Rapture is another entry in the so-called "walking simulator" genre of games, where the "gameplay" consists of pressing forward on the left stick and occasionally pressing a button to inspect items or start conversations. Much like Gone Home, the goal in Rapture isn't to defeat enemies or solve puzzles, but to have a story told to you. Think of games like this as an interactive movie studio in the middle of a big production, where you wander around from set to set, watching each scene unfold before your eyes.
To me, that's what makes games like this so interesting. And I will classify them as games simply because that's what they are. Rapture isn't a book because even though narrative is its primary focus, it's been visualized for me. It's not a film because I get to control where I go, what I see, and how fast I go. Games like this are about exploration and discovery; things are being shown to you but it's your job to interpret them. What makes this game (and others like it) special is that it can mean so many different things to different people. But at the same time, that all depends on how well its story is told.
Gone Home was universally loved, and for good reason. It was small, concise, and moving. Rapture is similar, though on a much larger scale. Critics and gamers are divided on it, and after playing a good chunk of it, I can see why. You move rather slow (though holding down R2 does speed things up a bit) and the story might not grab everyone's attention. You can advance by sticking to the game's main path, but are free to explore at your own leisure. There are numerous things in Rapture you can miss if you just blaze through it, so I highly suggest you take time to explore everything.
Most "walking simulators" are criticized for a lack of interactivity; there may be a lot to "see" in them, but often times there is very little to "do". Rapture is very much a game that you "see" rather than "play", and though that may not seem inviting, I feel that's what make it so unique. You can explore the various homes and buildings but will find that you can't go inside most of them. There are radios scattered around that provide more insight to the plot, as well as some hidden narrative beats, but you can't pick up and inspect items like you could in Gone Home. The lack of interactivity will definitely be a turn off for some gamers, and I can totally understand that. But for me, I have fully enjoyed my time with Rapture because its the first game I've played in a while that just set me free and let me explore with little to no consequences. I am fully invested in its story and am eager to see what happens next. Games like this hinge completely on their story; how well a narrative is written and structured can make or break a game where story is the primary (and only) focus. Thankfully Rapture's story is well paced and completely engrossing, and because of that, the game works.
In the end, I really do like these so-called "walking simulators". The ability to freely experience and explore a game at your own pace is something that doesn't happen all that often. Games like Rapture are definitely not for everyone, but they provide a very unique and important experience. Video games don't have to be about shooting or collecting things all of the time, and it's good to take a step back and just be simple. It's nice to have developers experimenting with narrative and exploration like this, as I feel it will only help make gaming better.
The debate on whether or not these are actual "games" will rage on forever, but for me there's no other way to classify them. Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is a video game. Gone Home is a video game. They are stories and experiences that you can't get anywhere else, and because they are being told in video game form, you get to live in them rather than just watch them. And that, to me, is what makes gaming the best entertainment medium.
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