![]() And then the plunge into the caves which I think helps give Dear Esther that landmark or iconic status. By the time of the caves the quick jabs of oddly specific descriptions rein themselves in, all the weird placements of junk, car doors, a cullet in the cliffs spread with books. Which is a shame as the game itself presents itself with a lot of thought and an interesting twisted narrative, many characters mentioned, Paul, Jacobson, Donnelly and of course Esther. My impressions of this game are unfortunately dulled by having played the aforementioned games first, and when finally giving this game a go it felt tedious. The game is a pioneer of the narrative adventure genre, and is responsible for inspiring better games like "What Remains of Edith Finch" and "Firewatch". It's mentioned briefly in the director's commentary too. Lightly recommended as both a historical curiosity, and a one-run tone-poem for open-minded players.Ģh 52m PlayedI review games with all games starting at 5/10 (Average) and then deduct/add for negatives and positives: Overall Thoughts: Dear Esther, later re-released with a "Landmark Edition" is just that, a landmark in game design and spurning the term "Walking Simulator". This is a very particular kind of experience, and when the game concentrates more on its visual representations of angst rather than its aural ones, its aspirations shine through in several stand-out moments (including a beautifully-realized underground cave network, and the finale, following the candles "all the way up" the cliff face to the radio tower). Exploring, while yielding few hard rewards (this is still a very linear game, with a beginning middle & end), is enriching by nature of its environmental details & the overall feeling of woe. But it didn't matter "what" happened because the biggest spell the game casts is in its aesthetic beauty. Maybe better when laid out as a short story. ![]() ![]() I will say that - being an artsy-minded guy myself - it nailed that feeling of going back over old memories, or flipping through "the letters you never send" to piece a middle-aged life back together after a trauma, but it wasn't delivered engagingly for a video game. ![]() Lots of character-driven technical metaphors and anecdotes that all grated by the end of my run. Not to spoil anything, but its obtuse & nonchronological "audio log" delivery was hard to follow until the "big reveal" in the back-half (you mean the guy single-handedly lit "all" those candles?). Not only that, but the events, visuals, and audio are all randomly-generated, so every playthrough is different.2h 30m PlayedThe "original" first-person walking simulator! Plot-wise, honestly, I didn't really know what the point of everything was. There is virtually no gameplay to speak of here, as this is a purely narrative-driven experience.Īs unconventional as that might sound, Dear Esther was still regarded highly by many people for its touching and hauntingly beautiful plot, captivating environment, and sweet soundtrack. Your task is to pierce together all the information to unveil its story. If you haven’t heard of this game yet, it is a first-person adventure game in which you’ll explore a dark and desolated island with the assistance of a narrator who will read out loud portions of a letter for you. That is about to change soon as it has just been announced that Dear Esther will be coming to iOS later this year, allowing players to experience it on the go.ĭear Esther is coming to iOS later this year It was later ported to PS4 and Xbox One, but nowhere else since. First launched on PC back in 2012, Dear Esther from developer The Chinese Room was probably one of the pioneer walking simulator games.
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