A game by Orbit Studios
WHAT IS GONERS?
GONERS is a Narrative-Driven, Puzzle-Solving, Survival Horror game. GONERS features three playable characters, each with their own unique abilities. Wren is a Telepath, Finch controls time, and Crow is a Ghost.
PLOT SUMMARY:
The Story of the game follows Wren, a fifteen-year-old girl who is on a journey to visit Yaroo the Wish-Granter. Yaroo is a powerful magic-user who has promised to grant Wren a wish if she is able to impress him by completing his challenges.
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Wren travels to a faraway land by Ghost Train, arriving at the outskirts of a forest that surrounds Yaroo's Mansion. It is not long before Wren comes across her new allies, Finch, and Crow.
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Finch was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and is what you might call a spoiled brat. Finch's journey has her crossing paths with Wren on the ghost train, and Finch instantaneously makes Wren her nemesis and competitor.
CHARACTERS:
WREN:
Wren is an emo goth girl who lives on her Father's farm. Wren takes after her Father and has a great appreciation for nature, animals, and nature photography. Throughout the game, Wren carries a camera to take photographs and document the flora, fauna, and wildlife seen on her journey. Although Wren sets out on a journey to have her wish granted, her wish is a mystery and is only revealed by the end of the game. Wren has few friends and usually keeps to herself due to her ability to see ghosts and the unnatural at an early age. Although Wren is lacking in traditional friends, she has managed to make many ghostly friends. In addition to being able to see spirits, Wren is also gifted with Telekinesis abilities, allowing her to move and interact with objects at a distance.
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FINCH:
Finch was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and is what you might call a spoiled brat. Finch was gifted with the ability to pause, rewind, and fast-forward time universally or even on specific objects or people. Finch never allows anyone to tell her "NO" and by using her abilities she has always gotten her way by threatening to pause someone in place, effectively holding them captive. Finch's journey has her crossing paths with Wren on the ghost train, and Finch instantaneously makes Wren her nemesis and competitor. Although Wren and Finch butt heads over the course of the game, they learn to work together to overcome the obstacles found in Yaroo's mansion.
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CROW:
Crow is a teenager who sought out Yaroo's challenge in the 80s. Unfortunately, Crow was unable to beat Yaroo's challenge, and he died in the mansion. Crow continues to live out his afterlife in Yaroo's mansion during the events of the game, which is set during the early 2000s. Now a ghost, Crow can float over obstacles, fly through walls, possess objects, monsters or people, and can never be harmed by conventional methods. After meeting Wren, Crow decides he wants to see someone finally beat Yaroo's challenge, and he joins Wren and Finch as part of their trio.
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Yaroo:
Yaroo is a great and powerful magician who has helped countless people throughout the ages. He does not age and has lived for thousands of years, if not longer. Yaroo is, in fact, so old that many people have doubts that he ever existed or continues to exist in the modern era. As of the last century, Yaroo has kept to himself and has not interacted with people outside of his mansion, but mysteriously invites gifted magic users to his home with promises to grant anyone who can complete his challenge a wish of their choosing. Yaroo's exact origin remains a mystery, but his journey throughout the centuries is revealed over the course of the game.
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GAMEPLAY:
CHARACTER SWITCHING: UNIQUE ABILITIES
In GONERS, you play as Wren who starts out as the main protagonist, but eventually you befriend Finch and Crow along your journey. All three characters have unique abilities that are required to solve puzzles in Yaroo's mansion.
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Wren can use her Telekinesis abilities to interact with objects from far away, including moving objects, enemies, and interacting with switches.
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Finch can pause, rewind, and fast-forward time, allowing the player.
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Crow is a ghost, so he can float across large obstacles, fly through walls, take control of enemies, and drain objects of their power, but be careful because this can also prevent the other characters from using some of their items, including the flashlight and Spirit Camera 2000!
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Switching between all three characters is often necessary to solve multi-step puzzles to progress in the game.
GAMEPLAY:
The Spirit Camera 2000!
In Yaroo's Mansion, you will encounter many hostile creatures, including ghosts. Some ghosts are hostile and others are friendly, but it's up to you to decide how to handle them. You can try to befriend specific ghosts and free their souls from Yaroo's mansion, or you can capture them using the Spirit Camera 2000!
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The Spirit Camera 2000 is a special camera that operates with a little bit of magic. With every photograph, you can capture the soul of many creatures and store it on film. You can decide to release these souls or use them to upgrade your character's abilities. Although the Spirit Camera 2000 is effective against many creatures, it isn't the perfect answer, as many monsters can defend themselves or are invulnerable to the player's actions. In addition, the Spirit Camera 2000 drains your supply of batteries and requires film to use. In these situations, alternative methods are necessary for progression; for example, stealth is also a viable option against stronger, more fearsome creatures. Although the Spirit Camera is effective against enemies, this should not take away from the focus on stealth and solving puzzles as the Camera is not always effective against every enemy and requires resources to use.
GAMEPLAY:
CHARACTER SWITCHING: UNIQUE ABILITIES
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