So I just completed Gone Home for the second time and all I gotta say is what a great game, plenty of threads out there so I'll keep it to that. The reason I played the game twice was during my first play through while in the library, I discovered one of the secret compartments in the corner wall before it was actually marked. I initially thought this was some sort of secret hidden easter egg so I started systematically going through each room available in hopes of find more of them. That's when I stumbled across the doorway under the staircase thinking I discovered another hidden secret. Next thing I knew I beat the game with a dumbfounded look on my face completely lost about what went down. I got to ask if anybody else might of had this experience or might of missed some of the things that occurred in the story due to missing a journal?

@i_stay_puft: Wow, that's seriously a unique experience. Didn't even think they'd let you do that. I remember trying to open some of those panels in the wall before I knew it was definitely possible, but picked the wrong ones... luckily. Hard-locking access to that stuff until you get the correct keys/maps is one thing I really wouldn't complain about "game-ifying."

Someone else mentioned doing that in another thread :( It's a bummer, but if you haven't already, keep exploring, there's a lot more to discover.

Also, a little tid-bit, It's actually possible to just straight off finish the game in under a minute...

Yeah man after the credit rolled I dived in again and played it pretty much straight forward the way the developers intended. I think if you followed what they intended for you to do you should be fine. Just that during my first play through I kinda went exploring off the beaten trail.

I found access to the basement through this button on the ceiling in 1 of the closets. I guess other people got the key instead, I thought it was pretty cool that if you're observant you can find stuff early.

It makes the house feel more real - that you can find the hidden rooms before you are "supposed to." I mean, these secret passages should have two entrances anyway.

I thought I had explored the Library with a fine tooth comb, and I looked through mom & dad's closet pretty thoroughly, but didn't find that secret murder hallway (as I would have called it as a teenager) until after I found the note between Sam & Lonnie talking about it. The fact that you could have opened it from the library side so early on makes perfect sense from an architectural standpoint - there's no reason that you shouldn't be able to, except for not knowing it's there.