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Come Home review
A player-centered walkthrough, tips, and personal insights on Come Home
Come Home is a character-driven adult-themed indie game that blends narrative choices with relationship mechanics, and this article dives into its systems, scenes, and best practices for completing character routes and unlocking content. In this guide I’ll share practical walkthrough steps, personal anecdotes from play sessions, and actionable advice to help you navigate affection, scenes, and endings. Whether you’re starting fresh or replaying for alternate outcomes, you’ll find clear steps and storytelling tips to improve your experience.
Core Gameplay and How to Start Come Home
So, you’ve just booted up Come Home and are staring at the screen, wondering where to even begin? 😅 Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. This chapter is your friendly handhold through those crucial first steps, turning confusion into confidence. Whether you’re looking for a solid Come Home tutorial or a detailed Come Home first week guide, you’ve come to the right place. We’re going to break down the core loop, map out your initial days, and share the hard-earned wisdom that’ll save you hours of backtracking. Think of this as your essential Come Home walkthrough start, designed to get you on the right path toward the characters and stories you care about most. Let’s dive in! 🏊♂️
What to do in your first week
The first seven days in Come Home are your foundation. Everything you do here sets the tone for which relationships you can pursue and what opportunities you’ll unlock later. A good Come Home first week guide isn’t about min-maxing the fun out of the game, but about giving you the tools to explore effectively. My biggest mistake on my first playthrough? I was so focused on earning money at my job that I completely missed an early, charming scene with a key character at the Java Lava café on Day 3. I didn’t have a recent save to go back to, and I had to restart my entire game! 💔 That painful lesson taught me the immense value of a smart Come Home save strategy from minute one.
Your primary goals this week are simple: learn the town layout, meet the characters, and manage your basic resources—stamina, money, and time. Here’s your actionable, step-by-step checklist for the first seven in-game days. Follow this as a loose framework, and you’ll unlock plenty of introductory scenes.
Pro Tip: Before you do anything else, go to the save menu and create your first save file. Label it “Day 1 Start” or something similar. This is your safety net! 🛡️
- Day 1 – Orientation: After the intro, your character is home. Immediately open your Come Home locations map (usually the icon in the UI). Just look at it; don’t travel yet. Get a mental picture. Then, head to the supermarket. Buy some basic snacks (they restore stamina cheaply). On the way back, if time allows, take a short walk around your neighborhood block. Go home and sleep.
- Day 2 – First Social Steps: Go to Java Lava. This café is a social hub. You’ll likely meet one or two characters here automatically. Exhaust all dialogue options; they’re free and build early rapport. 💬 After, check your workplace (if you’ve chosen one) to understand the commute. Save your game in a new slot.
- Day 3 – Resource Management: Time to earn some cash. Go to your workplace and complete your shift. This will drain stamina but fill your wallet. After work, use a little money to visit the gym. Using the equipment here a bit can slowly increase your max stamina over time. Don’t overdo it and collapse!
- Day 4 – Exploration: Pick a new location from the map you haven’t visited, like the park or the library. The goal is to trigger location-specific events and see who’s around. Characters have preferred hangouts! In the evening, check your phone messages and reply.
- Day 5 – Deepening Connections: Return to a location where you met someone you liked. Prioritize character interaction over everything else today. Use your snacks to keep your stamina up for more talking. Before bed, create another manual save—this is a key point before the weekend.
- Day 6 – Weekend Shift: Saturdays often have different character schedules. Visit Java Lava again; weekend crowds can be different. Then, focus on a personal goal: either work for extra money or visit the gym again. Your choice should align with the route you’re leaning toward (e.g., needing money for dates, or stamina for events).
- Day 7 – Preparation and Rest: Use this day to tidy up loose ends. Buy more snacks from the supermarket, reply to any pending messages, and review your relationship notes in the UI. Most importantly, save in a new slot. The real game opens up after Week 1, and you’ll want this bookmark.
This approach ensures you’ve touched all the critical systems. Remember, this Come Home tutorial is a guideline, not a rigid rulebook. The beauty is in the discovery! 🗺️
Understanding the UI, locations, and daily schedule
Getting cozy with the user interface is your first step to mastery. The UI in Come Home is clean, but a few elements are vital. Your stamina bar is at the top-left; every action except talking consumes it. Your wallet is next to it. The central panel shows your daily schedule, which is broken into morning, afternoon, and evening segments. You can typically visit one location per segment. ⏳
The Come Home locations map is your best friend. It’s not just a navigational tool; it’s a storytelling guide. Each location has a vibe and attracts specific characters on certain days. Here’s a quick breakdown of the key early-game spots:
| Location | Primary Purpose | Best Time to Visit |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarket | Buy food to restore stamina. The cheapest way to keep your energy up. | Mornings or Afternoons (less crowded). |
| Java Lava Café | The main social hub. High chance of encountering multiple characters for casual chat. | Afternoons are consistently good. Weekends have special events. |
| Gym | Slowly increases your maximum stamina stat over time. Costs a small fee per visit. | Evenings, after work. Some characters work out here too! |
| Your Workplace | Earn money. Essential for funding your social life and purchases. | Whenever your assigned shifts are scheduled. |
| Park & Library | Quieter locations for one-on-one scenes or finding specific characters who prefer solitude. | Varies by character. Experiment! |
The daily schedule is the heartbeat of the game. Once you choose an action for a time block, it advances. Days of the week matter immensely! 🗓️ Some characters are only available at their jobs on weekdays, while others are free to hang out on weekends. The game doesn’t always shout this at you, so it’s worth checking your phone’s contact list; sometimes availability hints are tucked in there.
A personal insight: I used to ignore the library, thinking it was just for flavor. But on a replay, I went there on a Tuesday afternoon and stumbled into a unique, quiet conversation that became a pivotal moment for a character’s route. It pays to explore everywhere! This is why understanding the schedule and map is more than just mechanics—it’s the key to unlocking the game’s heart.
How time and choices affect routes
Come Home is a delicate dance between the clock and your decisions. Every choice, from how you spend your time to what you say in dialogue, gently nudges you onto a path toward one character (or possibly none if you’re not careful!). This isn’t a game you can brute-force in one sitting; it’s designed for multiple playthroughs, each colored by your priorities. 🔀
The time system is straightforward but strict. The game operates on a calendar, and certain events are date-locked. You might not see a character’s special event until the second week, or only if you’ve reached a certain affection level with them by a specific day. This is where that Come Home save strategy becomes non-negotistic. My golden rule? Create a new manual save at the start of every in-game week. Then, before any major dialogue choice that feels weighty, quick-save. It sounds tedious, but it gives you the freedom to explore consequences without paranoia.
Affection is the invisible currency. Raising it efficiently is the core of any good Come Home walkthrough start. Here’s what works:
* Prioritize Consistency: Visiting a character once and then ignoring them for a week won’t cut it. Regular interaction, even just stopping by their usual haunt to say hi, builds rapport over time.
* Listen and Remember: Dialogue choices often reference past conversations. Picking the option that shows you were paying attention grants bigger affection boosts. 📈
* Gifts Matter, But Timing is Everything: You can buy small gifts at certain stores, but save them for after you’ve built a baseline friendship. Giving a gift too early can sometimes feel awkward and yield less reward.
The game’s free and premium editions affect this early phase too. In the free version, you might find that some later-week events or premium character routes are locked, encouraging you to support the developers. The early-game setup is identical, but your long-term how to start Come Home strategy might involve deciding which character routes you can fully access in your edition.
Finally, remember that fatigue is a route-killer. If you constantly push your stamina to zero, your character will get sick and lose entire days. Balance work, socializing, and self-care (like eating and the occasional gym visit). It’s a life sim, after all! The most satisfying playthroughs come from role-playing a balanced life, not from treating it like a spreadsheet. Your Come Home first week guide is just the launchpad; the real story is written by how you choose to live each day after that. Happy playing! 🎮
Come Home rewards patient players who learn its rhythms: prioritize early saves, follow affection-boosting activities, and replay routes to explore alternate outcomes. Use the walkthrough steps, affection strategies, and troubleshooting tips above to reach the scenes and endings you want; back up saves before major choices and consult community resources if an update changes triggers. If you enjoyed this guide, try the suggested checklists and replay strategies, and consider sharing your own discoveries with the player community to help others.
