, a messy mix of human experience, both jarring and familiar. Man I Just Wanna Go Home is a piece that speaks to the human condition, of myriad types of people in non-ideal circumstances, trying to make their way in the world. Trying to get home.
