Three Fourths Home: Extended Edition (Nintendo Switch) Review

By Adam Riley 27.06.2018

Review for Three Fourths Home: Extended Edition on Nintendo Switch

Everyone loves a good story, and the team at Cubed3 is no different. Just look at how beloved Steins;Gate and Steins;Gate 0 were, for instance - just two examples of instant classics. When a gripping tale is told, even translating into videogame format works just as well as reading an actual book. Three Fourths Home takes on that very notion, bringing with it some expanded post-story content for this Extended Edition on Nintendo Switch. Should novel fans get excited, or just wait for the eventual Steins port instead?

This is a short story shoved into gaming format, with the false feeling of hope that real control is given to the user by the inclusion of options to guide the conversation. It has won awards for its emotional content, touching on the relationship between Kelly and her mother, father, and little brother. Except this is not a gripping story in the slightest; instead, it is a dour trek, with the conversation not progressing unless the drive button is held down, and when it does, it lacks any strength.

You 'play' as Kelly, driving back from Nebraska, talking on her mobile to the family back home who are confused as to why she was out there in the first place, and also worried because of the impending storm. Let go of the drive button, and her vehicle stops, along with the progression of any chatting. Keep that finger held down, folks - you really are going to want to fly through this drag of a tale.

Screenshot for Three Fourths Home: Extended Edition on Nintendo Switch

There is no edge to the yarn woven, nothing to grab the attention away from the finger ache that creeps in from always holding down that drive button, or the mundane actions of turning headlights on and off, or playing with the radio. Three Fourths Home desperately relies on users being sucked in by the drunken father, quirky brother, and the edginess between Kelly and her mother. If looking for something along those lines, with the prodigal child returning, ignore this and head straight for the sublime Night in the Woods. That game really does not disappoint in the slightest.

If a lengthy drive with long-winded, drawn out prose scrolling onto the screen, with what is supposedly a representation of Nebraska in the background (trees, trees, and more trees, basically), does not sound too appealing (which it really is not), then get ready for the Extended Edition content... You guessed it! There is more laborious text to wade through. Steins;Gate was such a joy the read through, with its delightful visuals, intriguing interactions that really do make a difference, and even the interesting dictionary updates for unusual terminology used throughout. Three Fourths Home is merely a melodramatic short tale with not enough meat or oomph, meaning that it will be forgotten very quickly indeed. The extra content is post-drive, with Kelly's actions leading the conversation. This time, Kelly is a silhouette walking around near a bus stop, but you can thankfully let her stop walking during the chat without the interactions ceasing... and then the bus finally arrives, and it is finally all over. What a relief.

Screenshot for Three Fourths Home: Extended Edition on Nintendo Switch

Cubed3 Rating

3/10
Rated 3 out of 10

Bad

If you want to get away with sticking a book on a console, it is pretty important to make the actual tale an intriguing one, and - better yet - add in some useful interactions. This all feels so empty, even when attempting to drive the conversation in certain directions. Mundane is the perfect word to describe Three Fourths Home, and its Extended Edition post-game story content is simply more of the same weak melodrama. There are so many alternatives out there vying for your attention; check them out instead.

Developer

[bracket]games

Publisher

Digerati Distribution

Genre

Visual Novel

Players

1

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  3/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  0 (0 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now   

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